The rumors of Vince McMahon and Bruce Pritchard overseeing and controlling all aspects of future NXT programming have been thwarted in the last few days.  While Vince and Bruce may have more input with the content, it seems that Triple H. and Shawn Michaels will continue to supervise the day-to-day operations of the show, as per the latest Wrestling Observer.  That said, another ongoing NXT rumor centers around the possibilities of more roster cuts in the coming weeks.  This news also stems from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer.  The idea is to cut wrestlers that have been associated with the brand for “a long time.”

This would continue to tie in with Vince’s vision to have NXT return to its grassroots agenda of building Performance Center talents from scratch, focusing on personalities, and relying less on recognizable and established names to carry the brand.  Now, why their inclination would be to outright “cut” talents altogether, as opposed to simply moving talents up to the main roster is a good question.  That said, there are particular names associated with the NXT brand that have been on record stating that they have no desire to wrestle on the main roster.  So with this in mind, it would be interesting to speculate on some probable future cuts.  It is important to note that these names are purely speculation, and no sources have declared that these are the list of names that are rumored to be cut:

Roderick Strong-

With the recent changes to the structure of 205 Live, the cruiserweights and smaller athletic guys have been heavily de-emphasized.  And as great of a wrestler as Roderick Strong has proven to be in NXT, do you have any faith that Vince will have a clue as to what to do with him on the main roster?  If Roddy gets called up to Raw or SmackDown, he will be irrelevant in three to four weeks, tops.  His only path to success outside of NXT was 205 Live, but WWE wants that show to emphasize bigger guys (which seems to defeat the whole purpose of branding the show as 205 Live).  So by all accounts, where does that leave Roddy?  He has been a part of the NXT roster since 2016, his greatest achievement was his affiliation with the Undisputed Era (which no longer exists), and he perfectly fits in with the modo of “longtime roster members.”  He either continues to oscillate in NXT purgatory as part of this Diamond Mine Faction, or WWE decides that his services are no longer needed.

Drake Maverick-

Another wrestler that does not have a lot going on right now, and judging by his size and tenure alone, it is easy to see how little use Vince would see in Maverick going forward.  Unlike Strong, Maverick already toiled around on the main roster.  Unfortunately, even if people consider his impressive work, the company never did anything remotely productive with him.  Unless they have plans to heavily feature him on NXT going forward, we could end up seeing Maverick on the chopping block soon.

Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan-

While they are currently involved in one of NXT’s key storylines at the moment, we all know how quickly Vince’s mind changes.  It is hard to imagine that Vince would view Burch and Lorcan as “good investments” for the direction he wants to take NXT.  We also should not ignore the fact that, much like Strong, Lorcan and Burch are not novices to the NXT brand; they both have been around in various capacities since 2015.  And no offense to Burch and Lorcan, but they never had a reputation for being extroverted personalities or outgoing performers.  Good wrestlers?  Yes.  Future investments that Vince would find use for?  Probably not.

Johnny Gargano-

Again, this is a Roderick Strong situation.  Do you have any hopes that Johnny Wrestling would find success on Raw or SmackDown?  A veteran of the NXT brand since 2015, Gargano is also a smaller guy with a subpar personality.  It is difficult to imagine that, even with Shawn and Hunter overseeing NXT, Vince and Bruce would utilize Gargano in a major capacity.

Tommaso Ciampa-

Remember my comments about wrestlers wanting zero association with the main roster?  Ciampa has been very outspoken on this matter, and if Vince caught word of this (if he has not already), he could potentially initiate a vendetta against Ciampa.  Again, he is a wrestler that fits the mold of the chopping block cast; he has wrestled in NXT since 2015, and he is smaller by comparison to the talents Vince typically likes and pushes.  Ciampa, at least, has intensity and charisma unparalleled to wrestlers like Strong and Gargano.  However, is personality enough to convince Vince and Bruce to  keep Ciampa around, given his tenure with the brand?

Candice LeRae-

As reported recently, Candice is currently on the inactive list, as she and Gargano are expecting their first child in early 2022.  While not on maternity leave yet, she will be.  And with WWE really pushing for cuts and roster revamping, it is hard to imagine Vince would see Candice as an investment long-term, especially if she is going to be out for an extended period of time.

Ember Moon-

Ember has passed through the NXT system once before, and her initial main roster run left a lot to be desired.  While her second NXT run has not flopped, it has not particularly lit the world on fire.  At one point, it seemed like she was going to be thrusted back into the title picture when Io Shirai was champion.  Then, she teamed with Shotzi Blackheart for a while, won the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships, only for Shotzi to be abruptly called up to the main roster, and now Ember has been seemingly directionless since.  It does not seem like they have any plans to put her back in the title hunt, and if Vince wants to liquidate longstanding talents with the brand, Ember fits into that category.

Again, these lists of names are NOT documented as “probable releases.”  Moreover, they are speculative talent cuts based on the credentials Vince and the company are setting forth with NXT’s future direction.  Losing these names would certainly not help NXT’s future in anyway, but unless Vince has visions for them on main roster programming, their tenure with the brand may be enough for Vince to send them to the chopping block.

Sources:

• Aguilar , M. (2021, September 3). WWE NXT REPORT “effectively Denies” Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard Production Takeover Rumors. WWE. https://comicbook.com/wwe/news/wwe-update-nxt-shoots-down-vince-mcmahon-bruce-prichard-rumors/.

• Gibbons, A. (2021, September 2). Report: Wwe considering releasing longtime nxt superstars. Cultaholic Wrestling. https://cultaholic.com/posts/report-wwe-considering-releasing-longtime-nxt-superstars.