It was “no coincidence” that this happened on SmackDown

Some updates have emerged regarding the recent talent cuts to WWE NXT.

As previously mentioned, WWE made several talent cuts to the NXT roster on May 3rd. Several trainees were laid off and notified ahead of the closure of the WWE Performance Center on Friday.

There has been confusion regarding the released recruits from the WWE NXT: Next Gen series. It was confirmed that their endorsement deals began after the show was taped, but they were not allowed to announce these until the show finally aired.

This was noted by Julian Baldi on X after his release.

Some of the released NXT TV talent, particularly Valentina Feroz and Boa, have struggled with injuries in recent months. Some talents noted that they didn’t have the right chance to show their full potential due to injury.

One release that surprised many was Trey Bearhill, who was originally slated to appear in this year’s NXT Breakout Tournament before ultimately being replaced by Lexis King. It was quickly dismissed that he was released due to similarities to Eddy Thorpe, a fellow Native American on the NXT roster.

One reason that wasn’t particularly surprising was Olympic wrestling champion Gable Steveson. One talent even pointed out that his brother Damon Kemp adapted to the WWE world better in NXT than Steveson. It is widely believed within the company that his release is due to his lack of progress rather than his previous problems with the law.

It said it was “no coincidence” that the cuts occurred during this week’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown.

(H/T: Fightful Select)