Update on WWE Letting Inactive Talents' Contracts Expire

As we previously reported, WWE will not be releasing its inactive talents going forward. Instead, the company will just let that person’s contract expire. As noted in our previous report, releases would only occur because of disciplinary reasons, or if a person was in developmental. Since the report, WWE has only released four talents, all from developmental territory NXT, the most notable being Mason Ryan.

PWInsider has provided an update on the story, shedding some light as to why WWE will handle the contracts of inactive talents this way. The belief within WWE is that by letting these individuals’ contracts expire, it will downplay any controversy or negative vibes afterwards. By just letting the contract expire, instead of suddenly announcing a release, the company believes that these individuals will not be as upset.

The most recent case of WWE operating this way can be seen with Ezekiel Jackson. In April, Jackson announced that he was no longer with WWE. While many assumed that the company released him, WWE simply chose not to renew his contract upon its expiration.

Editor’s Note

It does make some sense to let these contracts run its course, instead of releasing someone out of the blue, as it could very well downplay any tension between the two sides.