You See These Wrestlers Every Week, But They Don’t Have WWE Contracts

One of the biggest changes to regular WWE programming since the brand split has been the reintroduction of what the company calls “enhancement talent,” or as most folks like to call them, “jobbers.” They’re wrestling staples–local athletes who WWE brings in for a brief squash from the monster heel of the week.

As you might expect, most of these wrestlers don’t have WWE contracts, as they usually only appear once before vanishing into the ether. However, there are a few stars who appear far more regularly that you might be surprised to learn aren’t full-time WWE employees.

httpss://youtube.com/watch?v=AOPqGGemLNs

James Ellsworth is one such wrestler. His WWE run began as a no-name jobber to be crushed by Braun Strowman, so it’s no surprise that he wasn’t offered a contract up front. However, even after his main event appearances on SmackDown, including a match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, he’s still an independent wrestler only working occasionally for WWE. (Though his sudden rise on SmackDown is certainly giving him a boost at local indie shows.)

A couple of former WWE employees also are working without an exclusive contract. Mikey and Kenny of the Spirit Squad are still taking independent bookings, despite regular appearances on SmackDown.

httpss://youtube.com/watch?v=slw_K4LQX-w

Two Raw regulars are actually under contract with with a different company. Tony Nese and Drew Gulak are weekly contenders in the Cruiserweight division’s frequent tag team matches, but are still under contract with Evolve. WWE has a close working relationship with Evolve, and their competitors make frequent non-wrestling appearances at the indie company’s shows.

Speaking of cruiserweights, there’s Kota Ibushi, who had an excellent run in WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic, and has made frequent appearances since in NXT. Ibushi is perhaps the biggest worldwide star not currently signed with WWE, and decision about whether or not to sign with the company has been a perennial topic of dirtsheet speculation.