WWE Executive Explains "Up Or Out" Rule Regarding NXT Releases

That’s their policy. There are some incredibly talented stars in NXT, which is an important destination for several wrestlers. It is the official developmental territory for WWE and being there means that a wrestler is on their way to the main roster. That is in theory at least as some wrestlers never quite make it. Now a WWE executive is explaining the process behind making it or not.

During a new interview with Wrestlerant, WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Operations and Strategy James Kimball explained the WWE’s “Up Or Out” rule. The idea is that if a wrestler is signed to a developmental deal but does not appear as a regular on NXT TV in two years, they will likely be let go. WWE’s position is that there are so many wrestlers that need to be rotated in that they do not have the space to spend on someone moving so slowly. There is no word on who has been released from WWE under this policy.

Opinion: This might sound a bit harsh but it does make some sense. At the end of the day, if a wrestler has not made it to developmental TV with other wrestlers being cycled in and out, there is only so much that they can be expected to do. NXT has a lot of talented wrestlers and it is asking a lot to hold off on someone who might never get there for the sake of hoping that someone finally makes it work.