WWE roster cuts after SmackDown: Full list of 10 superstars released including Jasper Troy and Wendy Choo

WWE trimmed its developmental ranks, releasing 10 names from NXT, Evolve, LFG, and the Performance Center as Friday Night SmackDown aired. Notably, no Raw or SmackDown main-roster stars were included.

Developmental talent typically sit out 30 days before they can wrestle elsewhere. Main-roster deals usually carry a 90-day wait.

Full list of WWE Superstars released

The confirmed departures are Jasper Troy, Wendy Choo, Adriana Rizzo, Zena Sterling, Anya Rune, Braxton Cole, PJ Vasa, Gary Wilson, Ellen Akesson and Marcus Brown.

Champions and LFG winners among the cuts

Jasper Troy, 28, was the first name to surface. The former college football player signed in 2022, won Season 1 of WWE LFG under Booker T, and held the WWE Speed Championship for 105 days after beating El Grande Americano in November 2025. He last wrestled on the August 27 episode of Main Event. On X, he posted “30 Days” with a black heart, then rebranded as Kairo D. Reign and opened himself for bookings.

Wendy Choo is the most established name on the list. She first appeared in the 2018 Mae Young Classic, signed in 2019, and spent years on NXT before winning the Evolve Women’s Championship in 2026. Nikkita Lyons beat her for the title on June 24, ending a 70-day reign. Her last WWE outing was a dark match before the August 25 NXT taping.

Adriana Rizzo signed in 2022 and worked on NXT as part of the D’Angelo Family before a torn ACL and meniscus in 2025. After she returned, Evolve used her as a ringside interviewer. Zena Sterling, signed in 2023, appeared on LFG and Evolve. Braxton Cole was on LFG Season 3. Anya Rune joined as WWE ID talent in March 2026 and wrestled Evolve, including a women’s title qualifying fatal four-way. PJ Vasa, a former rugby player, debuted on Evolve last November. Referee Gary Wilson signed in 2022 and later worked SmackDown. Ellen Akesson and Marcus Brown were Performance Center recruits who never wrestled an official match.

Released talent already looking ahead

PJ Vasa confirmed her exit herself. “God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good! Fa’afetai I le Atua. Thank you, WWE, for opening the door for me into pro wrestling… what a journey! Looking forward to more motion, more blessings, more life.”

Ellen Akesson, the Swedish powerlifter and 2024 Western European Powerlifting Championships winner, posted: “Got unexpected sad news today, but I will figure it out. What a journey this life is.” In a later message, she wrote: “I have been released from WWE. I truly loved it here. From the wrestling to the security staff to the coaches to the fans to my friends to the daily small routines like locking my bike at the PC. I am confident that I did everything I could these 6 months. Thank you for the love.”

This is WWE’s second large cut of 2026 after a post-WrestleMania 42 wave in April. The 30-day clock now starts for the 10 names. AEW, TNA, and the independents will be watching once that window closes in early October.