Where Will 2021 WWE Releases End Up?

April 15 is officially spring cleaning day for World Wrestling Entertainment.

Post-WrestleMania WWE releases have been a yearly occurrence for as long as I can remember, it’s just part of the game. But as Eric Bischoff likes to say, “context is king.” In 2021, WWE has more talent than it could possibly ever need, having ransacked the independents to keep wrestlers away from AEW, only to never use them in any kind of meaningful way.

This year, there have certainly been some surprise WWE releases. My goal is to address them all and hopefully settle on what would be an ideal new home for each free agent.

Chelsea Green

Sometimes, the most obvious choice isn’t always the right one. Matt Cardona recently made Impact Wrestling his home, and Green’s best friend in wrestling Deonna Purrazzo is making history as the reigning Knockouts Champion. But let’s not forget that Green already told her story in Impact as Laurel Van Ness. Don’t get me wrong, she could go back and enter right into a feud with Purrazzo for the title, but it’s also key to remember that Green made up one-fourth of the first women’s match in AEW history, not to mention that the AEW women’s division is a tad thin on contenders, to say the least.

Green has probably the most in-ring upside out of anybody on this list of WWE releases. Despite making her name on Tough Enough, she was seldom used when signed and hasn’t really done anything of substance in over three years. She has a lot to prove and while Impact may be a good move from a personal standpoint, the best move for her career is to go to AEW and fill a major need for that company.

Peyton Royce & Billie Kay

Our Editor in Chief John Corrigan tweeted out from The Wrestling Estate account, “WWE gave up The IIconics?!” However, WWE did not release the IIconics. WWE released Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, as the powers that be, after all, made the unconscionable decision to break them up for no reason. But now that the duo will be free agents, the money move is to reunite the tag team and bring back the IIconics. They’re really just better together. Sure, Billie Kay showed she could take the ball and run with it away from Peyton Royce, but should she have had to?

Individually, they were two of the worst in-ring workers on the women’s main roster. Peyton Royce might actually be the least impressive high-profile graduate from the Storm Wrestling Academy from an in-ring standpoint, so make no mistake, these two are better together. Should this be the way they go, the best fit will be anywhere that does women’s tag team wrestling. I don’t think there’s a better fit than Impact. The IIconics’ wacky humor can mesh perfectly with the anything-goes writing style of Jimmy Jacobs, and should they ever decide to break up the team, they can get a proper story for their troubles.

Mickie James

Mickie James is going to NWA, and there are no two ways around it. Previously, I mentioned that going to the same place of work as your husband isn’t necessarily the best career move. In this case, Mickie James is not a spry up-and-comer with something to prove. She is a 41-year old, 20+ year veteran of the business, so comfortability is going to be a factor, as well as seeking out what she has not yet been able to accomplish.

She has held the WWE Women’s Championship, WWE Divas Championship and TNA Knockouts Championship. One title she has not held? The NWA Women’s Championship. By joining the NWA, James will be able to not only hold that title, but give back to the business by potentially working as a player-coach to younger talent. This fit writes itself, and the only question is how fast we see it happen after her 90-day no-compete expires. (Perhaps some of these WWE releases have their no-compete waived like Andrade did.)

Kalisto

Kalisto is a unique talent who doesn’t always get proper credit. He is an absolutely insane athlete, and his Salida del Sol off the top of the ladder at TLC 2015 is one of the craziest high spots in WWE history. Prior to coming to WWE, Kalisto was known as Samuray del Sol, and his character was that of an unorthodox luchador who was more intent on inflicting damage to opponents than simply outwrestling them. Needless to say, Kalisto is well-versed with the indies and for that reason, I see a fit with Ring of Honor. ROH has mostly focused on building its own talent as of late and has really tried to go back to its roots in its sport-based presentation of wrestling. ROH could afford to bring in somebody with a name, and if it does, Kalisto is their huckleberry because he can also match the work rate of stars like Jay Lethal, Rush and Dragon Lee.

Bo Dallas

About a month ago, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Bo Dallas was not only not being used, he wasn’t even being brought to TV to sit in catering like Andrade. Meltzer also noted, “He’s still getting paid and has a farm living with Morgan and they’ve started a family real estate business and studying that to prepare for life after wrestling.” It sounds to me like Dallas may be looking to pivot from wrestling, and if he does, it’s easy to understand why. No, this guy was never a world beater in any part of the game, but he was still plenty good enough to be properly utilized on the show.

If he does decide to throw his hat back into the ring (literally), there could be a fit with MLW. There may be a third or fourth-degree connection to Court Bauer and if MLW is looking to bring in guys with any kind of name, especially WWE releases, Dallas is the most realistic option available. The NWA will also be a name to keep an eye on. The name “Rotunda” is one wrestling fans of old will recognize, and the nature of the NWA’s taped product means a minimal time commitment should Bo Dallas choose to go that way.

Tucker

We all knew Tucker Knight wasn’t long for WWE as soon as Otis began to breakout. There’s just nothing that Knight does exceptionally well outside of being big and tall, and the place that puts the most stock in being big and tall is WWE. Now that he’ll have to make a name for himself outside of “New York,” Knight could have some trouble catching on. However, Knight himself seems pretty upbeat about being part of the WWE releases and mentioned he is “looking forward to telling my story.”

I do see some upside to Knight working with Impact, and that is where I believe he will eventually end up. Looking at what Impact did with Heath’s character, which was simply a guy that got released by WWE, hopefully the creative team comes up with something for Knight to possibly take the next step in his career while remaining in front of a television audience. As little as he may have shown as the Marty Jannetty to Otis’ Shawn Michaels, the best is yet to come for this big man.

Wesley Blake

The story of Wesley Blake’s WWE run is that he was always the B-side or C-side to whatever was going on around him. He got his start as one-half of Blake and Murphy. Naturally, Buddy Murphy goes on to become the bankable star. He then goes on to marry popular Tough Enough alum Sara Lee, who, between Twitter and Instagram, matches him on followers despite having only wrestled five or less matches.

Later, he would make up the Forgotten Sons with Steve Cutler (not part of today’s WWE releases, but let go earlier this year) and Jaxson Ryker, the latter of which is now working with Elias and Shane McMahon. From what we’ve seen of him, Blake is a good, but not great wrestler with limited character skills. Like Dallas, he may have an eye on life outside the ring, but should he look to continue, the NWA is always going to be looking for solid wrestlers with any kind of name attached to them.

Samoa Joe

This one sent shockwaves through the wrestling world and made me do a spit take. I knew WrestleMania was going to be Joe’s last night on the commentary desk, and for what it’s worth, he did a terrific job. Many times when wrestlers transition to commentary, it can be tough to look at them for being more than their character when they’re doing a company job, but Samoa Joe’s transition was seamless. I’m also a big fan of Adnan Virk and hope he kills it Monday nights going forward. But I thought the commentary shakeup meant an imminent in-ring return for Joe. Not so, and now the big man is looking for work.

Sure, Joe has history in Impact and Ring of Honor, but he’s Samoa Joe. He is one of the five or 10 unheralded pure wrestling talents of the last 20 years, and it’s time he got his due. AEW favors versatility, and that’s probably why Tony Khan hired Paul Wight. Joe, too, has shown he can handle a commentary role, but if he’s got anything left to offer in the ring at 42 years old, he should go to AEW where he can reap the benefits of free agency, be on TNT every week and work with guys he’s never worked with before. The possibilities are endless for Joe in AEW, and Tony Khan has to see the fit, too. If the money is right, Joe will be AEW bound this summer.

That said, don’t rule out Billy Corgan and the NWA. Corgan has deep pockets himself, and as a byproduct of its strong booking of Nick Aldis and the NWA Championship, the NWA has, in turn, eliminated all potential challengers to him. The guy that beats Aldis for the belt will need to be someone who matters. Samoa Joe definitely matters. If I were a betting man, I’d say there’s a 70% chance we see him in AEW, 15% chance we see him in NWA and a 15% chance at the field securing his talents.