Drake Wuertz, Alexander Wolfe, and referee Jake Clemons have reportedly been released by WWE, as reported by Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, and has also been confirmed by PWInsider. PWInsider adds and confirms that Kavita Devi, Jessamyn Duke, Vanessa Borne, Skyler Story (fka Brandi Lauren), and Ezra Judge have been released, citing the releases as “budget cuts.”
Word among talent and staff at the WWE Performance Center is that referee Drake Wuertz has been let go. I've reached out to WWE for a confirmation on this, and clarity on the situation.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) May 19, 2021
We've been told that referee Jake Clemons has been let go from WWE NXT as well, unfortunately.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) May 19, 2021
I've been told that Alexander Wolfe has been released. I'm working to confirm with WWE.
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) May 19, 2021
The reports come just weeks after Sapp had also reported via Fightful Select that Wuertz was suspended earlier in the year and had “heat” backstage. Wuertz was the former head referee of NXT before being replaced by Darryl Sharma.
Wolfe, 34, was most recently on NXT this past Tuesday night, as he was defeated by former partner Killian Dain. After the match, he was removed from Imperium as Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner attacked him following the match. Wolfe had been with WWE since 2015.
Devi was a part of the inaugural Mae Young Classic in 2017. She also took part in the WrestleMania 34 Women’s Battle Royal.
Duke, 34, was one of the members of the MMA Four Horsewomen group, headed by Ronda Rousey which also featured Shayna Baszler and Marina Shafir. She has been working with WWE as part of Xavier Woods’ UpUpDownDown YouTube channel.
Borne, 27, has not wrestled in a match since January 2020. Both Story and Judge had yet to appear on WWE television. Story was formerly part of EVOLVE while Judge was a former arena football league player.
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