WWE released 18 wrestlers on Thursday. We’re now getting word that some people’s refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccination played a direct impact on their departures.
The NY Post was first to report that Nia Jax was among the handful of people let go due to their vaccination status.
“A source with knowledge of WWE’s operations told The Post that one of the reasons Nia Jax, a former WWE Raw women’s champion, was released is that she is unvaccinated,” wrote Ryan Glasspiegel.
Update: Nia Jax issued a statement about her WWE release and says the company did not mention vaccination status when informing her she’s being let go.
Clearly it was not all budget cuts
Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com corroborated this story on Thursday’s episode of the Bryan and Lance Show. Alvarez says he heard some of the cuts were due to wrestlers being unwilling to get vaccinated.
“Yes, it is true. I’ve heard this from multiple sources, that there were individuals that were cut because they refused to get vaccinated,” Alvarez said on the show.
“So, clearly it was not all budget cuts. There were at least a small handful of names on that list that just weren’t going to get vaccinated and the company didn’t want to deal with it.”
The issue was also addressed by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Some of the talent released was due to them refusing to get vaccinated and not being big enough stars to get away with that,” wrote Dave Meltzer. He noted that it is believed 5 of the 18 were cut for this reason. One source noted the number could be larger than that, however.
A fully tally of everyone released from the company this year is available in the link below:
