Usually, when they release a wrestler, you’ll read WWE wish the best to the talent in his future endeavours. Today, neither Tye Dillinger nor Hideo Itami or T.J. Perkins had this chance. When WWE announced on separate occasions the release of these 3 wrestlers, none of them was wished a happy future in the wrestling business. The fact is Hideo Itami and Tye Dillinger have been requesting their release for some time now. TJP’s release is a real surprise as he wrestled this Tuesday night on 205 Live.
Hideo Itami made his debut with NXT in September 2014. Like Finn Balor and Kevin Owens, his arrival was seen as something huge. He feuded with The Ascension and later Tyler Breeze in NXT, before getting a spot in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the pre-show of WrestleMania 31. A few weeks later, as he was scheduled to face Finn Bálor and Tyler Breeze in a triple threat match to determine the number one contender for the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, he was ruled out due to a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined from the ring for over a year.
He came back to NXT in June 2016, feuded with Austin Aries, among others, but suffered a neck injury and was sidelined 6 more months. Itami made his televised return in April 2017, where he confronted NXT Champion Bobby Roode, before slapping him and executing a GTS. This led to a match at NXT TakeOver: Chicago, in which Itami was unsuccessful in winning the title from Roode. He turned heel a few weeks later, feuded with Aleister Black until it was announced Itami would be moving to the main roster as part of the Cruiserweight division on 205 Live. He would wrestle sporadically there all along 2018 until the news broke he was requesting his release.
Tye Dillinger made his debut with NXT in early 2014. His first year had not been the most successful until he developed the “Perfect 10” gimmick. He would keep feuding in NXT but, on January 29, 2017, at Royal Rumble, Dillinger was a surprise entrant in the Rumble match. He made his debut in the roster on April 4 edition of SmackDown Live.
He would have various feuds, with Baron Corbin, among others, but has never really been able to succeed in the Blue Brand. Dillinger suffered a hand injury in October 2018 which kept him out of action for several months. Even if he returned to in-ring competition on February 9, 2019, he never appeared on TV again. On February 19, 2019, Dillinger announced in a Twitter statement that he had requested his release from WWE. It’s interesting to state that on his Twitter account, he dubs himself as future AEW Champion.
The first-ever WWE Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins was crowned when he won the inaugural WWE Cruiserweight Classic tournament in September 2016. Before 205 Live was launched, in November 2017, he defended his title on RAW and WWE PPVs. Perkins lost the title to Kendrick in a rematch at Hell in a Cell after Kendrick faked a knee injury. At Roadblock: End of the Line, Swann retained the title against Perkins and Kendrick in a triple threat match.
TJP tried to regain the title by any means but had to take a hiatus in order to rehab his knee, from June 2017 to January 2018. Since his comeback, he had never been able to come back in the Championship competition. On the February 19th episode of 205 Live, TJP was defeated by Humberto Carrillo in what would be his final WWE match.
Even if the news has yet to be confirmed, it’s a strange coincidence to learn WWE let go Arn Anderson the day after they were presenting 5 new producers and road agents for the company in a video. Arn Anderson joined WWE as a road agent not long after WCW was bought out in 2001. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012 alongside the other Four Horsemen. News should probably be confirmed on Monday, as WWE announced they were going to celebrate Ric Flair’s 70th birthday on RAW, another member of The Four Horsemen.