The First Names In WWE’s Contract Releases Have Been Revealed

It’s that time of year again! WWE’s very own Black Friday, where the axe comes down and Superstars are released from their contracts. The first two to be made public were Hornswoggle and Alex Riley. WWE has since updated their post with the following:

WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstars Cameron, Hornswoggle, Alex Riley, El Torito and Zeb Colter as of today, Friday, May 6, 2016. WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors

Hornswoggle has been off of television after a wellness-policy violation, leading many to respond “wait, Hornswoggle is still there?” The diminutive faux-Irish Superstar pointed out this morning via Twitter that it would have been 10 years with WWE later this month:

Alex Riley has been featured on NXT in the past year, but is probably best known these days for his confusing and off-putting social-media presence. And, of course, all that #RAGE:

Shortly afterwards, WWE added the Los Matador’s tiny sidekick and lucha mini legend El Torito to the list, as well as Dutch Mantel, who played manager to Jack Swagger and Cesaro as Zeb Colter. WWE also said ‘girl, bye!’ to NXT performer Cameron, letting us relive this glorious GIF one last time:

Torito had this to say on Twitter:

Word is that there will be roughly a dozen contract terminations coming down the line in total, including a major name who could be transitioning into a WWE Legends contract, and a well-known fan favorite.

***UPDATE***

WWE has updated their release post to include longtime Superstar Santino:

WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstars Santino Marella, Cameron, Hornswoggle, Alex Riley, El Torito and Zeb Colter as of today, Friday, May 6, 2016. WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors.

Santino announced his in-ring retirement in 2014, but was still getting paid out from his WWE contract.