A backstage rumor making the rounds among WWE talents points to a power player within TKO Group Holdings as the driving force behind the post-WrestleMania 42 releases of several dark-character acts, according to PWInsider’s Mike Johnson.
“I don’t know if there’s a pattern but I can tell you there’s been a story bouncing around among talents that someone in the TKO realm isn’t a fan of the darker characters and that’s been the blame placed on why The Wyatts, Aleister Black, Zelina, etc. were all cut,” Johnson said on the latest PWInsider Q&A. “One person even suggested to me that Undertaker being The American Badass and not The Deadman in appearances is proof of that outlook.”
Johnson stressed that PWInsider could not independently verify the claim, but noted the account had been relayed to him multiple times over the past week.
Who Was Cut
WWE released more than 20 talents on April 24 in a sweeping post-WrestleMania 42 roster reduction. The departures included every member of the Wyatt Sicks: Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy), Erick Rowan, Joe Gacy, Dexter Lumis, and Nikki Cross. Aleister Black and his wife Zelina Vega were also among those let go.
Each of those acts shared a common thread: horror-inflected, darker character work. The Wyatt Sicks were built around the creative legacy of the late Bray Wyatt, with Bo Dallas leading the group as Uncle Howdy following his brother’s passing in August 2023. Black and Vega had aligned as a villainous couple with overt dark-arts presentation on SmackDown.
Zelina Vega noted during a Twitch livestream that her release call came directly from TKO, not WWE’s internal talent relations team, a distinction she highlighted publicly.
The Undertaker Detail
The most provocative element of Johnson’s report involves The Undertaker. Per the sources relaying the rumor, TKO’s apparent resistance to supernatural characters is evidenced by the Hall of Famer’s recent appearances in his biker “American Badass” persona rather than the iconic Deadman character he retired in 2020.
The Deadman gimmick is among the most decorated in WWE history, winning the Wrestling Observer’s Best Gimmick award five consecutive times. The American Badass version, which Undertaker originally adopted in 2000, strips away the supernatural elements in favor of a more grounded, human presentation.
Context and Caveats
It is worth noting that a separate report indicated TKO did not mandate the April 24 cuts, with Triple H and Nick Khan identified as the primary decision-makers. Per that account, the reductions were driven by budget considerations rather than a directive from TKO’s ownership level.
Those two reports are not necessarily contradictory. A preference expressed at the TKO level could influence creative direction without constituting a formal mandate for specific releases. Johnson himself did not name the individual within TKO said to hold the anti-dark-character view.
Aleister Black’s second WWE run had been building toward a program with Randy Orton before the releases were announced. The Wyatt Sicks, who debuted to significant fan enthusiasm in June 2024, had most recently been feuding with Solo Sikoa’s faction on SmackDown before their contracts were cut.
