WWE Releases Some Talent

Three WWE talent releases were reported as Friday’s episode of “WWE SmackDown” was airing. Jinder Mahal, Xia Li, and Xyon Quinn were all released by the company. Prior to the outlet’s report, both Mahal and Li posted cryptic messages to X (formerly Twitter), with Mahal saying “I quit,” and Li releasing a lengthier statement thanking the WWE, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and the “WWE Universe.” Quinn has not posted to X since March 8.

WWE has released Indus Sher’s Veer and Sanga, adding to the releases of Jinder Mahal, Xia Li, and Xyon Quinn last night. Both have taken to the X social media platform to confirm their release, after it first being reported by Fightful Select. “When it comes to the honor and respect of Indians, sacrifice comes first. Good Bye WWE,” wrote Veer. Sanga posted, “I will die but I will not bow down. Neither me nor my India.”

Even though Mahal posted that he had “quit,” his departure as actually confirmed as a release to Wrestling Inc. Fightful Select reported they had not heard of any memos being sent to talent regarding the releases. Li, Mahal, and Quinn all have 90-day non compete clauses, which Mahal alluded to when he changed his X bio to read “Free Agent – 90 Days,” alongside a fire emoji.

Xia Li posted a more lengthy statement, thanking WWE, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and the “WWE Universe.” In her statement, she mentioned being proud of being the first female Chinese talent in the company and how grateful she is. She also thanked the coaches, staff, and her colleagues during her time with WWE as well. Li’s last match with the company came at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on April 15, when she was defeated by Natalya on “WWE Main Event.”

“This journey with WWE has been wonderful, and I sincerely thank everyone who has been a part of it. This is not the end, but a new beginning!” Li wrote. “Let’s embrace more exciting moments together!”

Li’s last match in the company was on the April 15 episode of “WWE Main Event” in Canada, where she lost to Natalya. Jinder was most recently the subject of a series of posts on X by AEW President Tony Khan, comparing Mahal’s booking against former World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins in comparison to AEW’s HOOK against World Champion Samoa Joe. Mahal went on to be defeated by Rollins in their title match. Quinn’s final match with WWE was during a “SmackDown” taping on January 3, when he was defeated by Bron Breakker.

Veer and Sanga were both part of the Andre the Giant Memorial battle royal during “WWE SmackDown” ahead of WrestleMania 40 weekend. Alongside Jinder Mahal as Indus Sher, the pair had only returned to “WWE Raw” in May 2023 after a stint in “WWE NXT,” and were focally used during WWE’s Superstar Spectacle event in their home nation of India. They had been in the pool of competitors looking to qualify for the Tag Team Championship ladder match at WrestleMania, but lost to Awesome Truth in just over three minutes. 

Some on social media have taken issue with the fact that all of WWE’s departures reported thus far have been people of color. Xia Li made history in 2017 when she became the first Chinese woman to compete in the company, and Jinder Mahal was notably the first WWE Champion to come from Indian descent. Xyon Quinn, while Australian, is of Samoan-Irish descent.

Source: Wrestling Inc.