Mickie James & Samoa Joe Among Wrestlers Released By WWE

MickieJames - Twitter

WWE's annual spring cleaning has commenced. Every year following WrestleMania, the company releases wrestlers. The promotion received backlash last year when they fired their stars in the midst of a pandemic.

This year, WWE faced more criticism with their recent releases. On Thursday, news broke about the wrestlers who were let go. A total of 10 wrestlers were released, and included a lot of top names.

One of the persons to get the ax is Mickie James. The six-time Women's Champion originally worked for WWE from 2003 to 2010. After a six-year absence, she would return in 2016, where she would eventually team with Alexa Bliss in a feud against Becky Lynch. However, during the past year, James' WWE run was plagued by injuries and lack of creative direction. 

Mickie wouldn't be the only female wrestler to receive their walking papers. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were also included in the purge. The Australian wrestlers joined WWE in 2015, where they formed the tag team known as The IIconics.

The duo had a lot of success in NXT, but their main roster call up turned into a dude. Despite winning the women's tag titles at WrestleMania 35, their championship reign would be lackluster. Not too long after losing the titles, Kay and Royce would go their separate ways.

Like many tag teams before them, Kay and Royce struggled to find success in their singles career. Despite reports that WWE had big plans for Royce, nothing came from her push. When news broke about The IIconics release, their co-workers shared photos and heartfelt tributes to iconic duo.

For the men's side, names such as Bo Dallas, Tucker, Kalisto, and Mojo Rawley weren't shocking. But the addition of Samoa Joe sent fans into a frenzy.

Prior to joining WWE in 2015, Joe gained fame from his work with Ring of Honor and TNA Wrestling. Before long WWE noticed his work, and signed him. Joe was well on his way to the top with reigns as NXT Champion and United States Champion.

However, throughout the course of his WWE run, he was taken down by multiple injuries. In 2019, Joe began serving a commentator on RAW, a role that fans loved him in. Although, Joe loved commentating, he was anxious to get back in the ring. 

Following news of the releases, WWE stars took to social media to sent tributes to their former co-workers. Becky Lynch posted a photo to her Instagram story of her backstage with The IIconics. Meanwhile, current RAW Women's Champion Rhea Ripley tweeted a photo of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce with a heartbroken emoji.

Stars weren't shy about expressing their displeasure over seeing their friends get the boot. Former WWE host Renee Paquette tweeted that the company dropped the ball with Samoa Joe. Paquette then called Joe's release "a mistake."

Although, getting fired is a sad time for these wrestlers, many aren't letting it get them down. Following her release, Mickie James tweeted a statement expressing her gratitude for her time in the company. Billie Kay also issued a statment thanking her former bosses, the locker room, and the fans for the journey.

As for what's next for these stars, well it's unknown at the moment. Fans are already chiming in with their opinions on where they'd like to see the wrestlers go. AEW's the top choice since they're WWE's rival. Then there's also Impact Wrestling and Ring of Honor to name a few.

However, it may be a while before Samoa Joe, Mickie James, or Billie Kay and Peyton Royce show up in another wrestling promotion. As with every WWE release, there's a 90-day non-compete clause. So it'll be July before their any of these stars make their debut.