A New Wave of Free Agents Hits the Market – A wave of high-profile WWE talent released earlier this year are now officially free to sign with other promotions. As of July 31, the 90-day non-compete clauses for several notable names have expired, opening the door for new opportunities across the wrestling landscape.
Among the most prominent names on the list are former Universal Champion Braun Strowman, former NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, and former Women’s Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai, Kayden Carter, and Katana Chance. All five were part of WWE’s mass releases on May 2 and had been restricted from appearing for other wrestling companies until today.
Some wrestlers have already begun shaping their post-WWE careers. Braun Strowman, real name Adam Scherr, has been announced for a number of independent wrestling events scheduled for late summer. Meanwhile, Shayna Baszler is rumored to have quietly rejoined WWE in a backstage producer role—an arrangement that would have been permissible even during her non-compete period.
Dakota Kai has remained active on social media, where she has posted several cryptic messages that hint at a possible revival of her pre-WWE character. Her fanbase has been vocal in calling for a return to her darker, indie-style presentation, which made her a standout before she signed with WWE.
Elsewhere, Karl Fredericks—known in WWE as Eddy Thorpe—has already returned to the ring. He made his first post-WWE appearance at the DPW x Prestige x West Coast Pro event on July 26, showing he’s wasting no time jumping back into the independent scene.
With AEW, TNA, NJPW, and a variety of major independent promotions actively signing talent, the wrestling world will be closely watching where this crop of newly available stars lands. All eyes are now on potential debut announcements, surprise appearances, or returns to the companies where some of these athletes first made names for themselves.
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A New Wave of Free Agents Hits the Market
