Among the handful of releases made by WWE on May 19, Alexander Wolfe was perhaps the most surprising.
Wolfe had been a regular on NXT television, including wrestling on the May 18 episode of NXT where he lost to Killian Dain and then was kicked out of Imperium.
Speaking to Sport1, Wolfe discussed his release from WWE.
"I got a call from WWE on Wednesday and was told that my contract was not extended. It wasn't officially a dismissal because my contract expires on June 15th. From then on I am no longer a wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment," he said. "Strangely, it hit me less hard than I expected. I'm quite relaxed and happy, I don't feel like pitying myself. First of all, I am generally a positive person, secondly, I can look back on six wonderful years at WWE with great and unique experiences, thirdly, I have had a plan B for a long time, which I am now tackling - and I also have little time to complain about it. because I have to organize a big move within four weeks, move furniture, cancel subscriptions, all the bells and whistles. It goes on and I am in good spirits that I can now apply everything I have learned elsewhere, where it is just as appreciated - maybe even more."
When asked if he was disappointed that more wasn't made of Imperium and his role in the group, Wolfe replied, "You could have made a lot more of it, definitely, especially because I don't think the story has been told out for a long time, I thought it was funny to hear now that I can't stay. But there will be reasons why the decision makers have decided this now. Maybe there was not enough interest in the audience that you wanted to reach, maybe someone was of the opinion that it was not going in the right direction. It's a shame, but can't be changed"
WWE has often cited "budget cuts" as the reason for releasing talent.
Wolfe confirmed that was the reason he was given, saying, "The reason I was given was the pandemic time that savings are still necessary due to the global event restrictions. Well, that's better than no reason at all, but ultimately you know: WWE makes so much money that no firing is really mandatory. But it is what it is. The machine continues to run, the parts are replaced. I see, that's the business. I can say so much: I am proud of what I have achieved. I know I could have achieved more, but in a league like WWE you don't have everything in your own hands. You have to control what you can control, I don't think I can blame myself in that regard."
Wolfe went on to say he has a Plan B and that he will move back to Germany rather than remaining in the United States. He finished by saying that once he gets back to Germany, he plans on getting back to work.
You can view the full list of talent released on May 19 by clicking here.