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Former WWE Talent Want Out Of Non-Compete Clause
WWE has already released over a dozen wrestlers from Raw, SmackDown, and NXT this year, and according to a recent report, many want to exit their non-compete clauses.
Once a wrestler is released by WWE, they are usually handed a non-compete clause, meaning they can’t appear for any other companies within that time. For Raw and SmackDown, Superstars are given 90-day non-competes, whereas on NXT it’s only 30 days. This prevents wrestlers from jumping ship to another major promotion whilst hot within fans, and also provides them time to evaluate their options before potentially signing with another company. The upside to being under a non-compete clause is still earning a paycheck from WWE.
According to Fightful Select (subscription required), several wrestlers who were released earlier this year have already asked to forego their non-compete clauses, with some wanting more days taken off of their contracts than others. It was noted that WWE have been ‘more lenient than ever’ about the latest set of inquiries, and are receptive to potential alterations to the scheduled non-competes.
WWE currently has two sets of former superstars under non-compete clauses. The first were released on April 15th, meaning they can appear in another company on July 14th, meanwhile, the wrestlers released on June 2nd can show up elsewhere on August 31st.
Many of the wrestlers released have already indicated potential destinations ahead of their non-compete clause expiring.