Report: John Morrison, Hit Row Among WWE Talent Released from Contracts

WWE is making another round of roster cuts.

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported the company has parted ways with John Morrison, Top Dolla, Ashante Adonis, Isaiah Swerve Scott, Tegan Nox, Drake Maverick, Shane Thorne, and Jaxson Ryker. According to Sapp, WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis told the performers they were being let go for budgetary reasons.

This comes a few weeks after WWE released an even larger group of in-ring talent headlined by Keith Lee, Nia Jax, Ember Moon and Karrion Kross.

Taya Valkyrie, who had been competing as Franky Monet, was among that round of layoffs. Letting Morrison, who's married to Valkyrie, go now makes sense if he wanted to rejoin his wife on the independent circuit.

But Thursday's news is likely to raise eyebrows in large part because WWE is jettisoning what's left of Hit Row after B-Fab was released earlier in the month.

In October, Hit Row was called up to SmackDown from NXT through the WWE draft. The faction had clearly built a following among fans and seemingly impressed officials behind the scenes.

Instead, Hit Row was afforded little time to shine on SmackDown and is now gone altogether.

And as with the last time around, citing budgetary issues doesn't really wash when WWE reported a largely positive financial situation during its most recent earnings call on Nov. 4.

For years, fans have speculated about whether Vince McMahon, who turned 76 in August, or his family would consider divesting themselves of WWE. The company's deal with Saudi Arabia is a sign of how it may have reached a saturation point in the United States, so this would be a good time to sell up.

Continuing to trim the roster and cut payroll is bound to further the idea that WWE executives are clearing the decks for possible buyers.