WWE’s developmental cuts just got even bigger. Marcus Brown, Ellen Akesson and referee Gary Wilson have now been added to the list of names leaving the company.
Sean Ross Sapp revealed on September 4, 2026 that all three are part of the latest WWE cuts, bringing another wave of departures after several NXT and Evolve talents were already shown the door earlier in the night.
Brown barely had time to get settled in Orlando. WWE officially introduced him as part of its newest Performance Center rookie class on May 20 alongside Mason Rook, Lacey Simon and Nicole Martinez. Brown came into the company as a bodybuilder and fitness influencer with no previous professional wrestling experience, making him one of the raw prospects WWE planned to build from the ground up.
Akesson’s WWE run was also extremely short. The Swedish powerlifter and world champion arm wrestler attended WWE’s SummerSlam tryouts in 2025 before the company officially announced her signing in March 2026. She was sent to the Performance Center and had only started getting introduced into the developmental system before this round of cuts ended her run.
Gary Wilson is a different story. Wilson, whose real name is Edwin Franken, worked as a referee across NXT and NXT Level Up for years and had become a familiar face officiating matches at the Performance Center. His exit shows that this round isn’t limited strictly to wrestlers. The three new departures push the confirmed WWE cuts even higher.
The WWE releases confirmed so far include:
- Jasper Troy
- PJ Vasa
- Wendy Choo
- Adriana Rizzo
- Zena Sterling
- Braxton Cole
- Anya Rune
- Marcus Brown
- Ellen Akesson
- Gary Wilson
WWE started the night cutting wrestlers who had been featured on NXT, Evolve and LFG, but the latest names show just how wide this sweep has become. Brown and Akesson were still at the beginning of their WWE journeys, while Wilson had already spent years inside the system.
Three more names are gone, and the list has now hit double digits. With WWE continuing to make moves inside developmental, there’s still no guarantee this is where the cuts stop.
What do you make of WWE cutting Marcus Brown, Ellen Akesson and Gary Wilson? Let us know what you think and leave your feedback in the comments.
