Why WWE Really Released Riley Osborne—It Wasn’t About Talent

WWE held their latest series of releases this week and that included Riley Osborne, which did some as a shock to fans since he was a skilled wrestler. With that said, the reason behind his release has been revealed, and it’s for a surprising reason.

While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Riley Osborne’s WWE release was due to things outside of wrestling. Meltzer noted that the decision wasn’t about his in-ring ability but rather some behind-the-scenes issues that led to him being taken off TV.

Meltzer said Osborne is talented and that AEW should consider giving him a shot, noting that he never really got a chance to fully show what he could do in WWE. His release was not because of a lack of talent.

“His situation was one of those where it had to do with… non-wrestling things. There was just – not political, that’s not the right word – there were just certain things that happened with him, and it kind of led to them taking him off television.

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But talent-wise he’s there. He’s good. He’s someone that AEW should at least take a look at, take a chance at. He never really got to show it there. I was always impressed with him, and when I was asking people there, it was like, ‘Oh yeah, he’s really good’. He was not cut over talent.”

Riley Osborne joined WWE in 2022 and had his first match on NXT Level Up in early 2023. He later became a regular on NXT and stood out because of his clean look, exciting moves, and athletic skills, but he truly reached his peak after joining Chase University with Andre Chase, Duke Hudson, and Thea Hail.

We will have to wait and see what the future holds for Riley Osborne now that he is no longer part of the WWE family. Considering his age and in-ring skills, fans are confident he will end up in another company soon enough. !