Dave Meltzer has shed more light on the reasoning behind several of WWE’s roster cuts following WrestleMania 42, pushing back on one popular theory while outlining why certain names were let go.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer addressed the departures of the Wyatt Sicks, Aleister Black, and Zelina Vega, explaining that WWE’s decisions were not driven by creative tone or character style, but rather a belief that each act had reached its limit.

Discussing the Wyatt Sicks, Meltzer wrote: “It was just felt that the group had run its course. Even at first there were those who saw it as a short-term idea. It was basically a tribute to Bray Wyatt and was over big at first but it was limiting how they could be used with that gimmick over the long haul.”

He added that concerns about the group’s longevity were present early on, with many internally expecting the concept to eventually hit a ceiling.

“The feeling was they got all out of the Wyatts they were going to get and Black and Vega was just a decision made on who they weren’t going to do anything more with. The reality is that even though they recruited Black hard to get out of AEW, once he returned, they really didn’t have much in the way of ideas for him,” Meltzer wrote.

Meltzer also directly dismissed claims that TKO influenced the releases due to a dislike of darker characters, making it clear those reports were inaccurate.

“Regarding the story that the Wyatts and Black were released because TKO didn’t like dark characters, we were told that was ‘bullshit’ and that these were not decisions that even reached that level,” Meltzer wrote.

He also touched on Zelina Vega’s past connection with AEW, revealing that Tony Khan attempted to bring her in following her 2020 WWE release, though talks didn’t go anywhere.

“He did negotiate with Zelina when she was let go the last time, but she pretty much ghosted him and signed back,” Meltzer wrote.