WWE audiences haven’t seen Hornswoggle in a long time and that absence is now in perpetuity as the company announced that the diminutive performer has been released along with performers Damien Sandow, Wade Barrett, Santino Marella, Cameron, Alex Riley, El Torito and Zeb Colter.
Sandow is likely to be the loss most felt by WWE fans, who feel as though the performer (real name Aaron Steven Haddad) never got a fair shake from the company. Haddad joined the WWE in 2002 and appeared on the roster under multiple gimmicks until he was released in 2007. He rejoined WWE in 2012 with the Damien Sandow moniker and made his mark thanks to comedy chops, most notably as The Miz’s “stunt double.” Sandow and The Miz would win the WWE Tag Team Titles in 2015 but his on-screen career fizzled out afterward.
Hornswoggle (Dylan Mark Postl) debuted in the WWE in 2006 as a leprechaun who accompanied Finlay to the ring. He would win the Cruiserweight Championship in 2007 before it was eventually retired. His big moment was when he was revealed to be Vince McMahon’s illegitimate son in a storyline, though that was later revealed to be untrue. He was suspended for 30 days in 2015 for violating WWE’s Wellness policy and hadn’t appeared on TV in 2016.
Wade Barrett (Stu Barrett) came to the WWE with much promise as the winner of NXT in 2010. He rose to prominence as the leader of The Nexus, a group of rookies set on dominating the federation. He would go on to headline five PPV events and hold the Intercontinental Title five times. He won the King of the Ring in 2015 and became King Barrett. It had been previously reported that his contract expired in May.
Goodbye @WWE.. pic.twitter.com/bYkPYW628Q
— Stu Bennett (@StuBennett) May 6, 2016
Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli) is a two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, one-time WWE Tag Team Champion, and one-time WWE United States Champion. He had retired in 2014 following a neck injury but continued to make special appearances for WWE, also appearing in the film Jingle All the Way 2.
El Torito (Mascarita Dorada), a diminutive masked wrestler who made a name for himself in Mexican federations, wrestled for the WWE between 2013–2015. He and Hornswaggle were rivals for a time.
Zeb Colter (Wayne Maurice Keown) was better known as Dutch Mantel during his wrestling days but he returned to the WWE in 2013 under the name of Zeb Colter as the manager of Jack Swagger. He would later go on to manage Alberto Del Rio in 2016 for a brief time.
Alex Riley came up as a castmember in the second season of NXT when it was a competition show, finishing in third place. He would go on to wrestle in the WWE but ultimately transitioned to the role of announcer in 2013. In 2015 he returned to in-ring action in NXT.
Cameron first appeared as a contestant on Tough Enough before appearing in WWE between 2012 and 2015. She would later appear in NXT.
[WWE]
