Dabba-Kato & Shanky Released By WWE

Even more WWE talents have been released on September 21 and Dabba-Kato and Shanky are the latest wrestlers to be let go by the company, according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful. 

The two talents join a long list that includes the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Mustafa Ali, Shelton Benjamin, Dana Brooke, and Maximum Male Models. The releases have been carried out following the merger between UFC and WWE that was completed on September 12. WWE have already fired over 100 office employees on Friday, September 15.

Dabba-Kato signed with WWE back in 2016, several months after he was cut from the Minnesota Vikings final roster ahead of the 2015 NFL season. He initially appeared on TV as Babatunde in 2018's Greatest Royal Rumble but he received his first push in 2020 as Dabba-Kato following the launch of Raw Underground. Babatunde would then disappear again after Raw Underground's failure and he would be repackaged again as Commander Azeez in 2021 as he helped Apollo Crews win the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 37. Azeez would remain on the main roster until May 2022 when he disappeared once again and made his way back to NXT, returning to the brand in early 2023 as Dabba-Kato. His last match on the brand came on September 5 when he lost to Tyler Bate.

Shanky was signed by WWE in 2020 along with two other Indian trainees. He had a run on the main roster in 2021 and 2022 and Shanky teased a babyface turn when he showcased his love for dance, only to disappear from TV in the summer of 2022. He was not booked by WWE for over a year until he unsuccessfully challenged Gunther for the Intercontinental Title at Superstar Spectacle, a WWE special taped for the Indian market earlier this month.