Report: Latest WWE NXT Releases Done To Remove Triple H Hires

WWE have continued to make changes to NXT and the Performance Center and personnel cuts were made to the developmental brand on January 5, with the likes of William Regal, Road Dogg, Timothy Thatcher, Scott Armstrong, Hideki Suzuki, Danny Burch, Allison Danger and Dave Kapoor being let go by the company, among others.

WWE have moved away from Triple H's version of NXT since the summer, with the former black-and-gold-brand having reverted back to being a purely developmental system with Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard providing the overall vision for the Tuesday night show.

This move away from Triple H's NXT was seemingly a factor in Wednesday's releases as, according to Fightful Select, talent and staff familiar with NXT and the Performance Center said with the exception of Allison Danger, the firings were "directly" to remove Triple H's hires.

Both Road Dogg and William Regal were seen as key "Triple H guys" and individuals within NXT specifically pointed to the former D-Generation X member being let go as a sign of WWE moving away from what the developmental brand used to be.

Those within NXT also believed William Regal would be exempt from any cuts that did take place, but that ultimately wasn't the case. The former on-screen NXT General Manager hadn't been on-screen for several months and Fightful noted there were no plans for him to return to that role. He had been spotted scouting talent at recent WWE tryouts as part of his role as WWE Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting.

Following yesterday's releases, WWE issued a statement noting they were a part of "the continued evolution of NXT 2.0."

"With the continued evolution of NXT 2.0, we've decided to part ways with some of the staff based in our Performance Center. We thank them for their many contributions throughout the years and wish them the best," the company wrote.