Sean Ross Sapp addressed the recent controversy surrounding WWE’s non-compete clauses, particularly regarding former WWE stars Andrade and Samantha Irvin in the latest edition of Fightful Select Answers, and explained how these clauses function.
According to Sapp, main roster talent released by WWE is subject to a 90-day non-compete period. However, this period is technically referred to as a “notice of termination” rather than a formal non-compete clause.
Sapp also discussed whether WWE can modify its decision to release talent during this period, or if the terms of termination are binding.
After speaking with several industry agents, he concluded that while WWE could likely change its decision if desired, such a move would be unprecedented.
The most comparable example is the situation with Drake Maverick in NXT back in April 2020. Despite being confirmed as released by WWE, he was allowed to compete in the Interim Cruiserweight Championship tournament.
The current controversy is somewhat different, as noted by Fightful. In Maverick’s case, WWE opted to sign him to a completely different contract after his release, rather than reversing their decision. Maverick was ultimately released again by WWE in November 2021.
Eventually, he returned to WWE as part of the company’s creative team. While a situation in which WWE reverses its decision to release someone hasn’t occurred yet, it seems likely to happen at some point in the future.
