More WWE Main Roster Contracts Reportedly Expiring In October

Following the news that Ilja Dragunov’s WWE contract has expired and that he will not be signing a new deal, a new report from Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer claims that Dragunov might not be the only main roster talent leaving WWE before the end of the year.

Alvarez wrote on his X (formerly known as Twitter) page “There are a few other main roster contracts of people who haven’t been on TV much coming due in October.” He would follow up on this report during an episode of “Wrestling Observer Live” where he also heard that a number of AEW contracts are set to quietly expire around the same time, and sensed that there will be a lot of free agents heading into the final months of 2026. Alvarez rounded off by saying that the independent scene could see a huge boost thanks to all of the free agents, but that depends on whether WWE and AEW decide to make some new signings.

As for who the talents in WWE that haven’t been used are, that wasn’t disclosed by Alvarez. However, there has been a number of reports in recent months surrounding Bayley and her future with WWE. Originally, it was believed that she had finished up with the company after her loss to Lyra Valkyria at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in July, but it has sense been clarified that Bayley is still under contract with WWE for the time being, though it’s believed that she has a “big decision” to make in the coming months.

All of this comes after a large number of WWE Superstars who were released after WrestleMania 42 had their 90-day non-compete clauses expire. The likes of The Motor City Machine Guns have already landed in AEW, The New Day are strongly rumored to follow them to AEW, and both Aleister Black and Zelina Vega have began taking independent bookings in the United Kingdom.