Last month, WWE merged with the UFC to form TKO Group Holdings, a new publicly traded company owned by Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor. Along with the merge came swift cuts to the WWE corporate office, as around one hundred employees were let go. Their terminations were due to the overlap that was created in multiple departments when the two huge entities became one. Not long after, TKO made cuts to the WWE roster, releasing around thirty stars from NXT and the main roster, including Rick Boogs and others.
In a new workout video on YouTube, Boogs addressed fan requests to discuss his exit from WWE.
“Listen, fellas, we got total freedom now,” he began. “I will say this. I know a lot of people are gonna be like, ‘Aw! Sticky Ricky! Now that you’re not in WWE anymore let’s talk about it!’ I can’t, guys, because I’m technically still under contract for three months. So, my birthday is December 21, and as a birthday present, I’m free from my contract, basically. So, I’m just putting that out there. Okay? You know what I’m saying? So, my birthday, December 21, that’s when I’m free from my contract. But until then, I’m still under contract.”
Boogs’ WWE non-compete period likely lines up with the other main roster contracted talents that were recently released. That means stars like Mustafa Ali, Shelton Benjamin, and Dolph Ziggler should become free agents on December 21, as well.
The jacked-up guitarist has never wrestled outside of WWE, although he did wrestle a few matches for Evolve while the then-independent promotion was working with the sports entertainment juggernaut. WWE has since acquired Evolve, and its founder, Gabe Sapolsky, now works as part of Paul “Triple H” Levesque’s creative team. There are several possible landing spots for Boogs if he chooses to continue his pro wrestling career beyond the confines of WWE, including AEW and NJPW.
Haus of Wrestling has partnered with Inside The Ropes to present An Afternoon With Kevin Nash And Sean Waltman on November 25 at Joe’s Live in Rosemont, IL, ten minutes from the All-State Arena. Tickets are now available at JoesLiveRosemont.com.