Ellen Akesson has confirmed that she has been released by WWE following a brief tenure in the company’s NXT system.

The 27-year-old Swedish athlete addressed her departure in a social-media statement after being included in WWE’s latest round of NXT roster cuts. Akesson expressed gratitude for her time with the company, emphasizing both the wrestling environment and the everyday relationships she formed during her six months under the WWE umbrella.

“I have been released from WWE. I truly loved it here. From the wrestling to the security staff to the coaches to the fans to my friends to the daily small routines like locking my bike at the PC. I am confident that I did everything I could these 6 months. Thank you for the love.”

Akesson’s reference to “the PC” is a reference to WWE’s Performance Center, where developmental talent train and prepare for potential NXT television opportunities. While her WWE stay did not include an official match, her statement made clear that she valued the experience and believes she gave her full effort throughout the opportunity.

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Akesson Leaves WWE Without an Official Match

Akesson signed with WWE earlier this year as part of the company’s continuing effort to recruit athletes from backgrounds beyond traditional professional wrestling. Her release comes approximately six months after joining the developmental system.

During that period, Akesson did not compete in an official WWE match. That distinction is significant, though not unusual for recruits who enter the Performance Center from other sports. WWE developmental training can involve a lengthy adjustment process as athletes learn the physical mechanics of wrestling, character work, match structure, live-event preparation, television production and the various demands that come with performing in front of an audience.

A wrestler’s absence from an official match does not necessarily reflect a lack of commitment or athletic capability. In Akesson’s case, WWE was working with an athlete whose credentials were built in strength competition rather than in-ring competition. Her own statement did not offer a reason for the release beyond confirming that it happened, and no further details regarding the decision were provided.

What Akesson did make clear was her affection for the setting she was leaving. Rather than focusing only on training or competition, she pointed to the coaches, security staff, fans, friends and even smaller pieces of daily life at the Performance Center. The mention of locking her bike there gave the statement a notably personal quality, underlining how quickly a daily training environment can become part of an athlete’s routine.

A Decorated Strength-Sports Background

Before joining WWE, Akesson had already developed an impressive athletic résumé in strength sports. She hails from Sweden and has competed in armwrestling, powerlifting and streetlifting, disciplines that demand substantial physical power, training consistency and competitive discipline.

Akesson became a globally ranked world champion in armwrestling and also holds the distinction of being a Powerlifting National Champion. Those accomplishments made her a natural fit for WWE’s talent-recruitment model, which has frequently targeted accomplished athletes who may bring unusual physical tools and a strong competitive foundation into professional wrestling.

Armwrestling requires more than obvious upper-body strength. High-level competitors must develop grip strength, forearm endurance, leverage awareness and a capacity to maintain composure in pressure situations. Powerlifting, meanwhile, centers on maximum strength through the squat, bench press and deadlift. Streetlifting similarly tests strength through weighted bodyweight movements. Taken together, Akesson’s background reflects years of work in demanding athletic environments.

Those traits can be valuable in WWE training, especially for a performer beginning from a non-wrestling background. Raw power and athletic discipline can create a strong base, but the transition remains a complicated one. Professional wrestling asks talent to combine athletic execution with safety, timing, communication, storytelling and crowd awareness. The process often unfolds at different speeds for different recruits.

Akesson’s WWE run ended before she reached the stage of wrestling an official bout. Still, her prior competitive success remains an important part of her profile as she considers what could come next in athletics, strength competition or potentially professional wrestling elsewhere.

Part of WWE’s Latest NXT Releases

Akesson was among the names affected in WWE’s newest wave of NXT roster cuts. Adriana Rizzo and Wendy Choo were also included in the releases.

Roster movement is a regular reality across WWE, including within NXT. The developmental brand serves several purposes at once: it is a training system for new recruits, a television product, a pathway to Raw and SmackDown, and a place where talent can refine their in-ring identities. As a result, roster decisions can affect performers at very different points in their careers, from established television names to recruits still working primarily behind the scenes at the Performance Center.

For newer signees, the process can be especially difficult because their work is often not fully visible to fans. A significant amount of development happens away from televised programming. Training sessions, promotional coaching, conditioning, character work and live-event preparation may shape a prospect’s progress long before that performer appears in an official match.

Akesson’s message offered a measured perspective on that reality. She did not present her time in WWE as a wasted opportunity. Instead, she described a genuine connection to the people around her and stated that she was confident she had done everything possible during her six months with the company.

That outlook is notable for an athlete whose WWE chapter was brief. A release can close one professional door, but it does not erase the training, relationships or experience gained during a developmental run. For performers who have not yet appeared on television, those months can still influence future opportunities in wrestling and beyond.

What Comes Next Remains Unclear

Akesson has not announced her next move following the WWE release. There is no indication in her statement about whether she plans to pursue another professional wrestling opportunity, return her focus fully to strength sports or explore a combination of both.

Her established athletic credentials give her multiple possible directions. She arrives at this point not simply as a former WWE recruit, but as an accomplished competitor with a background in several strength disciplines. That experience could remain central to whatever she chooses to do next.

If she does continue in wrestling, she would do so with exposure to the WWE Performance Center system and the knowledge gained from training alongside coaches and fellow talent in NXT. If her focus shifts back toward armwrestling, powerlifting or streetlifting, she already possesses a foundation that includes world-level and national-level accomplishments.

For now, Akesson’s own words provide the clearest summary of her WWE experience. She loved the environment, appreciated the people and routines that surrounded her training, and believes she gave everything she could during the six-month run. Although she never had the chance to wrestle an official WWE match, her departure marks the end of a meaningful developmental chapter for a uniquely credentialed strength athlete.

WWE’s latest NXT releases have created uncertainty for several performers, but Akesson’s response struck a thankful and composed tone. Her next destination has yet to be revealed, while the strength-sports accomplishments that brought her into WWE in the first place remain a substantial part of the story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.