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WWE announced today that 205 Live star Rich Swann, 27-years old, had been released by the company with the following statement on their website:
"Rich Swann and WWE have mutually agreed to part ways as of today, February 15, 2018. WWE wishes Swann the best in all of his future endeavors."
Obviously, while it won't be stated as such, it was fallout of Swann's arrest in December 2017 where he was charged with false imprisonment/kidnapping and a misdemeanor charge of battery- touching or striking. The victim in the alleged incident was Swann's wife, Vannarah Riggs, who performs as Su Yung on the independent wrestling scene and earlier this year, debuted for Impact Wrestling.
WWE immediately suspended Swann under the company's domestic violence policy, which states, "WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault. Upon arrest for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately suspended. Upon conviction for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately terminated."
In the days following the incident, Swann's wife had publicly posted positive comments about her husband on social media. The charges were later dropped due to "insufficient evidence" according to court records.
Swann's attorney, Ian Pickens, issued the following statement in the wake of the charges being dropped: "We are very pleased with the resolution of these charges. We would like to thank the State Attorney’s Office for conducting a thorough investigation, as well as Mr. Swann’s family, friends, and fans that supported him through this. During our representation of Mr. Swann, we have come to know him as a kind and humble young man, who we believe has a bright future ahead of him. We are hopeful that with the dismissal of these charges Mr. Swann will be able to return to the WWE and our firm will do everything we can to assist him in returning to the ring. Thank you.”
As it turned out, WWE never brought Swann (who had been in a storyline where he was poised to challenge then-WWE Cruiserweight champion Enzo Amore) back.
Swann was signed by WWE to a NXT deal in 2015 after he spent several years headlining for EVOLVE and touring Japan with Dragon Gate. The charismatic talent was brought to prominence in WWE as part of the Cruiserweight Classic, where he talked of how pro wrestling saved his life in the wake of the deaths of his parents.
One would assume Swann will resume performing on the independent scene, possibly after a ninety-day no compete plays out.
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