WWE’s Independent Development (ID) program has lost two more names, with reports on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 indicating that Cappuccino Jones and Santi Rivera are no longer part of the initiative. The news was first reported by Mike Johnson of PWInsider and later confirmed in coverage from Wrestling Headlines and Ringside News.
Unlike Sam Holloway, who confirmed his own departure from WWE ID just days earlier, neither Jones nor Rivera has publicly addressed the reports surrounding their exits as of this writing. That means the circumstances behind why the two are leaving the program remain unconfirmed, with neither wrestler nor WWE issuing a public statement on the matter.
Jones is a former WWE ID Men’s talent whose run in the developmental system now appears to have ended alongside Rivera’s, continuing a pattern of attrition from the program’s original class. The departures mark the latest in a string of exits that have steadily thinned out the group of wrestlers brought in under the WWE ID banner, a program designed to work with independent talent without necessarily signing them to full WWE developmental contracts in the traditional sense.
With Holloway’s exit having been confirmed directly by the wrestler himself just days before these latest reports, the departures of Jones and Rivera suggest the shakeup within WWE ID is ongoing rather than an isolated incident. The lack of any public comment from Jones or Rivera leaves open questions about whether their departures were mutual, program-driven, or tied to individual decisions, and WAW will continue to monitor for official confirmation from either the wrestlers or WWE.
As the WWE ID program continues to evolve, the shrinking roster of its original class raises questions about the initiative’s long-term structure and what it means for talent who entered the system early on. No further details on new affiliations, independent bookings, or future plans for Jones or Rivera have been reported at this time.
