It took a long time for them to follow through, but on Sunday, WWE made the decision to release Sin Cara, Luke Harper and The Ascension from their contracts.

Harper asked to be released from his contract back in April, but WWE turned down his request and forced him to stay on for seven more months. Sin Cara went public about his request to be released a month ago, but they finally granted his wish.

For a while, the indications were that WWE wasn't going to release any of their disgruntled superstars. It was previously reported that WWE would only let them go if they were concerned about the talents heading towards AEW.

So why did WWE decide to finally let these superstars go? There were two key reasons, according to Paul Davis of Wrestling News.

For starters, Davis said that WWE was willing to release superstars whom they believe "will not make a huge difference if All Elite Wrestling were interested in singing them." Davis noted that the rival company isn't exactly exploring the chance to sign various WWE talents.

Secondly, a source told Davis that WWE did this because it "helps them cut down on salaries," and that they can now use the cash "to offer deals to mid and upper card wrestlers" that WWE hopes to keep around.

Related: [Theory] More WWE Releases To Come In Wake Of Harper News?

These reasons certainly make good sense, plus Harper, Sin Cara and The Ascension had been extremely underused by WWE. Losing Dean Ambrose (now Jon Moxley in AEW) was a much bigger blow to the company, since he was a main event talent.

WWE has more than enough talent on both NXT and on the main roster, so they can certainly find the appropriate replacements for these four superstars they moved on from. It just didn't make sense to keep unhappy talents around any longer.

More Releases Could Be On The Way

It would have been terrible publicity for WWE if they kept around unhappy superstars who were bent on leaving. Mike Kanellis requested to be let go several months ago, but WWE still hasn't granted it. Nobody should be surprised if he's eventually released, and perhaps more superstars will follow.

Next: WWE Releases Luke Harper From WWE Contract, AEW Bound?