NXT's CJ Parker requests and is granted his release from WWE

The internet wrestling community (IWC) will have to find a new Wednesday night punching bag. The stars of NXT will have to find a new answer to the question of "who's your favorite guy to work with?" And Creative will have to tab a new wrestler for debuting talent to squash.

CJ Parker (real name Joe Robinson) has requested his release from WWE, and that request has been granted. PWInsider reports that Parker's good vibes with his co-workers and bosses extended to the point that he worked Axxess and the NXT live events all WrestleMania weekend despite the release happening on Saturday.

Parker signed with the company in 2011 and worked as a babyface heading into the current incarnation of the Developmental program. After failing to get over as a good guy in a lengthy feud with Tyler Breeze, the character turned heel and has been working an environmental activist gimmick for the last year-plus. He's done pretty phenomenal character work and sells like crazy, but was also a little bit off on offense a lot of the time - plus he was probably doomed when they gave him the same name as Pamela Anderson's Baywatch character. CJP has basically been NXT's Heath Slater since the launch of WWE Network, and his peak moment was losing to Kevin Owens and legit cracking his nose in the current champ's debut match at the live Takeover: R Evolution.

No word if Robinson, who was originally trained by Ring of Honor's Truth Martini, will continue to pursue a pro wrestling career or if he's on to his life's work in another field.

Thanks for your work to entertain us, CJ, even when it was just as the butt of our jokes. While you taught us there's no Planet B, we wish you the best on your Plan B.