WWE releases Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana and more
WWE announces a new wave of high-profile releases, leading some pundits to speculate on a company sale.
Former Universal Champion, Braun Strowman.
WWE on Wednesday announced a new round of talent cuts -- and they're even more surprising than the round of releases from April. Braun Strowman, former Universal Champion and an established top star, was one of several talents released Tuesday.
"WWE has come to terms on the releases of Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Murphy, Ruby Riott and Santana Garrett," the company said in a statement on its website, belying the momentous news.
Strowman is the biggest shock, having been positioned as a top-tier star for much of the past five years. Last year he defeated Goldberg at WrestleMania to win the Universal Championship, and at this year's show he starred in a heavily promoted cage match against Shane McMahon.
What a chapter in life. Thank you!!!!!
— Braun Strowman (@BraunStrowman) June 2, 2021
Im gathering my thoughts as this was a complete left field for me as obviously we just started the dark father character but this was it, thank you so much WWE universe for allowing me to create and give you small bits of myself.
— Tommy End (@WWEAleister) June 2, 2021
Aleister Black is a highly reguarded performer and a former NXT Champion who enjoyed a consistent run on the main roster last year, making his release another surprise. Black hadn't been seen on TV for six months, but in late May re-emerged with a new character.
It follows a similar round of talent releases that came in April -- WWE traditionally cuts performers after WrestleMania -- which included Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Mickie James and, hugely surprising at the time, Samoa Joe. In May WWE reportedly trimmed its corporate side too, terminating contracts with staff in film, TV, social media and international teams.
The only way I can rationalize the kind of cuts is for an eventual sale. Several of these people signed big contracts before the pandemic when WWE were in talent hoarding, lock em up for years mode
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) June 2, 2021
You don’t cut talent assets on this level unless you are trying to maximize profits before a sale.
— Dave Schilling (@dave_schilling) June 2, 2021
The round of releases on Wednesday led to increased speculation that Vince McMahon, founder and CEO of WWE, is cutting costs ahead of a potential sale. Rumors of such a sale have swirled around since January, when WWE announced that its WWE Network streaming service would be migrating to NBC's Peacock.
"You don't cut talent assets on this level unless you are trying to maximize profits before a sale," wrote Dave Schilling, a former writer at WWE, in a tweet. Sean Ross Sapp, a wrestling journalist from Fightful, tweeted: "The only way I can rationalize the kind of cuts is for an eventual sale. Several of these people signed big contracts before the pandemic when WWE were in talent hoarding, lock em up for years mode."
WWE didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.