5 biggest questions about recent WWE releases

WWE sent shockwaves through the wrestling world when news broke that the company had come to terms on the release of six major talents - Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Ruby Riott, Buddy Murphy, and Santana Garrett.

WWE releasing talent isn't anything new, but this set of releases was an unexpected one, especially when you consider WWE had already released a large list of people just a month ago.

While fans are still processing this information, there are many questions left to be answered around the motivations and repercussions of these cuts.

---

#5. Why did WWE give up on Aleister Black so quickly?

Alesiter Black

Aleister Black started his WWE career in NXT and quickly became one of the more popular wrestlers the brand had to offer. After a reign as NXT champion, he was called up to the RAW roster in February of 2019.

He was then drafted to Smackdown in October 2020, but was held off TV for six months before returning to the blue brand to attack Big E on May 21. Now, just 15 days later, he has been released from the company.

Black returned in a major way by attacking Big E, a high-profile Smackdown star, and had what appeared to be a new slant on his character. Was it a case of WWE officials not liking what they saw already? And since it took six months to get Black back on television in the first place, perhaps they decided to cut their losses.

Could his relationship with Zelina Vega have been an issue? Vega herself was released from WWE not too long ago, but there have been reports that she has been seen back at the Performance Center lately. So it would be hard to believe that she would have enough heat with the company that it would also get her husband fired.

Considering his obvious in-ring talent and recent prominent return to television, Black may be the most perplexing of the recently released talent.

#4. Did WWE miss the window of opportunity with Braun Strowman?

Braun Strowman

If WWE fans were to try and imagine the stereotypical wrestler that Vince McMahon seems to love, one would be led to believe that Braun Strowman would fit that description to a tee.

His immense size and strength certainly make him stand out in a crowd and of all the names released today, Strowman is the one who has seen the most success. He is a former Intercontinental Champion, RAW Tag Team Champion, Money in the Bank winner, and defeated Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 last year.

The case could be made that WWE simply tried to pull the trigger on the Monster Among Men a little too late. While he did win the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36, he was not originally meant to have that spot on the card. He was only a last-minute fill-in when Roman Reigns had to bow out of the show.

Strowman kept the belt warm in an interesting, shall we say, feud with The Fiend until Reigns returned to the company and swiftly took the title back.

Many fans might also make the case that, if Strowman was earmarked to be champion, the title should have been put on him over a year earlier when he was potentially at the peak of his popularity.

Strowman won the Money in the Bank in 2018, but never successfully cashed in. There were reports that the original plan was for him to beat Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at that year’s Crown Jewel event in October, but the outcome changed at the last minute. Many feel he never quite reached that same level of popularity after that.

At this point, perhaps there is a sense within WWE that they have simply done everything they can do with Strowman and it was best to cut their losses and move on.

#3. Will WWE create depth in the Women’s Tag Team Division?

Ruby Riott

It has been a common complaint amongst WWE fans that the Women’s Tag Team division is sorely lacking in depth.

In the short history of the WWE Women’s Tag team Titles, only the IIconics have come close to the definition of a true “tag team” amongst the title holders. Most of the teams that have held the gold have been predominantly singles competitors who were put together in team competition for one reason or another.

With the release of both Lana and Ruby Riott, two teams in the division have now been effectively dissolved - The Riott Squad and the newer team of Lana and Naomi. While Lana and Naomi lacked a rich history as a team, the Riott Squad were a legitimate tag team combination.

Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan did have a history together, were intent on being successful as a team as opposed to singles stars, and were a combination that many pundits were lobbying to see on television more often.

Now suddenly, a women’s tag team division that was thin to begin with has gotten even more sparse.

#2. Will WWE's Lana reunite with Miro in AEW?

Lana and Rusev

The easy follow-up question to Lana's WWE release is whether she will end up in AEW alongside her husband Miro.

While Lana may not have been the most polished in-ring worker the WWE had, no one can deny her work ethic. It can also be argued that both Lana and Miro (the former Rusev) have been at their best as a package.

Even if Lana is not quite ready to step into the ring with the rest of AEW's women's division, a managerial role is certainly not out of the question. She can still bring an element of star power to television.

Also, assuming Lana has the usual 90-day no-compete clause in her contract, that clause would run out not too long after AEW's Rampage debut. Hmm...

#1. Is WWE preparing to be sold?

WWE

In the bigger picture of these big-name releases, one has to wonder what would be the motivation for a company like the WWE to get rid of such major stars.

Well, major stars usually carry major money contracts. One reason a company might be looking to cut down on its outgoing revenue would be in preparation for a sale of the company.

While nothing is obviously imminent, there has been talk in some circles that recently-hired Nick Khan was brought in for this exact purpose - to trim the “fat” and get top dollar for the company in a potential buyout.

Rumors of Vince McMahon selling the company are not new, and seem to pop up with more and more regularity as Vince gets older each year. The recent sale of the WWE Network to Peacock and increased outside ventures, such as the partnership with A&E for WWE programming, have been cited as support for this theory.

That all remains to be seen, of course. However, it can also be hard to argue with fans who might not have any other good reason for WWE cutting loose such a vast array of talented individuals.

---

Dear reader, could you take a quick 30-second survey to help us provide you with better content on SK Wrestling? Here's the link for it.