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Budget cuts in WWE have come thick and fast over the past year and it appears the company is still continuing to make some cuts to its roster even though in recent weeks WWE's touring schedule has returned.
Budget cuts were once an annual thing in WWE, but throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been several mass culls of talent on all levels of the company.
There was a time when superstars who were considered to be legacies would be safe within the company because of their parents, but it appears that even second and third-generation stars have been on the chopping block in the past.
Several sons and daughters of WWE legends have been released from the company in recent years.
#5. WWE Legend Mike Rotunda/IRS
Mike Rotunda was known as IRS throughout his legendary WWE career and has since seen two of his sons follow him into the wrestling business and even go on to work for WWE.
Even Rotunda's daughter Mika was once part of WWE but now works as part of her own real estate business. Mika worked for the company in a backstage capacity alongside her father and even had a tryout to be a ring announcer at one point.
Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas were both released from WWE over the past year in what was reported to have been budget cuts from the company. Dallas was a former NXT Champion and hadn't appeared on WWE TV since 2019 after his tag team partner Curtis Axel was released.
Bray Wyatt was released from WWE earlier this week and hasn't appeared since the RAW after WrestleMania and has only wrestled one match in 2021. It appears that the company decided that the two brothers were no longer needed and now there are rumors that Wyatt could follow in the footsteps of so many other stars and take his creativity to AEW.
Dallas and Wyatt are actually third-generation wrestlers since their grandfather, Blackjack Mulligan, was a well-known performer throughout the 1970s and 80s and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. Sadly Mulligan passed away back in 2016, but his legacy has continued through his children and grandchildren.
#4. WWE Hall of Famer "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
In recent months, WWE Hall of Famer Ted DiBiase has made his return to WWE to be part of storylines on NXT. The Million Dollar Man left quite the legacy for his son to step up to, but it appears that his shadow was too big.
His son was given the same name and was even added to a group alongside Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, who were both aware of the pressure that comes with being the son of a WWE legend. It appears that this wasn't enough to allow DiBiase to go on to reach the levels of his own father.
DiBiase Jr didn't have a lengthy career like his father since he decided not to renew his contract with the company in 2013, ending seven years with WWE. In that time, DiBiase was able to win the Million Dollar Championship as well as the Tag Team Championships alongside Cody Rhodes on two occasions.
DiBiase retired from professional wrestling in 2017 and is now the vice president of business development for One Life.
#3. WWE Hall of Famer "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes left quite the legacy in WWE after his career came to an end, and was even able to go on to become part of the NXT setup to help several of the company's current superstars.
Rhodes had a hand in many of the star's careers, including his own children Cody and Dustin. Throughout the Attitude Era, Dustin was known as Goldust and was one of the characters who truly pushed the envelope at that time.
Cody Rhodes joined the company much later and was able to become a popular star with the WWE Universe whilst never truly being able to flourish.
Rhodes made the decision to leave WWE in 2016 when he asked for and was granted his release. His half-brother Dustin Rhodes requested his release from WWE in 2019 and was granted it, this was Rhodes' sixth departure from WWE and ended his six-year tenure with the company.
Both children of Dusty Rhodes are now currently part of All Elite Wrestling, alongside Cody's wife Brandi.
#2. WWE Hall of Famer "Mr Perfect" Curt Hennig
Mr Perfect was seen as one of the greatest athletes in WWE history, after being fired from WWE in 2002 following The Plane Ride from Hell, it's interesting that his son Curtis Axel was still able to make it to WWE.
Hennig himself was a second-generation superstar who was looking to follow in the footsteps of his father Larry "The Axe" Hennig. Mr Perfect was a former Intercontinental Champion in WWE and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007, just four years after his untimely passing.
Curtis Axel made his wrestling debut a few months after his father's Hall of Fame induction and went on to join WWE following his appearance at the ceremony. Axel was part of The Nexus in 2010 before going on to become Intercontinental Champion just like his father a few years later.
The third-generation star went on to become part of The Social Outcasts, The Megapowers, The Miztourage and The B-Team before he was released from the company after 13-years as part of budget cuts in April 2020.
#1. WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero was a second-generation superstar who many believe could still be wrestling at the highest level in WWE if it wasn't for his untimely passing back in 2005.
Guerrero was a former WWE Champion and went on to inspire his daughter to step into the business, whilst his widow Vickie Guerrero also became a regular face in the company following his passing.
Guerrero's eldest daughter Shaul was able to make it to WWE and wrestled on the company's NXT brand under the ring name Raquel Diaz. Of course, the daughter of Eddie Guerrero, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time, definitely had big shoes to fill.
Shaul signed with WWE in 2010 and went on to become one of the Queen's of FCW, before the transition into NXT. Guerrero then requested and was handed her WWE release in 2014 after years of struggling with an eating disorder.
Shaul has since made the move over to AEW, where she served as a ring announcer for the Women's Tag Team Cup tournament in the summer of 2020.
