WWE saw massive success at WrestleMania 41 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, followed up with strong showings at Raw and SmackDown. Before the May 2nd episode of SmackDown, it was announced that WWE had released 15 superstars, making the show taste sour. Without further ado, here is a tier list ranking of the 15 superstars released by WWE.
It was surprising to see Strowman get the cut after some impressive work in recent tapings. He was in a strong program with the current United States Champion, Jacob Fatu, and his ‘Monster vs. Monster’ clash with Bronson Reed was downright amazing. It is rumored that Strowman was cut due to commanding a huge salary and not being utilized effectively.
Shayna Baszler, on the other hand, saw the writing on the wall. Despite her monster push in NXT, her main roster run was underwhelming. Instead of taking her up the card with a singles run, Baszler was moved into the tag division, pairing up with so many partners that knocked the wind out of her sails. Her collaboration with Ronda Rousey was atrocious, and her work with Sonya Deville and Zoey Stark was nothing to write home about.
Kai rose to prominence in NXT when she teamed up with Raquel Rodriguez, bossing the tag division, and worked well in the Damage Control stable in the main roster. Unfortunately, Kai was plagued with several high-profile injuries that kept her on the shelf for months. Upon her return to full fitness, she briefly feuded with Lyra Valkyria for the mid-card title and hasn’t been on TV since.
With Carter and Chance, their party girls gimmick wasn’t over with the fans, however, they had some great double-team moves. Despite the women’s tag division not having many teams, Chance and Carter barely featured on TV, and it was evident that there were no plans for them.
WWE’s developmental brand, NXT, bore the brunt of the releases with as many as 10 superstars getting the cut. Cora Jade, Gigi Dolin, Eddy Thorpe, Riley Osborne, Oro Mensah, Jakara Jackson, Javier Bernal, and Gallus have been released.
The most surprising name on the list is Cora Jade. She looked like she had the potential to be the NXT Women’s Champion, but she suffered many injuries that caused a setback. When Meta Four split on TV in late April, it was evident that changes were coming, with Noam Dar winning the Heritage Cup again, and Lash Legend pivoting to singles action. Jackson and Mensah felt like deadweight, and they were cut.
Dolin was another superstar who saw massive success under the Toxic Attraction stable, but the breakup feud with Jacy Jayne did more damage to her career than good. Teaming up with Tatum Paxley had some potential, but WWE chose not to follow through, despite a great win for them at Stand and Deliver.
Stadium Rant’s Howe Fresh published an article on where some of the released superstars should wrestle next. With other wrestling promotions like AEW, TNA, and the Indies available, these wrestlers still have a great chance to ply their trades elsewhere.
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