SmackDown Friday Night SmackDown happened, and it was another terrible show. The show is way too long and hopefully it goes back to 2 hours sooner rather the later. However, that was not the worst news of the day, as it was revealed that multiple professional wrestlers have lost their jobs. It comes at a time when WWE usually makes these cuts, and not long ago, WWE parted ways with many backstage staff members. This one will focus on the in-ring talents who lost their jobs. As of now, there have been 17 members of the roster who were informed of their release over the past two days.
Baszler has been a part of WWE since 2017, and she has had an 8-year career with the company. Her NXT tenure in the Black and Gold Era as the Queen of Spades was the perfect gimmick. She was excellent as the NXT women’s champion, and many fans hyped her as the next big thing when she got called up. However, his tenure on the main roster was lackluster.
First, when she debuted, she bit the back of Becky Lynch’s neck. It started a feud with one of the top wrestlers in the business, and in the build-up, she won the 2020 Elimination Chamber match. That match was one of the worst chamber matches of all time due to how boring it was, but it made her look strong. Then came the WrestleMania 36 match with Becky Lynch, where she lost. Ever since, she has never recovered. She held the Women’s tag team belts with Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax, but it didn’t go anywhere.
Then came the Pure Fusion Collective group that she was a part of, and that name alone killed the faction. Zoey Starks, Sonya Deville, and Shayna Baszler could not get this faction over with the crowd and it was awful television. Sonya was the leader of that faction and her being gone, was the final nail in the coffin for Baszler. All that has to be said is Zoey Starks’ time is running out and It’s surprising she wasn’t listed on the cut list.
As for Baszler, it will be interesting to see where she goes to wrestle next. Out of all the options, her being recruited in AEW’s Blackpool Combat Club would be a perfect boost to that faction. Her in GCW would be cool, as her Bloodsport PPV match with Konami Takemoto was cool. If she wishes to continue in pro wrestling, she would get so many opportunities.
Strowman has been with the company for multiple years and is currently on his 2nd tenure from 2022-2025. This run’s peak was putting over Bronson Reed and Jacob Fatu. Those matches were great, but let’s be honest, this can’t be a surprise. It’s clear watching his matches that his knees are knackered. The dude could barely walk around the ring, and it’s sad seeing him try to run around the ring like he usually would. He was never going to be a champion ever again in the company, and with him in his 40s clear his best days in the ring were over.
Braun’s best bet for places to go is the independent circuit, but I think the NWA would be the best spot for him. Especially with how close he and EC3 were when doing the Control Your Narrative promotion, both could do very well together in that promotion. He’s not going to AEW, as that bridge was burned many times with how he tweeted against Tony Khan in the past. Although he and Brodie Lee Jr would be a great pairing when Brodie Jr is of age to wrestle full-time.
This was Dakota Kai’s second tenure with the company, and she returned at the 2022 SummerSlam with Iyo Sky to form the faction Damage CTRL with Bayley. She even won the Women’s Tag Team belts with Iyo Sky twice. Then came the knee injuries, and Kai just could not stay healthy.
It was clear that Dakota Kai was not happy in the current role. Especially as she was barely being used, and according to her, she went public saying she was not hurt. But WWE was not even using her at all. With Iyo Sky as world champion and both Asuka & Kairi Sane recovering from injury, it felt like Kai was left behind. This has to end the Damage CTRL faction because Asuka is coming back, and with Iyo as champion, it would be a perfect feud for both of them.
As for Kai, her being in AEW would be a good plan. That division could use some more notable names. Another promotion that would make sense for her if she chooses is with STARDOM in Japan. She was over in that promotion, and it would give Rossy Ogawa a top name to book. It’s her choice, and it will be easy for her to find work elsewhere.
When Dakota Kai’s name was out on the cut list, Eddy Thorpe’s days in WWE were numbered. Why? Well, both are dating each other in real life, and he had to have known he was out the door when Kai got cut. Thorpe just had a big feud with Trick Williams on NXT television, but he just could not get over with the crowd. Which sucks because his tenure in New Japan was fun. Rewatching his matches there, it’s going to be great seeing him under the name Karl Fredricks again. It would not be a surprise if he goes back there, but his decision on where to wrestle next depends on where Dakota Kai goes.
So much for WWE trying to make the Women’s Tag Team Division mean something. They were one of the few tag teams that actually made sense to be a tag team, instead of WWE pulling names out of a hat when making tag teams. This is not a total surprise as WWE wasn’t trying with them on weekly television as they were when both were in NXT. Yes, they won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, but it barely lasted 6 weeks. They were a really solid team in NXT too, so it feels like a missed opportunity. With this latest batch of cuts, it’s clear WWE doesn’t care about the Women’s Tag Team Division.
Oh, look at that, another Women’s tag team and faction that just lost a member. Gigi Dolin was a part of the Chemical X faction with Shotzi and Tatum Paxley. WWE had something with this faction and the Toxic Attraction faction, as Gigi Dolin was in both, but it never went anywhere besides NXT. This one isn’t too much of a surprise, but it’s frustrating how she never got a chance with the Chemical X faction in the long term, as there was potential there.
As for where she goes next, she’s TNA-bound. It would be stunning if she were not a part of the Knockouts division, as she would be a perfect fit in that division. Plus, she is currently engaged with Zachary Wentz in TNA, so it would make sense for her to work there.
Jackson has been with WWE since 2021 and was put in the Meta-Four faction. She would be in tag team matches with Lash Legend, and they were a good tag team. Those matches were enjoyable in NXT, and both stood out in the 2024 Crown Jewel PPV in Saudi Arabia. It seemed like both were about to get called up to the main roster permanently, but that’s not happening now.
Out of the bunch, this release makes no sense at all. Especially as both she and Lash Legend just represented WWE and just had a match at the TNA Rebellion PPV for the TNA Tag Team Championships. Why would WWE send her to represent the company and then decide to release them here? Honestly, the writing was on the wall during the last NXT when she and Lash Legend broke up as a tag team. When that happened, that was when fans should have known that either one of these two was going to get cut soon.
It’s just a shame that, yet again, WWE threw away another Women’s tag team that could have helped that division. Heck, Liv Morgan is currently half of the champions, and she’s not going to be on TV for months due to her filming a movie. WWE, just do the right thing, get rid of the division, and burn the tag team championships. Those belts have been poorly booked since Day 1, and for years, WWE hasn’t cared about it.
Mensah was another member of the Meta Four faction. That faction is pretty much done, with half the members released from the company. Mensah has been with WWE for a total of 6 years, and it was a solid run. However, I was not the biggest fan of him, and I thought he was the weak link of that Meta Four faction. With the faction breaking up on the last episode on Tuesday, there was just no role for him in NXT. Going into the Independent Circuit would be his best play.
All three of these wrestlers are great workers, especially when rewatching their matches in the NXT UK brand. However, they were a forgettable faction and have been going nowhere for the past few years. Honestly, it’s still surprising Joe Coffey kept his job in WWE after the Speaking Out Movement. This was when he was accused of harassing a female, sending unsolicited naked photos, and various other crimes.
Their last appearances in the ring were against the current TNA World Champion Joe Hendry. Gallus going to TNA makes the most sense out of the options, but MLW could be an intriguing choice for the group as well.
No surprise here, Osborne was done the moment Chase U was ended in NXT last year. He barley did much since and the last wrestling match he had was with the evolve brand for WWE. The weird thing is Chase U is making a comeback in NXT, why wasn’t Osborne considered to join that group. Thats what’s weird about the company releasing him, but they obviously did not see potential in him. It will be interesting to see where he goes next, if someone was to guess, the independent cicuit would be his best play.
This one will be brief, as he has not been featured on NXT TV for a while. He was sidelined for a while, due to his foot injury, and while he came back in January, he was just not used much. Bernal could easily be booked on independent shows.
This one got revealed late at night, but this was not a surprise. In fact, when was the last time she was on WWE TV for NXT? She did have a brief stint in the new Evolve show WWE has, but besides that, it’s hard to remember. She likely will be another wrestler to get independent circuit shows.
Another stunner because she was hand-picked to represent WWE in multiple TNA Shows. She is also 24 years old and has so much potential. She had a really solid run as NXT Women’s champion, and it was expected that she was going to get called up to the main roster. Well, she got the dreaded call that she is getting released.
Injuries had to be the key reason here for WWE parting ways. Remember as he had a bad knee injury in 2024 and was injured mid-match a few months ago. It was reported to be a head injury, but the point is that the injuries have kept growing for her. That’s the only reason that makes sense, because why would WWE cut Cora Jade.
With how young she is, it would not be a surprise if she returns to WWE. She got such high regards from CM Punk, who even in 2023 filed a video saying she is proud of her. Heck, he even once called Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez his children. As for where she goes, AEW would make sense. She has connections there and even worked AEW Dark shows in 2020, before signing with WWE. TNA could use her full time in the Knockouts division. Wherever she goes, any company will benefit.
This just happened while putting the finishing touches on this article. Shotzi was notably moved to the Alumni Section, which means that she was likely gone from WWE. Well, Sean Ross Sapp confirmed her contract expired with the company and was not renewed. This was not a surprise. The moment Gigi Dolin got released, it was not looking good for the Chemical X faction. Shotzi being next on the departure wasn’t too shocking.
Shotzi has been with WWE since 2019, and her run in NXT was fun. The Black and Gold era was Shotzi’s peak in WWE, and the moment she got called up, it just went downhill. They took her last name, remember, she was called Shotzi Blackheart. It was shortened for reasons that have never been explained. Lackluster booking did not help either, and Shotzi just did not get over in the main roster. It also didn’t help that Shotzi had injury issues, and the big one was tearing her ACL in 2024.
They sent her down to NXT, and there was potential with the Chemical X faction. However, WWE just didn’t see it that way and let Gigi Dolin and now Shotzi, too. It’s hard to see where Tatum Paxley goes from here creatively, but at least WWE kept her. As for Shotzi, she is going to light the wrestling world on fire wherever she goes. AEW would make sense, and maybe if she goes to TNA with Gigi Dolin, that would make sense.
No matter who the wrestler is, it just sucks that they lost their jobs with the WWE. While there isn’t confirmation that the cuts are over, if there is more another article will be made. You know what is more disgusting is that there are people happy for these wrestlers losing their jobs. Like come on you have to do better than that and those who cheer for these departures need to look themselves in the mirror.
I wish Shayna Baszler, Braun Strowman, Dakota Kai, Eddy Thorpe, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Gigi Dolin, Jakara Jackson, Oro Mensah, Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, Wolfgang, Riley Osborne, Javier Bernal, Dani Palmer, Cora Jade, and Shotzi the best in what they do next, whether in professional wrestling or not.
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