Released WWE Stars Weren’t Working Hard Enough

WWE stars were released because they didn’t train hard enough.

On May 2, several WWE main roster and NXT Superstars were released by the company seemingly out of the blue. Across Raw and SmackDown, the likes of Braun Strowman, Dakota Kai, and Shayna Baszler were cut, while Gigi Dolin and Cora Jade were among those who were removed from NXT.

24 hours later, it was also confirmed that Shotzi will leave the company when her contract expires.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that WWE felt that many of those who were released weren’t training hard enough. He added that he’d seen the word “lazy” used to describe some talents who are “gonna be gone.”

“Many of those cut were perceived as not working hard in training. And if you don’t work hard in training, there’s so many people who do. And at this point, if the feeling is you’re not working hard in training – I saw the term ‘lazy’ – the ones who are lazy are gonna be gone, and the ones who didn’t stand out are gonna be gone.”

WWE Released Braun Strowman For Financial Reasons

On the same show, Meltzer also claimed that Braun Strowman was released because of the size of his contract. Meltzer cited one source who suggested that Strowman was being paid too much relative to how he was being used on television.

“He is the one that the salary was high,” Meltzer stated. “One person told me that they felt he was being… he was paid more than how they were using him, I guess is the best way to put it, but salary played a part in this.

Strowman re-signed with WWE in 2022 after being released the previous June. Upon returning to the company, Strowman enjoyed high-profile storylines with Bronson Reed and Jacob Fatu.

H/t to Wrestle Talk