WWE made a shocking series of releases earlier today, but the one that's taken pretty much everyone by surprise is Braun Strowman. The former Universal Champion has been pushed as a top star in the company for several years now, and actually signed a big-money contract (said to be worth $1 million a year) in 2019 that should have kept him with WWE until at least 2023.
Now, the Monster Among Men has taken to Twitter to issue a brief statement on his release:
Strowman has said in the past that he would never wrestle for any company that isn't WWE, but unless he plans to take his career down a very different route, you have to believe that will change.
The former Intercontinental and RAW Tag Team Champion signed with WWE in 2013 and debuted as a member of The Wyatt Family. When the Draft was brought back, he squashed enhancement talent on a weekly basis, got over in a big way, and ultimately become a top star. However, as is so often the case with WWE, the company dropped the ball with him in some respects.
On a related note, Fightful Select reveals that there's a lot of people surprised backstage over the decision to release Ruby Riott. She was popular backstage and praised for her in-ring work on a regular basis. Buddy Murphy is also mentioned in their report, though talent wasn't quite as shocked because he hasn't factored into WWE's creative plans for a while and was known to be unhappy.
Stay tuned for updates as they continue coming in.