Last week, WWE released 18 wrestlers from the main roster and NXT. There were some big surprises, including Braun Strowman, Dakota Kai, and Cora Jade, and another wave of firings may be on the horizon.
This was one of the biggest talent culls since the COVID-19 pandemic, and Fightful claims to have some insights into why these names have all been dropped.
"From what I was told, if he [Triple H] wants somebody to be there, they’re going to be there," the site explains, pointing the finger squarely at WWE's Chief Content Officer. "Let me be clear about that - if he wanted them there, they would absolutely be there."
WrestlePurists later chimed in with a few additional details, confirming that while it's Triple H who decides which Superstars are going to be released, the decision to cut costs and slim down the roster comes from higher up the food chain.
"Triple H has the final say on any roster personnel decisions. Most non-injured wrestlers benched from his TV are candidates for release whenever it’s time to cut salary," the site explains. "The focus is on profit margins and TKO shareholder optics each quarter - hence the shedding of contracts."
"Ari [Emanuel] and Nick [Khan] decide when, Paul Levesque decides who. If you think otherwise, you’re being naive. The actual WWE product, talent acquisitions, and cross-promotion business deals are Triple H’s responsibility."
"This was always the likely outcome with an influx of developmental talent and rising base salaries - now up to $350,000 for main roster stars," it adds. "Blaming TKO alone while absolving [Triple H] ignores reality. Ari probably can’t name 15 to 20 people on the roster."
In other words, there's no one "big bad" here, and these decisions are made by executives whether fans like it or not. Looking at the list of names below, it's not unfair to say that the vast majority of releases aren't hugely surprising.
While they may not have been given a fair shake on the main roster (or even in NXT for that matter), most either didn't connect with fans or struggled to fit the mould of what's expected from a "WWE Superstar." We do, however, think Triple H will come to regret losing at least a few of these wrestlers....
- Braun Strowman
- Shayna Baszler
- Dakota Kai
- Kayden Carter
- Katana Chance
- Cora Jade
- Gigi Dolin
- Eddy Thorpe
- Riley Osborne
- Jakara Jackson
- Wolfgang
- Joe Coffey
- Mark Coffey
- Ora Mensah
- Javier Bernal
- Dani Palmer
- Shotzi
- Luca Crusifino
- Braun Strowman