There have been a spate of releases within WWE recently. Some of these weren’t too much of a shock, but there were three names that certainly raised eyebrows. Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe and Aleister Black were all a big shock to wrestling fans everywhere. Strowman in particular had just had a match for the heavyweight championship at WrestleMania Backlash.
Releases are so volatile that they’re almost not spoken about by the wider world. For example, people are allowed to place wagers on different aspects of WWE at the moment. You can find betting options for WWE events at lots of different online casinos and sportsbooks. This usually includes the ability to bet on the outcome of matches. However, the state of talent releases is so volatile that this is not a market that’s offered anywhere at present. It shows just how difficult it is to predict and how shocks can come out at any moment.
What do these latest releases mean, and were they the right decisions? We’ve taken a closer look at the three most shocking releases to get a feel for how the decisions were taken around the world.
Braun Strowman
Strowman was probably the most shocking name on the list of releases. Ever since he split from the Wyatt Family, he has been pushed as one of the biggest threats in the company. He has had time as one of the most popular wrestlers in the company and has been seen as a top wrestler for the last three years. He recently had a short run as world heavyweight champion and even challenged for the title at WrestleMania Backlash recently. So, why was Strowman released?
There are currently two main theories at play as to why WWE released Strowman. The first is that he had started to get under the skin of Vince McMahon. He makes slight errors with scripted promos and his all-round wordplay is well below that of other wrestlers. This shouldn’t really be a problem as large monster characters aren’t really supposed to be erudite and well spoken, but as people know by now, once McMahon makes his mind up about something, it’s extremely hard to change it.
It’s believed that he had started to annoy Vince, and as soon as he saw the opportunity, he wanted to remove that annoyance. However, it’s not just Strowman’s on-screen performance that is believed to have had an impact on his release. He was one of the better-paid members of the roster before his release. With the company feeling that Strowman is beginning to outstay his welcome with the audience, his value for money is starting to be questioned.
There is a strong belief that Strowman would work better as an attraction who doesn’t appear on a week-to-week basis. His current contract pays significantly more than that would be worth. Could Strowman be hired back on reduced terms and with reduced dates? It’s possible, but at this moment, no-one really knows what is going to happen with Braun.
Aleister Black
Black was another big shock. He is one of the most charismatic and intense performers in the industry. He’s able to create intrigue both in terms of his in-ring work and when creating storylines outside of the ring. Black made his return to the ring recently, which makes this even more of a shock.
Black spoke openly about his release after it took place. He said that he had always had a good relationship with McMahon and that he had been told that his release was down to budget cuts rather than anything personal. With Black’s contract terms not really spoken about, it’s difficult to speak about whether this is a likely scenario or not. The storylines that Black had been involved with had always been a little bit close to the edge of what WWE would allow – especially in the modern era when being PG-friendly and not upsetting sponsors is much more important than the product that’s on show.
While Black is extremely creative and has a lot to offer, it could be argued that his creativity wasn’t really a good match for the company at this moment in time. He wanted to be able to push limits and create something special, but WWE has a much tighter grip on what’s shown on the show at the moment. Creative freedom isn’t something that is allowed. It does mean that working with AEW, Impact or ROH would allow Black to perform at a much higher level.
Whether he will appear at any of these places is unknown at the moment, especially as he is still under the non-compete clause in his contract. Whatever happens, the future is bright for Black.
Samoa Joe
Joe was another shock to see released. While he hasn’t wrestled for a while due to injuries, he has still shown his worth as a fantastic speaker. His commentary work was some of the best seen in WWE since the heyday of JR and ‘The King’. However, unlike the other two big names, there was a twist in the tail.
Not long after Joe was released from the main roster, it was revealed that he had been seen backstage at NXT. Within a week, he had appeared back on NXT TV in a new role as William Regal’s enforcer. His appearance on NXT meant that he didn’t show up at Hell in a Cell, but it was still great news for WWE fans who love Joe’s work. It was a bit of a disappointment for fans who wanted to see Joe working with some of the smaller companies out there, especially for the matches he could have had in ROH and AEW.
However, the belief is that Triple H is a huge fan of Joe and what he can do. This is what led to him being rehired by the company. Not only that, but his role on NXT is also somewhere that he will be able to thrive, especially as this environment offers slightly more creative freedom than a position on the main roster.
