WWE has released over two dozen wrestlers in 2021. Some releases were expected, but others came directly out of leftfield. A couple of the more recent releases are downright shocking, while others didn't seem out of place getting the pink slip from WWE.
On June 2, WWE wished six Superstars all the best in their future endeavors. Similarly, on April 15, WWE let go of 10 wrestlers. And sporadically throughout the year, WWE has been severing ties with various independent contractors. Among the releases were jobbers, former champions, mismanaged talent, and even someone who was just wrestling for the WWE Title on a pay-per-view.
9 2021 WWE Release That Surprised Us: Braun Strowman
In less than a month, "The Monster Among Men" Braun Strowman went from being a top contender for the WWE Championship to no longer being employed in the pro wrestling business. Strowman was one of the more shocking releases to happen in 2021.
On June 2, Braun was let go by WWE, along with five other wrestlers. This release was very surprising considering how the monster was used on his way out. Not only did Strowman battle two of Raw's top stars at WrestleMania Backlash, but he also fought Shane McMahon in a steel cage at WrestleMania 37. Strowman wasn't as big a deal on Raw as either Drew McIntyre or Bobby Lashley, but he was definitely up there in the pecking order.
8 2021 WWE Release We Saw Coming: Buddy Murphy
WWE no longer had anything relevant for Murphy after the Aaylah Mysterio romance angle was dropped. Murphy was rarely featured on WWE programming for months following the sudden end of this storyline. After months of inactivity, the former Raw Tag Team Champion was let go on June 2, 2021.
The company tried to make Murphy a star by aligning him with Seth Rollins, but The Messiah wasn't able to save him. Murphy finally broke free of being Rollins' lackey in November 2020, but he wasn't able to stand out on his own as a star following this separation. The last time the WWE Universe saw Murphy wrestle was during WrestleMania SmackDown where he competed unsuccessfully in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
7 2021 WWE Release That Surprised Us: Aleister Black
Aleister Black's release on June 2 was both shocking and confusing. If WWE were to release Black, why go through the trouble of airing vignettes of the Dark Father and then having Black return to attack Big E? If WWE were to have released Black during the April 15 roster cuts, it wouldn't have been nearly as surprising. Actually, at that point, it was expected that he'd be let go because he hadn't wrestled a match since October 2020.
Black had the potential to revitalize his career on the blue brand, but he was future endeavored nonetheless. The Dutch Destroyer could have been a standout performer of SmackDown's mid-card division, but instead, he got the proverbial pink slip from Vince McMahon.
6 2021 WWE Release We Saw Coming: The Velveteen Dream
The Velveteen Dream's stock in WWE had been on the decline by the time he was released on May 20. Dream was last seen wrestling in an NXT ring during December 2020's "A Very Gargano Christmas" episode in which he put over Adam Cole once more. 2020 was a very difficult year for the young star who faced allegations on the back of the #SpeakingOut Movement.
On his way out, Dream also put over Kushida and Tommaso Ciampa. But following the December 23 episode of NXT, the longest-reigning NXT North American Champion disappeared from WWE programming. Even though it was clear that Dream was a charismatic star loaded with talent, he still carried around the baggage of #SpeakingOut allegations which halted his push. Plus, it was also reported that Dream had behavioral issues in WWE which contributed to his release. It was clear that it was only a matter of time before he'd be released and TheSportster called it on the website and Facebook.
5 2021 WWE Release That Surprised Us: Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe being released by WWE was arguably the biggest shocker of the April 15 roster cuts. Joe was doing a decent job as a color commentator for Monday Night Raw. He was even trusted with calling WrestleMania 37 and was willing to be stuck out in the rain to do so. There was no indication that his days in WWE were coming to an end.
It was also reported that Joe wasn't medically cleared to return to the ring when WWE released him. Joe brought his years of experience in the wrestling business with him to the commentary booth, and many were surprised to see WWE cut ties with him so suddenly. Many fans were hoping to see his return to the ring happen in WWE, but now it seems likely it'll happen elsewhere.
4 2021 WWE Release We Saw Coming: Tucker Knight
After Tucker failed to get over following the break-up of Heavy Machinery, it was clear that it was only a matter of time before Tucky got future endeavored. Otis was clearly the more charismatic member of the team and Tucker's weaknesses were magnified without him. WWE didn't even allow the two to have a proper feud, considering that the 2020 WWE Draft split them apart even before Tucker betrayed Otis at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
After becoming an afterthought on the main roster, it wasn't shocking at all to find out that Tucker was released by WWE on April 15. The only taste of gold for Tucky in WWE was two reigns with the 24/7 Championship, which is far from impressive.
3 2021 WWE Release That Surprised Us: Ruby Riott
If you thought WWE didn't care about their men's tag team division, they appear to care even less on the women's side. WWE has been working overtime to decimate the women's tag team division. First, they broke apart The IIconics over the summer, placed them into random tag teams, and then released them both on April 15.
On June 2, WWE broke up two more women tag teams, releasing Ruby Riott from The Riott Squad and letting go of Lana who tagged with Naomi. The most surprising of all from Wednesday's trimming down of the women's division was the release of Ruby Riott. Her pairing with Liv Morgan had the most experience as a duo in the women's tag team division. They could have had a solid run with the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles, but Ruby got the pink slip instead.
2 2021 WWE Releases We Saw Coming: Wesley Blake & Steve Cutler
Nothing was shocking about hearing that both Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake were released by WWE. After WWE took The Forgotten Sons off of TV following Jaxson Ryker's social media controversy, all three members of the group disappeared for many months. Ryker returned as Elias' sidekick while Cutler and Blake became King Corbin's lackeys as part of The Knights of the Lone Wolf.
However, neither Cutler nor Blake returned to in-ring competition following their Forgotten Sons' departure. They merely accompanied Corbin to the ring and the backstage area, acting as henchmen hired to help Corbin win matches. WWE already tried a Corbin-led stable in 2019 and that resulted in an awful feud with Roman Reigns that reeked of dog food. However, at least that stable had some memorable moments, unlike the late-2020 version.
Cutler was ultimately let go by WWE on February 4, 2021. Blake was released on April 15, along with nine other wrestlers. Both men were faced with 90-day non-compete clauses following their departure. Cutler appearing at a New Year's Eve party and contracting COVID-19 is rumored to have played a role in his release. Impact Wrestling's Matt Cardona was said to have been the host of that party.
1 2021 WWE Release We Saw Coming: Mojo Rawley
Mojo Rawley had been away from in-ring competition for about 10 months when he was let go by WWE on April 15, 2021. His final match in WWE saw him lose to Shorty G cleanly on the June 19 episode of SmackDown. In 2020, Rawley's career was on life support, being kept alive by his close friendship with Rob Gronkowski. When Gronk ended his association with WWE, it was only a matter of time before Rawley made his exit as well.
There wasn't much WWE could do with Rawley on his own. He was able to get over alongside Zack Ryder as part of The Hype Bros, but as a singles wrestler he just blended in with the crowd. If Rawley were to return to a WWE ring, maybe they could give him his eighth reign with the 24/7 Championship, but none of that would be necessary for WWE.