During the COVID-19 Pandemic, WWE would be heavily criticized for its treatment of talent, delivering several mass releases to wrestlers across Raw, Smackdown, and NXT. With over one hundred wrestlers released between 2020 and early 2022, including names like Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Keith Lee, Chelsea Green, Zack Ryder, and Ember Moon, there were no signs for who could or could not be released.

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In the time since, a number of recently released wrestlers have found new homes for themselves in other wrestling promotions, whether it be AEW or Impact Wrestling, or sticking to the independent scene. While some have thrived outside of WWE, others have failed to do so since being let go by the Sports Entertainment Titan.

10 Athena - Doing Well

Athena during her debut

After much speculation, the former Ember Moon would debut in All Elite Wrestling at AEW Double or Nothing 2021 after a TBS Championship Match between Jade Cargill and Anna Jay. Aligning herself with fellow babyfaces Anna Jay and Kris Statlander, Athena would instantly draw the battle line against Jade and The Baddies.

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Since coming into the company, Athena has been featured most weeks on TV, despite only having a match or two under her belt. Her debut match would come on AEW Rampage, against Kiera Hogan, in a match that saw both women work together more excellently than anyone could expect. As 2022 rolls on, Athena seems likely to be a TBS Championship Contender against Jade Cargill.

9 EC3 - Not Doing Well

EC3 ROH

Returning to the company after years away, EC3 would join NXT during 2018 to much fanfare. Taking part in the first-ever North American Championship Ladder Match, EC3 would instantly seem like a name that was destined for greatness in his second run with WWE.

After being called up to main roster, EC3 would be slotted into the lower midcard where he would stay, often chasing after the 24/7 Championship and having nothing to work with. Carter III would be released in 2020 and would struggle to reach the heights he saw prior to signing with WWE during his TNA run. EC3 now takes part in the Control Your Narrative promotion alongside a number of other past WWE releases.

8 Steve Maclin - Doing Well

Steve Maclin in Impact Wrestling Cropped

A name that many likely did not expect to excel outside of the WWE system was one member of the Forgotten Sons faction, that being Steve Cutler. Debuting in Impact Wrestling as Steve Maclin during 2021, he would instantly breakout with some solid matches under his belt.

2022 has been an even stronger year for Maclin, with a number of impressive matches, including bouts against PCO, Alex Shelley, Moose, Eddie Edwards, New Japan's Tomohiro Ishii, and ROH Champion Jonathan Gresham. For those looking for an explosive in-ring performer, Maclin is one to watch at the moment.

7 Breezango - Not Doing Well

Breezango celebrates their championship victory

The fan favorite duo of Tyler Breeze and Fandango, would fail to win either of the main roster tag team titles during their time together on the WWE main roster. After reuniting in WWE NXT during the pandemic, they would capture gold together in the form of the NXT Tag Team Championship.

With both men having been released by the company, neither has done much of note outside of the WWE system, and those hoping that either would do well as solo acts have been left waiting in the wings. Breezango was one of the most naturally funny acts in WWE during their time together, but it appears that has faded since.

6 Keith Lee - Doing Well

keith-lee-aew

Debuting in AEW in early 2022, Keith Lee would instantly be hyped up as a major signing for the hot company, and since his arrival, he has continued to feel special week in, week out. While Lee has failed to win any titles in AEW yet, he has remained a featured act within AEW, notably alongside Swerve Strickland.

With some great performances in the AEW tag team division, Swerve in Our Glory have become standouts, though Keith Lee feels like the bigger star currently, with the Limitless One continuing to get some of the best reactions during AEW Dynamite and Rampage tapings.

5 The IInspiration - Not Doing Well

iinspiration-impact-rebellion

Debuting in Impact Wrestling at Bound For Glory 2021 during the latter half of the year, Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay would take the company by storm, quickly winning the Knockouts Tag Team Championship and becoming two of the most over women in the company. Despite this, it was not all sunshines and rainbows for the former IIconics.

RELATED: 10 Things About The IIconics' Careers That Made No Sense

Miscast as babyfaces during their times with the belts, Cassie and Jessica's segments were often some of the worst during Impact's television and their extended feud with Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood would lead to a stagnation within the Knockouts Tag Team Division. After losing the titles, the duo would announce that they were leaving Impact Wrestling and that they were taking an indefinite hiatus from wrestling.

4 Marina Shafir - Doing Well

Marina Shafir in AEW Dark Cropped

In similar fashion to the former Steve Cutler, Marina Shafir was a name that ended up getting the axe by WWE that most agreed made sense, though many did not expect to see anything spectacular for her outside of the promotion. That would change in 2022, as she would begin appearing on AEW Dark tapings, slowly but surely picking up wins along the way.

Marina Shafir would be moved from AEW Dark onto AEW Television during a feud with Jade Cargill for the TBS Championship, and then working against Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm. Outside of AEW, Shafir has also taken part in Bloodsport and has become a bigger name than she ever was during her time in WWE.

3 Nia Jax - Not Doing Well

Nia Jax angry

A name that remained featured in WWE much longer than anyone expected or wanted, Nia Jax was presented as a major player across NXT, Raw, and Smackdown during her WWE career. A former WWE Women's Champion, Jax cultivated heat with wrestlers and fans alike for causing numerous injuries while also maintaining a less than stellar personality.

Since being released by WWE, Fanene has yet to wrestle again, though she was scheduled to face CJ Perry (aka Lana) at one point, though the match never happened.

2 Mia Yim - Doing Well

Mia Yim returns to Impact at Under Siege

Making her return to Impact Wrestling at their Under Siege event in the Spring of 2022, Mia Yim would return as one of the hottest free agents in all of wrestling as she would make a big splash in the Knockouts Division.

At Slammiversary, Yim would take part in the first-ever Queen of the Mountain Match, doing battle against Tasha Steelz, Deonna Purrazzo, Chelsea Green, and Jordynne Grace for the Knockouts Championship. Following that, Yim would face Purrazzo in a special singles match on TV that would see the two women fighting for a championship oppurtunity against Jordynne Grace, with Yim winning and continuing a strong start to her second run in the company.

1 Braun Strowman/Adam Scherr - Not Doing Well

Braun Strowman Intercontinental Champion Cropped

In one of the more unlikely scenarios for WWE, the company would release Braun Strowman in early June, 2021, alongside a number of other talent. Since debuting on WWE's main roster as a part of the Wyatt Family faction, Strowman appeared to be one of the future stars of the company, and would be treated as such for years.

Winning the first-and-only Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, being given several major pushes, and winning both the Intercontinental Championship and the WWE Universal Championship, Strowman was one of the biggest names that WWE released during their period of mass releasing talents. Since his exit, and now going by real-name, Adam Scherr, the big man has yet to do anything of note aside from starting the controversial Control Your Narrative promotion and appearing at ROH Final Battle in 2021 in a laughibly bad invasion angle.