Toni Storm became the 81st talent released from WWE this year recently. Some of the talents let go are truly baffling as well. Below we count down the top-5 most surprising releases WWE made in 2021. In fact, it’s sort of hard to reduce this list to just 5. We’ve added some honorary mentions below.
The releases of John Morrison, Franky Monet, and Mickie James were head-scratchers. Although since WWE seemed to be releasing talent in their 40s or late 30s more than younger talent, it was perhaps not that surprising that these 3 were let go. It was disappointing to many fans, however. We give their releases an honorary mention here. Same goes for Ember Moon, who is a talented wrestler but didn’t survive the cuts made in 2021.
Our #5 most baffling release WWE has made this year goes to Bronson Reed. The 33-year-old Australian seems to have much of what WWE is looking for right now, namely size. You can now see him wrestling as JONAH in Impact Wrestling and NJPW.
Scroll down to reveal #4.
#4 Karrion Kross & Scarlett
Karrion Kross and Scarlett’s release from WWE this year surprised a lot of people. Kross was a huge star in NXT, even winning the NXT Championship. His look and size made him seem like a can’t miss bluechip prospect for the main roster.
After being repackaged a couple of times, Kross wasn’t resonating with the RAW audience, however. That may have been due to the weird helmet and "Demolition-style" gimmick he was saddled with.
Scroll down to reveal the #3 most baffling release in WWE this year.
#3 Keith Lee
WWE seemed as though they saw potential in Keith Lee. They tried a few different things with him, including changing his entrance music and attire, giving him the "Bearcat" nickname, and more.
Lee seems like he has everything the WWE is looking for. He’s big and can have excellent wrestling matches. He can cut a promo and connect with the crowd too. Despite all of what he brings to the table, WWE decided to cut ties with him this year.
Scroll down to reveal the #2 most baffling release in WWE this year.
#2 Bray Wyatt
When WWE released Bray Wyatt on July 31st, 2021, it sent shockwaves throughout the entire industry. WWE had been releasing a lot of talent but it seemed like top-tier wrestlers like Wyatt were untouchable. This is a former Universal and WWE Champion after all.
As for why Wyatt was released, there are reports he was protective of his character, and often not medically cleared to perform. He also had a large contract that WWE apparently felt he wasn’t worth.
Scroll down to reveal the most baffling release WWE made in 2021.
#1 Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman seems like he’s got everything WWE is looking for. He’s absolutely huge and gets noticed in public. His release was arguably the most baffling of the year. Strowman had signed a new contract with the company, however, and was earning quite a bit. WWE may have felt as though he was past his prime drawing ability and no longer worth what they were paying him.
Still, for someone who had been in main event storylines consistently, a guy who won the Universal Championship at WrestleMania, he seemed too big of a star (literally and figuratively) to be let go. Clearly, WWE was motivated to get some high-priced contracts off their ledger.
]]>The Inquisitr
