Just hours before this week’s edition of SmackDown, a report emerged that former titlists Braun Strowman and Dakota Kai were part of a new round of big roster cuts.
Yesterday, it was revealed that close to a dozen non-wrestler members of the WWE staff were laid off. The assumption was that it was part of further downsizing related to the still-in-process merger of WWE and UFC under the TKO banner. However, it seems the WWE roster got a bit smaller on Friday as well.
Fightful Select obtained internal documents today that revealed Kayden Carter, her tag partner Katana Chance, Dakota Kai, Braun Strowman, Riley Osbourne, Gigi Dolin, and Shayna Baszler were being released from the company.
A follow-up report from PW Insider doubled this list. NXT veterans Cora Jade, Jakara Jackson, Eddy Thorpe, and Gallus (Joe and Mark Coffey and Wolfgang) are also among the massive roster cuts.
The company often has one or two sizable rounds of roster cuts each year. However, this may be one of the most star-studded since the huge cuts they made during the pandemic. Strowman is a former WWE Champion and has received a solid amount of television time over the last year. This is the second time he has been released from the company after being among the aforementioned pandemic cuts.
Kai is a former tag champ who was a long-time star in NXT and a key member of the all-female faction Damage Control. The Australian has been snakebit by injuries throughout her time on the main roster. It often undercut her momentum and is probably a major reason for her release.
Chance and Carter are former WWE and NXT tag champions. The pair are gifted wrestlers and high flyers. However, they never seemed to catch on with the main roster audience despite getting a fair amount of opportunities.
Baszler was one of the longest tenured members on the roster. She joined WWE in 2017 following a lengthy career in MMA. She was one of NXT’s greatest women’s champions and held singles and tag gold on the main roster, as well as the 2020 women’s Elimination Chamber.
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