Braun Strowman’s Shocking WWE Release Was a Combination of Two Major reasons

The Monster of All Monsters was on the receiving end of WWE's annual budget cuts this year. However, there were some more reasons in his case.

Braun Strowman’s Shocking WWE Release Was a Combination of Two Major reasons

Braun Strowman (via- WWE)

On May 2, WWE axed several wrestlers from their contracts, and Braun Strowman was one of them. But could the blame for his release solely be pinned on the company’s annual budget cuts? That doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, Dave Meltzer wrote in his Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the decision to cut the 41-year-old was a combination of both his injuries and high salary.

Meltzer said in his report that Strowman hadn’t been at his best since coming back from pulling his hamstring. One source, as quoted by the veteran journalist, said that The Monster of All Monsters was injured worse than people realized. It’s no secret that the former Wyatt Family member has had his fair share of injuries.

After the WWE Draft in 2023, he had to undergo neck surgery, which would keep him out of action for almost a year. In 2024, after a brutal Last Man Standing match with “Big” Bronson Reed on Raw, The Monster Among Men tore his groin. His knees stopped complementing his intensity a long time ago. However, Strowman kept pushing through it, and one could easily tell he was reduced to moving gingerly during most of his matches.

As he entered 2025, it seemed like WWE lined him up to prepare his successor in Jacob Fatu. The Samoan Werewolf had a pretty dominant feud with the former Universal Champion. After getting released by WWE for the second time, Strowman might be done with wrestling any further. He even teased his retirement through a recent social media post.

What exactly was the reason for Dakota Kai’s WWE release?

Dakota Kai is another figure whose release upset the WWE Universe big time. She was starting to be featured more on television with the introduction of mid-card women’s titles. Kai was even in the finals of the match determining the first-ever women’s Intercontinental Champion, but she lost to Lyra Valkyria.

Dakota Kai
Dakota Kai (via- WWE)

Speaking of why WWE let her go, it’s because many in the company believed that she was never going to be pushed at the top of the card. Dave Meltzer noted that it was the case for Kai, with talents like Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, and Jade Cargill being viewed as priorities. The role that the New Zealand-born wrestler could’ve played by staying with WWE was to put over younger females like Roxanne Perez and Giulia.

Hence, the salary that was being paid to Kai wasn’t worth it, given that WWE wasn’t planning to establish her as its next top girl. The 37-year-old’s release triggered emotional send-off posts from two of her former Damage CTRL teammates, viz., Bayley and Iyo Sky. Meltzer’s aforementioned report also added that those within WWE were positive about the Kiwi wrestler and believed that AEW should sign her.

Did Triple H make the final call on WWE releases?

A total of 16 wrestlers were released from WWE in the company’s latest wave of budget cuts. And as per Dave Meltzer’s WON, WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque made the final call on the names that were axed.

Triple H
Triple H is the incumbent WWE CCO [via- ITR Wrestling]

However, the report couldn’t clarify if The Game was directed to do so, likely from those sitting on the Board of Directors at TKO. Levesque’s creative takeover from Vince McMahon is still popular with the majority of the names on the roster.

But with WWE under the TKO umbrella, the ball isn’t entirely in Triple H’s court as far as every business decision is concerned. Also, with new names joining the company, some will unfortunately bear the brunt of it and make way for the influx of former talent coming back to WWE, let alone some debuts.

Also Read: