Top 10 Most Shocking WWE Releases of 2021

WWE has been hiring as many superstars as possible in recent years to prevent them from joining other companies. However, things have clearly changed within WWE's management, as they have released many employees since 2020.

The year 2021 has been particularly challenging in terms of these releases, and if reports are to be believed, more will follow. Let's rank the most shocking WWE releases of 2021.

The Top Ten

Bray Wyatt

Windham Lawrence Rotunda (May 23, 1987 - August 24, 2023) was an American professional wrestler. He was signed to WWE under the ring name Bray Wyatt and was a third‑generation wrestler, following the legacy of his grandfather Blackjack Mulligan, father Mike Rotunda, and uncles Barry and Kendall Windham... read more

One of the most shocking releases, not only in the 2020s but of all time, Bray Wyatt was released on July 31, 2021, ending his 12-year tenure with WWE. It seems Wyatt was released due to budget cuts as he had one of the biggest contracts in the company.

This is so shocking. WWE won't be the same without the Fiend anymore.

Still can't believe it. And I was so looking forward to his return.
Braun Strowman

Adam Scherr is an American professional wrestler and former strongman. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs under the ring name Braun Strowman. In WWE, he has held the Universal Championship once, the Intercontinental Championship once, and the Raw Tag Team Championship twice.

Listen, people are making a big deal out of these releases, but in all honesty, the only three that really hurt WWE are "Moxley," Rusev, and Strowman. It's a business, and the company decided to release some of their performers. Most on this list are not top-notch.
On the other hand, I can't stand the fact that they have brought back Cena and Goldberg. What is this? AEW? Once a performer hits 50 or is no longer relevant (Cena), they need to retire or stay retired.
AEW is full of "managers" (Arn Anderson, Jake Roberts, Sting, Chavo Guerrero, Tully Blanchard, etc.) of this ilk. This is not the '70s or '80s.

The Monster Among Men was released on June 2, 2021. Strowman's WWE contract reportedly earned him over one million dollars per year, and since WWE seems so keen on making as much money as possible, they released him due to budget cuts.
Aleister Black

Tom Budgen is a Dutch professional wrestler who gained recognition during his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Aleister Black. Before joining WWE, he wrestled in various promotions throughout Europe, the United States, and Japan under the name Tommy End. After his release from WWE... read more

Fans were shocked when Black was released on June 2, 2021, as WWE reportedly had big plans for him and he had just returned to TV with a new character. Fortunately for Black, WWE made the mistake of not changing his non-compete clause in his contract when he was moved from NXT, which allowed him to join AEW after 30 days, 60 days shy of the usual 90-day non-compete clause.

They had something going with him, and just a few weeks in, BAM, he's gone just like that.
Samoa Joe

Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa, better known by his ring name Samoa Joe, is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Opps and currently holds the AEW World Trios Championship. Joe is also a former three-time NXT Champion and has held... read more

Though Samoa Joe returned to WWE's NXT shortly after his release, fans were shocked by the news of his release on April 15, 2021. Joe is arguably one of the best on the mic ever in WWE and wrestling in general, and one of the most believable wrestlers in the ring.
Buddy Murphy

Matthew Adams is an Australian professional wrestler best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring names Murphy and Buddy Murphy. He was released from WWE in June 2021. He has since competed in All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Buddy Matthews.

Released on June 2, 2021, his release was shocking as he is in the prime of his career at 32 years old and is one of the best in-ring talents they had. He had great matches with the likes of Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, and Aleister Black, as well as a great run as Cruiserweight Champion.
Mickie James

Mickie Laree James-Aldis, better known as Mickie James, is an American professional wrestler, actress, model, and country singer best known for her time in WWE. She was released from WWE in 2021 and signed with Impact Wrestling later that year. Mickie is a former multi-time Women's Champion in both WWE... read more

One of many to have been released on April 15, 2021, it was shocking, to say the least, as she is a veteran of the wrestling business and has a lot of experience to share.
The IIconics

I was going to put Peyton Royce and Billie Kay separately, but let's be honest, they are best remembered for their run as a duo. Both their releases were shocking as WWE seemed to have plans in the works for their careers as singles stars.

I'm a huge fan of them, so this one really broke my heart. The releases this year have been absolutely insane.
Ric Flair

Richard Morgan Fliehr (born February 25, 1949), known professionally as Ric Flair, is an American retired professional wrestler and current WWE legend under contract .
Over a career spanning five decades, Flair is a 16-time world champion, having held titles in the NWA, WCW, and WWF/E. He's renowned... read more

You might wonder how or why Ric Flair is on this list. Well, it's simple: he had a Legends Contract with WWE for years, meaning they could use his name for merchandising and other purposes, as well as have him appear on TV. Flair asked for his release, and his wish was granted on August 2, 2021.
Lana

Catherine Joy Perry is an American professional wrestler, actress, dancer, model, wrestling manager, and singer. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Lana. Perry was released from WWE in June 2021 after nearly eight years with the company.

Lana was released on June 2, 2021. It was a shocking release as she was in a team with Naomi, and WWE lacks teams in the women's tag team division. Many fans were sad she never got to hold gold in her tenure with WWE.
Bronson Reed

Such a huge shock. He should've had a much longer reign as the North American Champion.

The Newcomers

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Toni Storm
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Jeff Hardy

Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, singer-songwriter, painter, and musician. Alongside his brother Matt, he is a multiple-time WWE and TNA Tag Team Champion, a two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, and a five-time world champion across WWE and TNA... read more

The Contenders

Chelsea Green

Chelsea Green, who you may know, is in a relationship with Matt Cardona, also known as Zack Ryder in WWE. She was released on April 15, 2021. There were many reports that Green was backstage at SmackDown a few times and that there were plans for her, but it seems all of that was cut.
Killian Dain
Ruby Riott

This one was so shocking and came out of nowhere.
Bobby Fish
Kalisto

Emanuel Alejandro Rodriguez (born November 14, 1986) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Kalisto. He was a former NXT Tag Team Champion, United States Champion, and Cruiserweight Champion. Rodriguez was released from WWE in April 2021.
Tyler Breeze

Mattias Clement is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he competed under the ring name Tyler Breeze. He was a former NXT Tag Team Champion alongside Fandango in the tag team Breezango. Clement was released from WWE in June 2021.

Breezango was one of my favorite tag teams, so this one really made me upset.
Alexander Wolfe

He even appeared on NXT the night before he was released, which is crazy.
Fandango

Curtis Jonathan Hussey is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Fandango. He was an NXT Tag Team Champion alongside Tyler Breeze, performing under the tag team name Breezango. Hussey and Breeze were released from WWE in June 2021... read more
Tony Nese

Anthony "Tony" Nese is an American professional wrestler, best known for his time in WWE where he performed under the name Tony Nese. He was released from WWE in June 2021 after competing primarily in the cruiserweight division. Nese later joined All Elite Wrestling, continuing his career with appearances... read more
Mojo Rawley

Dean Muhtadi is an American professional wrestler and former defensive lineman best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Mojo Rawley. He was known for his energetic persona and catchphrase Stay hyped! He was released from WWE in April 2021 after several years on the roster... read more
Keith Lee

Released on November 4th, this release is very confusing as WWE gave Keith Lee a new gimmick, giving him the "Bearcat" nickname, which was working pretty well for him so far, and now he is just gone. This makes no sense whatsoever.

Apparently, Lee had attitude issues backstage. I can understand if he was frustrated with his booking, though.
Karrion Kross

Released on November 4th, similar to Keith Lee, Karrion Kross was reportedly getting a new gimmick, more similar to his run in NXT. Many fans had high hopes to see Karrion Kross become a massive star, even having a match against Roman Reigns at some point. But it shockingly won't be the case, it seems.

When I heard about him getting repackaged and Scarlett coming back to his side, I was excited. Now he's gone.
Oney Lorcan

I almost cried. Oney Lorcan was one of my favorite wrestlers ever. This definitely isn't the most shocking for most people, but it was the saddest for me. If I could book Oney, I would put him on the main roster and make him WWE Champion. Move him up.
Andrade
Tom Phillips