WWE has released former Universal Champion Braun Strowman.
The 37-year old (real name, Adam Scherr) heads a surprising list of talent let go by the sports entertainment giant on Wednesday.
Joining Strowman in leaving the company are Lana (CJ Perry), Aleister Black (Tom Budgen), Ruby Riott (Dori Prange), Murphy (Matthew Adams) and Santana Garrett.
As is tradition with the WWE, they've been wished well in their future endeavours.
The presence of Strowman's name on that list is perhaps the most surprising, given his prominence on WWE programming since his debut as part of the 'Wyatt Family' in 2015.
The former professional strongman has not only been a Universal Champion, but won the high-profile Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018, the WWE's first in a series of lucrative shows in Saudi Arabia.
In another of their Saudi excursions, Strowman was booked in a match with heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury. The pair have worked in various situations a handful of times since.
His last match with the company was in a triple-threat match for the WWE title at Wrestlemania Backlash on May 16.
While never the greatest in-ring performer, Lana's release is also something of a shock given that she featured on WWE's flagship show Monday Night Raw as recently as this week.
What has turned out to be her final match saw her tag with Naomi in a losing effort against Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke.
Lana is married to former WWE talent Rusev, who now performs under his real name of Miro in AEW (All Elite Wrestling).
Riott lent her name to the Riott Squad group, initially with Sarah Rowe and Liv Morgan and now just with the latter. She is another whose most recent performance came on television on Monday night.
Black - who worked as Tommy End prior to his WWE arrival - was being built up for a television return with a series of vignettes airing on SmackDown. His is married to another recently released talent in Thea Trinidad (formerly Zelina Vega).
The Dutch native last wrestled on television in October 2020, with the belief that the WWE creative team had lost faith in his abilities. The recent vignettes appeared to quash that suggestion, but he now finds himself without a job.
Murphy was involved in a storyline with the real-life daughter of Rey Mysterio Jr. but was another for whom the federation's vast creative teams could not find traction.
A former TNA and Stardom talent, Garrett first popped up on WWE's NXT in 2013, but wasn't formally signed until some four years later.
She was an entrant in the 2021 Royal Rumble, which is listed as her final in-ring appearance for the company.
Former rugby players placed on suicide watch due to brain injuries | Reports
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
