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Over the past few months, many Superstars have left WWE. Most of these departures have been the result of mass releases, which the company has chalked down to budget cuts being the reason behind them.
Some of the releases have surprised the WWE Universe, with multiple stars let go from the company being former champions. Some stars have been released from WWE despite recently signing multi-year contracts. Others have been let go after appearances at huge events, such as WrestleMania 37, which was the company's first event in over a year with fans present.
Here are ten WWE Superstars who have left the company this year.
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#10 Former WWE SmackDown Superstar Chelsea Green
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Chelsea Green hasn't had much luck during her spell in WWE. She appeared in 2014 as Daniel Bryan's therapist before finding success in IMPACT Wrestling. She returned to WWE as an NXT Superstar in 2018, but unfortunately suffered a broken wrist in her televised debut in 2019.
Green was then called up to SmackDown in late 2020, but once again broke her wrist. Despite signing a multi-year contract whilst away from television, Chelsea Green was one of many WWE Superstars released in April this year.
Since her release from WWE, Chelsea Green has started a podcast called 'Green with Envy'. Her 90-day no-complete clause is up next month. She has hinted online about a possible return to IMPACT as her successful Laurel Van Ness character.
#9 Former WWE NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream
Velveteen Dream came to prominence as a contestant on WWE's reality series Tough Enough in 2015. Prior to this, he competed in a handful of independent wrestling promotions.
Following his stint in Tough Enough, Velveteen Dream (then known as Patrick Clark) was signed to a WWE as a part of NXT. He debuted the Velveteen Dream character in 2017 and, later in his run on the brand, was the longest-reigning NXT North American Champion.
Towards the end of his time in NXT, Velveteen Dream's appearances on the show were rather sporadic. His final appearance in NXT was on December 23rd, 2020. He was defeated by Adam Cole in his last match on the brand.
As Velveteen Dream's career in WWE began to come to a close, multiple accusations surfaced against the star during the Speaking Out movement. WWE claimed to have investigated the accusations but are said to have found no wrongdoing.
The star was released from his contract in May 2021. Following his release, Velveteen Dream released a lengthy statement online.
#8 Multi-time WWE Champion The Big Show (Paul Wight)
Paul Wight was more commonly known as The Big Show during his time in WWE. The star came to the company for the first time in 1999, after a four-year run in WCW. He was a part of the WWE roster on and off until 2016. During his time in the company he was an eight-time tag team champion, two time WWE Champion and two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Between 2016 and 2021, he made sporadic appearances for WWE. His final appearance before his departure was at RAW Legends night in January of this year. He left the company a month later, citing creative frustrations. It was also reported that himself and WWE were unable to agree to the financial terms of a new contract.
Following his departure, Big Show has joined AEW as an in-ring performer and commentator on AEW Dark: Elevation.
#7 WWE RAW Superstar Lana
Lana was one of the WWE Superstars released in the latest round of cuts. The former Ravishing Russian had been with the company since 2013, when she joined as the "social ambassador" of her eventual real-life husband, Rusev.
During her run in WWE, Lana was mainly in a managerial role, working alongside Rusev, who she married both on and off-screen in 2016. She occasionally stepped into the WWE ring and continued to do this more following Rusev's release in April 2020.
Not long before her release, Lana formed a tag team with former SmackDown Women's Champion Naomi. The pair competed in the women's Tag Team Turmoil match at WrestleMania 37.
#6 Former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Peyton Royce (Cassie Lee)
Peyton Royce was one of many stars released by WWE in April of this year. The former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion debuted in NXT in 2015, and quickly formed an alliance with her real-life friend Billie Kay which began as the Iconic Duo, with the name later changing to The IIconics.
The pair moved from NXT to the main roster just after WrestleMania 34, where they attacked Charlotte Flair. The duo also competed at Evolution, WWE's first, and so far only, all-women's pay-per-view. After the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships were established in 2019, The IIconics became the second-ever holders of the titles at WrestleMania 35.
The pair were off television for a while after they lost the belts, and ended up splitting up shortly after their comeback. The pair were then moved to different brands in the 2020 WWE Draft.
On RAW, Peyton Royce began working with Lacey Evans in a mis-matched tag team until her maternity leave. Royce also passionately challenged then-RAW Women's Champion Asuka on RAW Talk, leading to a match against her. This was Royce's last appearance in WWE.
Since her release, Peyton Royce has begun going by her pre-WWE name, Cassie Lee, and has launched a podcast with Bille Kay.
#5 Former WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Billie Kay (Jessica McKay)
Like the other half of The IIconics, Billie Kay was released by WWE in April this year. Her release was one that came as a massive shock to many WWE fans, as she was regularly praised for her comedic skills.
Earlier this year at the Royal Rumble, the star shared a moment with Jillian Hall, pairing up as Billie and Jillie. She also became popular on SmackDown for her resume gimmick, where she approached many fellow superstars wanting to work with them.
Like her fellow IIconic, Bille Kay has also reverted back to her previous name, Jessica McKay, and co-hosts the podcast Off Her Chops.
#4 Multi-time WWE Women's Champion Mickie James
The WWE release of Mickie James back in April turned out to be one of the most controversial. Mickie James first joined WWE in 2003, and gained popularity with her stalker storyline with Trish Stratus in 2005, which ended at WrestleMania 22.
She first departed the company in 2010, and began wrestling for IMPACT until her return to WWE in 2016. Upon her return, she aligned with Alexa Bliss for quite some time. She also competed at Evolution, WWE's only ever all-women's pay-per-view.
Towards the end of her time in WWE, Mickie James made sporadic in-ring appearances due to suffering injuries. Her most recent appearance for the company was at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, where she was a part of the commentary team on the pre-show.
Following her release from WWE, Mickie James called the company out for sending her belongings in a trash bag. This led to other women coming forward to claim that the same thing had happened to them following their own departures.
Mickie James also spoke on the Grown Ass Women podcast about negative attitudes towards women's wrestling in WWE. She revealed that her ideas for an all-women's show or Evolution 2 were both shot down backstage.
#3 Former WWE NXT Champion Aleister Black
Like many of the names on this list, Aleister Black was one that came as a shock to WWE fans when he was released. Black was named in the most recent batch of WWE releases.
Aleister Black had been the subject of a series of vignittes on SmackDown after spending a few months off screen. According to a recent Twitch stream, he was due to begin a feud with Big E this Friday.
On the same stream, he also stated that plans were halted for him to win the WWE United States Championship as Vince McMahon wanted him to have this moment in front of fans. He also revealed that a new theme song for himself had been recorded, and thanked Paul Heyman for his support when in the Head of Creative position.
On social media, Aleister Black has changed from his WWE name to Tommy End, which he was known as on the independent wrestling scene.
#2 Former WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman was one of the names mentioned in the most recent batch of WWE releases. Like many other stars released, Strowman was one that many found shocking, especially as he was competing for the WWE Championship less than a month ago.
During his time in WWE, Braun Strowman held many accolades. He is a two-time tag team champion, former WWE Universal Champion, Intercontinental Champion and has won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale, Money in the Bank ladder match and also the Greatest Royal Rumble.
According to Fightful Select, a big reason behind the release of Braun Strowman from WWE was the cost of his contract, with the star allegedly earning $1 million per year.
#1 Former WWE NXT Champion Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe was one of the superstars released from WWE in April of this year. The former WWE United States Champion was last seen on screen at WrestleMania 37 in a commentary role, just days before he was let go.
Joe began appearing on commentary for WWE in late 2019, alongside sporadic in-ring appearances. The star took on the role after suffering a series of injuries. Many fans expected the star to move back into the ring full-time again at some point in WWE, but this never came to fruition.
Like multiple WWE releases in 2021, Samoa Joe has been hinted at making a return to IMPACT Wrestling at Slammiversary this summer in their promo clips online.
