5 biggest questions about recent WWE releases

#4. Did WWE miss the window of opportunity with Braun Strowman?

Braun Strowman

If WWE fans were to try and imagine the stereotypical wrestler that Vince McMahon seems to love, one would be led to believe that Braun Strowman would fit that description to a tee.

His immense size and strength certainly make him stand out in a crowd and of all the names released today, Strowman is the one who has seen the most success. He is a former Intercontinental Champion, RAW Tag Team Champion, Money in the Bank winner, and defeated Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 last year.

The case could be made that WWE simply tried to pull the trigger on the Monster Among Men a little too late. While he did win the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36, he was not originally meant to have that spot on the card. He was only a last-minute fill-in when Roman Reigns had to bow out of the show.

Strowman kept the belt warm in an interesting, shall we say, feud with The Fiend until Reigns returned to the company and swiftly took the title back.

Many fans might also make the case that, if Strowman was earmarked to be champion, the title should have been put on him over a year earlier when he was potentially at the peak of his popularity.

Strowman won the Money in the Bank in 2018, but never successfully cashed in. There were reports that the original plan was for him to beat Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at that year’s Crown Jewel event in October, but the outcome changed at the last minute. Many feel he never quite reached that same level of popularity after that.

At this point, perhaps there is a sense within WWE that they have simply done everything they can do with Strowman and it was best to cut their losses and move on.