WWE released 10 wrestlers from its roster today, and Samoa Joe is arguably the biggest name among them.
The WWE Universe last saw Samoa Joe this weekend at WrestleMania doing commentary for the RAW matches during the two-night event. On Monday, he was replaced by Corey Graves and then released three days later.
According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Joe had been vocal as of late about wanting to get back into the ring and begin wrestling again. WWE, however, wouldn't clear him.
Joe hasn't wrestled a match since February of last year. He later suffered an injury that found him back at the commentary table months later on WWE RAW and he had been there ever since.
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It's no surprise that Samoa Joe wanted to wrestle again, and his desire to do so might have been a factor that led to his release today.
Samoa Joe and Mickie James want to wrestle again
Samoa Joe isn't the only one who has made it known backstage as of late that he is ready to get back into the ring and wrestle again.
Mickie James has also made it known that she wants to wrestle again and isn't content with sitting around when she clearly has so much more to give to the wrestling industry.
Both Joe and James are likely anxious to get back into the ring and prove that WWE made a mistake by letting them go. However, they will have to wait out their 90-day non-compete contracts that expire on Wednesday, July 14.
WWE locker room morale doesn't sound too great at the moment either, following these releases. One wrestler told Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful: "It's just an annual reminder that this is a company, not a family."
What are your thoughts on today's WWE releases? Where do you think Samoa Joe and Mickie James will end up? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.