5 Times WWE Cleaned House & Gutted Their Roster

Easter week of 2020 will go down as one of the more newsworthy periods in the history of professional wrestling, and not for good reasons. The death of the legendary Howard Finkel, and the situation regarding WWE magically being deemed "essential" by the Governor of Florida, haven't met our eyes and ears well. And then there's the little story of more than a couple dozen WWE wrestlers and staffers either being furloughed, or outright let go.

It's a little rarer these days to see WWE release talents en masse, especially with a legitimate competitor in the United States that could pose a reasonable threat in the marketplace. But in years past, Vince McMahon's company was a little more prone to making heavy cuts on some given day.

For a little historic perspective, this list will look back at five instances of WWE's roster thinning out rather drastically in a short period of time. Though there have certainly been more than five examples of this happening (none with the same circumstances surrounding the 2020 cuts, of course), this list focuses on some truly notable cases.

Easter week of 2020 will go down as one of the more newsworthy periods in the history of professional wrestling, and not for good reasons. The death of the legendary Howard Finkel, and the situation regarding WWE magically being deemed "essential" by the Governor of Florida, haven't met our eyes and ears well. And then there's the little story of more than a couple dozen WWE wrestlers and staffers either being furloughed, or outright let go.

It's a little rarer these days to see WWE release talents en masse, especially with a legitimate competitor in the United States that could pose a reasonable threat in the marketplace. But in years past, Vince McMahon's company was a little more prone to making heavy cuts on some given day.

For a little historic perspective, this list will look back at five instances of WWE's roster thinning out rather drastically in a short period of time. Though there have certainly been more than five examples of this happening (none with the same circumstances surrounding the 2020 cuts, of course), this list focuses on some truly notable cases.

5. The Summer Of 1995

Whatever hardships WWE may try to claim today, a quarter century ago, things were looking far more bleak. Empty arena shows amid a viral pandemic are bad, but it was much more embarrassing seeing episodes of Raw take place in high school gyms before 1500 fans.

Belt-tightening was in order, and throughout the summer months of 1995, talents started disappearing. The Heavenly Bodies, Irwin R. Schyster, Tekno Team 2000, Mantaur, Adam Bomb, Sionne (The Barbarian), Doink, Dink, King Kong Bundy, Captain Lou Albano, and Afa all exited.

President Jack Tunney was let go, and longtime announcer Lord Alfred Hayes was essentially forced into early retirement. Additionally, more visible stars like Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie walked out after a dispute, while an unsigned Lex Luger infamously (and quietly) left for WCW.

4. November 2004

By this time, Ohio Valley Wrestling had been funnelling more and more "graduates" to WWE's main roster for more than two years, and, coupled with the apparent need to sign a number of Diva Search runner-ups, the two brands were getting a little bloated.

Two weeks before Survivor Series, WWE remedied the glut by releasing a dozen performers, including veterans like Billy Gunn, Test, A-Train, and Chuck Palumbo. Others like Rodney Mack, Rico, and Johnny Stamboli were among the departing, as was Lamont, the former butler of Ernest Miller.

On the women's side, the influx of Diva Search contestants meant two Tough Enough winners were axed: Nidia and Shaniqua (Linda Miles). Former Women's champions Jazz and Gail Kim were also released.

3. July 2005

When the 2020 round of cuts began playing out, my mind hearkened back 15 years prior, when it seemed like a quarter or a fifth of the active roster had been sent packing. While most had long since been relegated to undercard filler, it was still a hefty chunk of names.

In all, 21 persons were gone - 17 immediately released, two informed they weren't being kept when their contracts expired the next month (Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley), and two more fired two weeks later amid a merchandise scandal (Dave and Earl Hebner).

Among those that were simply released, you had names like Charlie Haas, Billy Kidman, Shannon Moore, Jimmy Yang, Spike Dudley, Dawn Marie, Ivory, and Maven. Gangrel and Marty Jannetty, both under contract but stashed away, also got the ax.

2. Early 2010

Looking back, it's amazing just how much WWE's roster morphed a decade ago. Multiple NXT seasons, finding spots for the winners *and* losers on Raw and SmackDown, and losing ECW as a brand, meant that shuffling was going to be the order of the day. And surrounding WrestleMania 26, 14 performers got cut.

The first wave was in February, a quintet that included Charlie Haas, Maria Kanellis, Paul Burchill, referee Scott Armstrong, and Gregory Helms. Nine more followed in April, including Mickie James, Funaki, Ray Gordy, Shelton Benjamin, and manager Tony Atlas, among others.

Not counting those spurts of releases, major names left the company in 2010, including Shawn Michaels (March, retirement), Batista (May, contract expired), Chris Jericho (September, sabbatical), and Matt Hardy (October, asked for release).

1. June 2014

A month earlier, the company's stock value greatly plummeted, partially on account of WWE Network's sub total falling below expectations. Following that free fall, WWE went on to release 11 people in June, a couple of whom had bigger second acts.

Among the fray, you had the likes of the gargantuan Brodus Clay, daredevil Evan Bourne, longtime on-screen authority Theodore Long, veteran hand Curt Hawkins, and perennial hide-and-seek champion JTG.

Also among the losses were Heath Slater's 3MB allies, Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre. Who would've guessed that three years later, Mahal would beat Randy Orton for the WWE title, and another three years gone, McIntyre would topple Brock Lesnar for the same belt?