5 Times WWE Cleaned House & Gutted Their Roster
The untimely releases and furloughs of this week isn't the first time WWE has been down this road...
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.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
