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...
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).
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.
