Why WWE Carried Out Post-WrestleMania 41 Releases Revealed

WWE carried out a number of talent releases in the past week, with multiple active wrestlers released from their deals after WrestleMania 41.

Names such as Braun Strowman, Dakota Kai, and Shayna Baszler - amongst others - were released from main roster deals, whilst NXT saw the likes of Cora Jade, Gigi Dolin, and Eddy Thorpe - amongst others - given their releases.

Per a report from Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there were multiple reasons behind the releases. For the main roster exits, WWE have categorised the decision as wanting to bring new people to television, with those let go from the company believed to have reached their peak of usage. The term ‘dead weight’ was reportedly used.

On the NXT side, multiple factors came into play when releasing talents. The feeling was that some of the talents released were either lazy, had not improved enough as performers, were injury prone, or just weren’t connecting with the audience. Gigi Dolin and Cora Jade have since fought back against the idea they were lazy.

This wave of releases was the second to occur in 2025, with an earlier round of releases in February seeing the likes of The Good Brothers and Bea Priestley depart the organisation.

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