The Big Surprise from WWE's Cuts, What's Next for Seth Rollins, More Quick Takes

With WWE's roster cuts seemingly becoming a quarterly occurrence, it's safe for fans to expect a number of names to depart the company every few months to make room for fresh faces and returning talent.

Of everyone released from Raw, SmackDown and NXT this past weekend, Braun Strowman was easily the biggest surprise and the most baffling of the bunch.

The Monster of All Monsters was previously let go back in 2021, only to return the following year under the Triple H regime and have a much stronger, better-booked run the second time around. His departure comes on the heels of a fun feud with Jacob Fatu where he helped put over the former Bloodline member to United States Championship status.

Meanwhile, WWE is still in the process of finding of what works with Seth Rollins now that he's reverted to his heel roots on Raw. His first official night alongside Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker was marred by positive crowd reactions due to The Visionary not doing anything to turn the audience against him.

His new faction is capable of carrying the red brand for the foreseeable future, but it won't reach its full potential if the company doesn't go all the way with Rollins as an antagonist.

This installment of Quick Takes will discuss what's next for The Visionary, the true future of All Elite Wrestling, how Liv Morgan's hiatus affects the Raw women's division, and more.

Braun Strowman's WWE Release Made the Least Sense

At the age of 41, Braun Strowman was hardly the future of WWE, yet he exceeded expectations with his second stint starting in 2022 and did plenty to help elevate the next generation of big men.

That included Gunther, Jacob Fatu and especially Bronson Reed with the many enjoyable encounters he had with all three behemoths.

Strowman's limited mobility may have been the biggest reason behind his release, but it doesn't make the move any less puzzling.

Although he had done virtually everything there was to do, he had carved out a solid spot for himself on the roster as WWE's resident giant and was both established and over with the audience. He was the perfect fit for that spot following the in-ring retirements of Big Show, Kane and Mark Henry.

WWE needs more Superstars such as Strowman who can work with the up-and-comers and put them over. There was a consistency with his matches as well as his crowd reactions, something that can't be said for a vast majority of the active roster.

The Monster of All Monsters isn't a massive loss for WWE, but this redemption run of his deserved to end on a higher note considering the contributions he's made in the last three years.

WWE's Latest Round of Releases May Benefit from Leaving

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Cora Jade

Aside from Strowman and arguably Dakota Kai, there weren't any genuinely shocking releases from WWE over the weekend given what most of them were or weren't involved in prior to their departure.

A case can be made for a few of them being underutilized, most notably Cora Jade. She had been a fixture on NXT TV for nearly four years and evolved into an excellent heel, but the influx of international talent caused her to be overshadowed and put her on the chopping block if she was going to remain lost in the shuffle on the main roster.

Meanwhile, Gigi Dolin and Shotzi had a great thing going in the women's tag team ranks with Tatum Paxley, much like Jakara Jackson with Lash Legend. Shayna Baszler had been teaming for a year and a half, while Katana Chance and Kayden Carter were the best women's team WWE had.

The top takeaway from the latest round of release is that the company clearly doesn't see the women's tag team scene as a priority and unfortunately never will.

Being let go could ultimately be a blessing in disguise for some of these stars if they take this opportunity to reassess, reinvent and rebound in another promotion.

AEW isn't automatically the answer as it has roster woes of its own at the moment, but there are any number of places these performers can go to show what WWE has lost and possibly be brought back down the road.

Kyle Fletcher Is True Future of AEW

For all the talk of AEW's "four pillars" over the years, MJF has been the only one to emerge as a main event player for the promotion, with Darby Allin on the cusp of breaking through to the next level and Jack Perry and Sammy Guevara settling into midcard roles instead.

Even Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta were at one point believed to be the next wave of talent to be pushed toward the top of the card, but it becomes increasingly apparent by the week that the true future of AEW is Kyle Fletcher.

The former tag team specialist has come into his own as a member of The Don Callis Family and maximized every opportunity he's been afforded, specifically during his phenomenal feud with Will Ospreay.

His stellar showing against "Hangman" Adam Page in the semifinals of the men's Owen Hart Cup on Dynamite proved his worth as a star on the rise ready for bigger and better things.

Although the time isn't quite right for the 26-year-old to be moved into the main event picture, he should be a world champion much sooner than fans expect him to be.

Fletcher is constantly improving his presentation, promos and skill set and has all the tools needed to be one of the guys AEW builds around. The key now will be for Tony Khan to maintain his momentum and keep him trending in the right direction.

Liv Morgan's Hiatus Creates Significant Void in Raw Women's Division

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Coming off the best year of her entire career, Liv Morgan continues to be the MVP of the WWE women's division, which is what makes her upcoming hiatus from TV that much of a bigger blow.

Deadline revealed last week that the 30-year-old is set to miss the next few weeks of Raw to take part in the filming of Bad Lieutenant: Tokyo. She has seen her stock skyrocket in the last year and could be in line for more major opportunities if this film is a success.

That also means Monday nights will be without Morgan for the time being, and her absence is guaranteed to be felt by fans.

The WWE women's tag team champion's character work and even her matches have been a recurring highlight on Raw for a while. She'll pick up where she left off once she returns, but WWE should use this period to showcase other stars on the red brand and attempt to get over the likes of Roxanne Perez and Giulia.

The Raw women's division has depth, but WWE has failed to utilize it creatively or effectively beyond the recent rivalry between Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria.

This is the time to experiment with the roster so Morgan has compelling opposition to work with and ideally elevate on her return.

WWE Might Be Sabotaging Seth Rollins' Heel Run

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Seth Rollins joining forces with Paul Heyman was one of the top talking points coming out of WrestleMania 41 weekend, but WWE is already doing the angle a disservice by not giving The Visionary a full-fledged heel turn.

Shades-of-gray characters can be interesting, but not when the intent is for them to be booed and fans are rebelling. That was evident during the April 28 edition of Raw when Rollins and Bron Breakker attacked Sami Zayn to end the night and were largely met with a chorus of cheers.

That's primarily because the company did little to get Rollins booed. He did his same shtick to start the show and changed nothing about how he interacted with the audience.

If this character shift is going to be a success, significant changes will need to be made. Ditching the catchy entrance music—a song that encourages fans to sing along—is especially imperative.

Sami Zayn, CM Punk, Roman Reigns and others giving Rollins and Co. their comeuppance won't mean much if fans are behind the heels.

If WWE doesn't correct course early, it runs the risk of sabotaging the storyline before it has the chance to really get going.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.