R-Truth and the 7 Most Shocking WWE Releases of All Time
R-Truth's release from WWE on Sunday shocked the wrestling world and left many wondering who was actually safe in the company if a perceived lifer like him was shown the door.
It was not the first time that the most prominent promotion in the industry was at the forefront of the news for cutting a beloved wrestler. Former world champions have been unceremoniously dumped, too.
After the revelation of Truth's split from WWE, these are the seven most shocking releases in company history.
7. Dakota Kai (2025)
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Dakota Kai may not have the marquee name value of others on this list, but she was prominently featured on WWE television for months before her release on May 2, 2025.
The former Damage CTRL member made it to the finals of the Women's Intercontinental Championship tournament, ultimately losing to Lyra Valkyria. She fought her way back into contention and another date with the champion, but she lost that match as well.
As the build to WrestleMania 41 began, though, she disappeared from TV. On April 29, three days before she was released, she revealed on X that she was not hurt, casting further suspicion on why she was not being utilized at The Show of Shows.
What made the release all the more surprising was that she still getting television time in the build to 'Mania. She was also one of the first names Triple H brought back to WWE after he took sole control of the creative team in 2022.
To see Kai cut in that manner was shocking, but it also set the tone for some of the others who would be released alongside her at the beginning of May.
6. Mr. Kennedy (2009)
2 of 7When Ken Kennedy debuted on WWE television in 2005, it appeared he was the next big thing. He had "future world champion" written all over him.
Injuries halted his momentum more than once, though, and even cost him a chance at cashing in Money in the Bank in 2007.
On May 11, 2009, a video package announced his return after another injury and most believed it was time for the Superstar known as "Mr. Kennedy" to achieve the main event run that had eluded him.
Two weeks after the video first aired, Kennedy returned to team with John Cena, Batista, Jerry "The King" Lawler and MVP versus Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes, The Miz and Big Show in a 10-man tag team match, during which Kennedy delivered a side suplex to Orton that landed The Viper high on his shoulders and neck.
Four days after that spot, Kennedy was released from the company that so many expected him to reign over as champion.
He went to TNA, as many of his stature would during that period, and finally capture a world title, but not without leaving fans and those within the industry wondering what could have been.
5. Braun Strowman (2021 and 2025)
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The 2021 release of Braun Strowman came from out of nowhere.
The former universal champion was released from the promotion on June 2, 2021 as part of company-wide budget cuts. He had been a pay-per-view headliner just months earlier, stepped in for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36 and won the top prize on SmackDown by defeating Goldberg.
Having a star of his magnitude fired for seemingly no reason astonished fans.
Strowman returned to the company when Triple H took over in 2022. A serious neck injury hampered him, but The Monster Among Men was instrumental in establishing Bronson Reed and Jacob Fatu as legitimate stars in WWE.
Perhaps that is why it was surprising when Strowman found himself released from the company for a second time as part of the 2025 cuts.
A star who will always be over with audiences and always have a place in pro wrestling due to his size and charisma, it would not be surprising to see him back in a WWE ring one day.
4. Daniel Bryan (2010)
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Daniel Bryan's first run on the WWE main roster came to a screeching halt after just one appearance with Nexus.
Despite being well-respected as one of the best wrestlers in the world, he was released from his WWE contract on June 11, 2010, one night after the band of NXT stars took over Monday Night Raw and brutalized anyone in their path.
That included ring announcer Justin Roberts, who Bryan proceeded to choke out with his own necktie. It fit the carnage surrounding the ring and Roberts sold it perfectly, but according to his autobiography Yes!: My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of WrestleMania, the decision was made to release Bryan to appease certain business partners and advertisers.
It was a shocking turn of events, as most expected Bryan to have a significant role with the company and break out as a future star, with his in-ring work superseding the fact that he did not look the part of a WWE wrestler.
Bryan returned within weeks at the SummerSlam event to embark on a run that saw him win the WWE title, headline WrestleMania and solidify his reputation as the best wrestler in the world.
3. R-Truth (2025)
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If there was ever a Superstar most believed to be a WWE lifer, it was R-Truth.
Returning to the company in 2009 after a successful run with TNA Wrestling, during which he won the NWA world heavyweight title, Truth embarked on a 16-year run that would see him win championships, main-event PPVs, square off with The Rock in Madison Square Garden and develop into one of the great comedic performers of all time.
It was also during that span when he formed a bond with fans that made him one of the most beloved Superstars to set foot in a WWE ring. No matter what he was involved in, the fans still came alive for Truth.
That he was involved in fairly high-profile storylines, including one with The Judgment Day and the most recent with "childhood hero" John Cena on Saturday Night's Main Event on May 24, made his announcement that he was being released that much more shocking.
While it appears WWE opted not to renew Truth's deal rather than releasing him, thus setting him apart from others on this list, the difference in this case is a formality.
Fans and peers across social media reacted with shock, sharing their support for one of the most adaptable performers in WWE history. His co-workers shared the type of man Truth is, touting his positivity and friendship.
The announcement shook the wrestling world and made one thing clear to the rest of the industry: If someone of Truth's stature is not safe, no one in the locker room is.
2. Bray Wyatt (2021)
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Bray Wyatt was one of the most popular Superstars of the 2010s.
His Wyatt Family introduced the WWE Universe to a haunting, cult-like faction led by Waylon Mercy and Max Cady-inspired Ruler of Worlds, while the arrival of The Fiend in 2019 was like something straight out of a horror movie.
The latter was a nightmare creation Wyatt built and did everything he could to protect, amid mounting creative frustration with his employers and their inability to understand the story he was trying to tell.
Following a WrestleMania 37 that essentially resurrected and then killed the character, Wyatt disappeared from WWE television. On July 31, 2021, just under three months after his last appearance, he was released from the company.
One of many to be shown the door that year, his departure stood out.
Wyatt was a former WWE champion and less than a year earlier, was the universal champion. He was a consistent main event talent, incredibly popular with fans and his Fiend persona made the promotion a boatload of money.
It was the company's attempts to reign him in and his creative frustration that led to the parting, but that did not make the official announcement on the company's website any less surprising.
Wyatt did return to WWE under Triple H's new regime just over a year later with a second chance to solidify his legacy. And he did.
Sadly, Wyatt died on August 24, 2023 at the age of 36, and did not see through his creative masterpiece that would have seen him partnering with his brother, Bo Dallas, as Uncle Howdy.
1. Kurt Angle (2006)
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Kurt Angle was one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling upon the shocking announcement of his release from WWE in 2006.
The multi-time world champion, 1996 Olympic gold medalist and WrestleMania headliner had been drafted to ECW to help bring legitimacy to the brand, but mounting injuries, an addiction to painkillers and a need to rest his body led to him requesting (and receiving) his release from the company.
One of the top stars in the company at the time, the idea WWE would willingly let Angle walk was baffling.
Here was a guy who became a legitimate main event talent within seven months of joining the main roster in 1999 and after that, became the standard-bearer for excellence in pro wrestling.
Angle wrestled every top star in the company, and was responsible for some of the most unforgettable moments and matches of the new Millennium. To let him walk away after starring for the company for just shy of seven years felt like a huge error.
Angle needed to leave the grind of WWE, though. While he would continue to work for TNA, the lack of constant travel allowed him to return to the promotion in 2017 for one last run and a Hall of Fame induction.
Still, Angle's release, and the shockwaves it caused across professional wrestling, remains one of the most unforgettable.
