2-Time Tag Team Champion Curtis Axel Released by WWE

WWE released Curtis Axel on Thursday.

The son of Hall of Famer "Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig, Axel captured the Intercontinental Championship in 2013 and was a two-time tag team champion. He made his on-screen debut during the second season of NXT in 2010.

WWE has let go of a number of wrestlers after announcing earlier this month it was cutting costs because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Axel joined The Nexus in October 2010, by which time the group had lost the heat it generated by its invasion of Raw that summer.

WWE attempted to reboot Axel's on-screen character in May 2013 by changing his name from Michael McGillicutty to its current iteration and putting him under the watchful eye of Paul Heyman.

The angle fizzled out and Axel couldn't emerge from WWE's midcard purgatory.

His brief run with Bo Dallas as one half of The B-Team allowed him to capture the tag title for a second time. Axel and Dallas beat Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy at Extreme Rules in 2018 and held the belts for just under two months.

Axel's in-ring ability was never in doubt. He famously helped The Rock train behind the scenes when the former world champion was preparing for his return to the ring in 2011.

Unfortunately, the 40-year-old couldn't connect with the audience in the same way his father did, which limited how high he climbed in WWE.

Given his pedigree and experience, Axel should land on his feet in another promotion or on the independent circuit if wrestling returns to a state of normalcy.