10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 2010

8. The Reasons Behind The April Releases

WWE went on a post-WrestleMania talent cull tear on April 22nd 2010. In one WWE.com statement, the organisation said goodbye to Mickie James, Katie Lea Burchill, Shelton Benjamin, Kung Fu Naki, Slam Master J, Mike Knox and Jimmy Wang Yang. That's a lot of talent being cut in one fell swoop.

Some of the names on that list came as a shock to fans. They couldn't all be due to cost-cutting measures, could they? Mickie James was a multi-time Divas/Women's Champion and a constant fixture on WWE TV. Shelton Benjamin had been in WWE for a decade, eight of those years spent wrestling on television. Funaki had been with the company since the late 90s and was considered a 'WWE lifer'. So what happened?

Well, here are the individual reasons for their releases that you might not have heard about: Mickie James - released because of several run-ins with Batista. At one point, Batista allegedly threatened to quit the company if James wasn't released and The Undertaker had to step in. James' apparently unprofessional behaviour during the April European tour was also cited as a reason.

Shelton Benjamin - the 'Gold Standard' was given his pink slip because many in the company were frustrated with his inability to push through to the next level, believing his to be 'lazy' and coasting through the job.

Mike Knox - was a favourite of WWE stars HHH and Shawn Michaels but was accused of not carrying himself like a star backstage.

Slam Master J/Jesse - his release came as a surprise to many in WWE since Smackdown head writer Michael Hayes considered him almost like a son.

Funaki/Jimmy Yang - the Japanese star was only saved from repeated cuts due to his friendships with John Laurinaitis and Shawn Michaels. Once HBK retired, Funaki was then released. Yang had run his course as a comedy character and was deemed expendable.

Katie Lee - was just making up the numbers in an already overcrowded divas division.