10 Ways WWE Has Been An Absolute Mess In 2021

Bulk talent releases around WrestleMania season are nothing new to WWE, but it's definitely a topic that always receives the ire of both critics and fans alike. Although some performers choose to vamoose on their own, many more have been blindsided by their releases. Or at least they didn't want to see their WWE endeavours come to an end so soon.

Over the years, some of the names listed during a good old-fashioned post-Mania purge haven't been all too surprising, with many of them consisting of personnel or lower-card performers. Then there was 2021.

Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy, Braun Strowman, Andrade, Mickie James, Chelsea Green... this is just a small helping of all the talent released in the spring of 2021, and they aren't your typical curtain jerkers. Strowman was a regular main event figure on Monday Nights, and talents like Aleister Black seemed to be set for bigger and better things within the company.

There were some wildcards along the way, too. Bo Dallas was released, and some fans were actually surprised to know he had still been with WWE all along. Samoa Joe was also released shortly after being shoved into a poncho, only to return as an NXT enforcer.

With Joe in mind, perhaps there's a window for some talent to make their WWE returns. Then again, with all the other promotions that don't require as many "budget cuts," who's to say they should even bother going back up north?