10 WWE Wrestlers Released In The Middle Of A Push

5. Aleister Black

Aleister Black Tales
WWE

The most recent release to be featured on this list, the WWE exit of Aleister Black is one that caught many - including the Dutch Destroyer himself - totally off guard.

This former NXT Champion was one of six names released by WWE on 2 June 2020, following on the heels of nine firings in April and ten in May... because BuDGeT cUTz.

Of these most recent firings, Black and one-time Universal Champion Braun Strowman were the most shocking names to be let go. While Strowman being the perfect Vince McMahon guy made his release jaw-dropping, the firing of the Harbinger of Fury was puzzling due to how he'd been used in the weeks prior to his release.

Having spent nearly six months not being utilised, a repackaged Aleister finally made his return to WWE TV towards the end of April in some beautifully produced vignettes. Black then turned up and attacked Big E on the 21 May episode of SmackDown, which looked set to lead to these two locking horns for the foreseeable future in a rivalry many were excited by.

And then, well, yeah, those six WWE releases happened not even two weeks after Aleister Back's big Smackers return.

Still, wherever Tommy, Tommy, Tommy F**king End resurfaces, he's guaranteed to be a major player who brings so much to the table.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.