8 WWE Superstars Released Today In Mass Firings

5. Zeb Colter

Colter, who had a long career as "Dirty" Dutch Mantel, was hired by WWE in 2013 as a manager for Jack Swagger, who had been repackaged as an anti-immigration, Tea Party-style fanatic en route to a main event push. The "Zeb Colter" character was actually a reprisal of the "Uncle Zebekiah" role Mantel had played in the company in the mid-'90s, albeit with a few tweaks.

The Colter-Swagger association got a lot of mainstream publicity for a brief time, with the pair infamously appearing in a video where they broke kayfabe to defend the wrestling business. Colter cornered Swagger for a loss to World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio at WrestleMania 29, then also took over managerial duties for Cesaro as he and Swagger formed a tag team.

When Cesaro and Swagger split, Colter stuck with Swagger. The former World Heavyweight Champion's stock fell, though, and eventually he turned face for a feud with Rusev. When "The Bulgarian Brute" broke Colter's leg, he was removed from television for nearly a year.

Colter returned at the 2015 Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View managing former foe Del Rio and touting a "Mex-American" alliance between the two. The pairing didn't click, though, and in December, Del Rio cut ties with Colter, who was never on TV again.