UPDATE x5: Javier Bernal and Oro Mensah released.
UPDATE x4: Riley Osbourne released.
UPDATE x3: Jakara Jackson has been released.
UPDATE x2: Gigi Dolin and Eddy Thorpe have been released.
UPDATE: Cora Jade has been released. Click here for more.
ORIGINAL: WWE reportedly conducted a significant round of talent releases today, Friday, May 2nd, 2025, letting go of several notable superstars from its roster. According to initial reports from Fightful Select, internal company memos indicated the releases of former Universal Champion Braun Strowman, Dakota Kai, Shayna Baszler, and the former WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship duo of Kayden Carter and Katana Chance.
The reported releases impact performers across different levels of the card and brands. Braun Strowman, “The Monster Among Men,” had returned to WWE action in 2024 following a neck injury. Dakota Kai, a member of the Damage CTRL faction alongside Iyo Sky, Asuka, and Kairi Sane, had recently taken to social media to clarify she was “not hurt” despite a period of absence from television since mid-March. Shayna Baszler, a dominant two-time NXT Women’s Champion, was most recently featured on Raw as part of the Pure Fusion Collective with Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville (who was released in February). Kayden Carter and Katana Chance are former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions and also held the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles earlier this year.
These talent cuts come just one day after WWE implemented a round of layoffs affecting office and production staff on Thursday, May 1st. Those cuts included longtime digital host and writer Ryan Pappolla and Senior Vice President of Creative Writing Operations Christine Lubrano, among others. The back-to-back releases across different sectors of the company are seen as part of the ongoing restructuring and cost-cutting measures under parent company TKO Group Holdings, which formed following the merger of WWE and UFC’s parent Endeavor.
The reported releases of Strowman, Kai, Baszler, Carter, and Chance remove several established and recently featured performers from the active roster. Fightful Select noted that their report was based on internal memos regarding these specific names, with no immediate word on whether additional talent cuts were planned for the remainder of the day. This marks another significant personnel shift within WWE under the TKO structure.
