KEY POINTS

  • Booker T believes Braun Strowman's contract was too much for WWE to bear
  • Aleister Black recently returned to action before getting cut by WWE
  • Lana also received a heavy push from the creative team on Raw

WWE continues to find ways to survive, and that can only be done if the promotion cuts down on its current roster of talent.

A new wave of names have been let go, led by former WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman as well as Aleister Black and Lana.

The latest wave of WWE talents released comes not long after the likes of Samoa Joe and Mickie James were let go.

Aside from the three, other stars who will no longer be around included Ruby Riott, Buddy Murphy and Santana Garrett. The announcement was made via the official WWE website.

Perhaps the biggest name of the group that caught the eye of wrestling fans was Strowman. He won the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 last year at the expense of Bill Goldberg.

The "Monster Among Men" was even at WrestleMania 37 and faced Shane McMahon in a steel cage match.

Braun Strowman WWE
Braun Strowman arrives during the WWE Live Duesseldorf event at ISS Dome on Feb. 22, 2017 in Duesseldorf, Germany. Lukas Schulze/Bongarts/Getty Images

At WrestleMania Backlash, Strowman was involved in a Triple Threat match that also had current champion Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre.

Former WWE star Booker T aired his opinion on the development during the "Hall of Fame" podcast alongside Brad Gilmore, citing the performer’s contract as the likely reason behind his release.

"He was an enigma, he was the guy, you know, somewhat of a throwback to the guys that did it much before him. Look at Braun Strowman, even being the enigma that he was, it was kind of hard to match Braun Strowman up with more than 2-3 guys on the roster," Booker T stated.

Two stars who were getting a push as of late on WWE shows were Black and Lana.

Black just returned after a long hiatus when he emerged on WWE SmackDown and interfered in a Fatal 4-Way match for the Intercontinental Championship held by Apollo Crews.

The Dutch made his mark as part of WWE NXT, where he reigned as champion for some time.

WWE wrestler Braun Strowman
WWE wrestler Braun Strowman Getty Images | Ethan Miller

Lana, another star who had her push, also saw an end to her ties with WWE.

After initially serving as Rusev’s manager, the 36-year-old embarked on a solo career in the women’s division.

Her last spot was teaming up with Naomi. Both women teamed up recently on Monday Night Raw, losing a match to the tandem of Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke.

Lana and Black bade their respective goodbyes to the WWE Universe via social media.

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