WWE Fires Former World Champion

WWE cut several members of its talent roster on Friday, according to Fightful and other media outlets.

Among its most high-profile firings was a former holder of the WWE Universal Championship, one of the titles the promotion considers a top honor.

The TKO-owned company axed Braun Strowman (real name Adam Scherr) on Friday, either giving him a 90-day notice or expressing intent not to renew his current contract. Strowman will not be able to appear in other promotions until either that 90-day window completes or his current contract ends.

Strowman is a one-time holder of the WWE Universal Championship, defeating professional wrestling icon Goldberg at WrestleMania 36 and holding the championship until SummerSlam 2020. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt defeated him at that event, ending Strowman’s world championship reign at 141 days.

The “Monster Among Men” was also a one-time Intercontinental Champion and two-time WWE Raw Tag Team Champion. He also won some of WWE’s signature events, including the Money in the Bank ladder match (2018), André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (2019), and the Greatest Royal Rumble, a 2018 offshoot of the Royal Rumble.

Most of Strowman’s accolades occurred during his first run with WWE. He was a surprising roster cut in 2021, before being brought back when Paul “Triple H” Levesque took over creative operations in 2022. During this latest run, Strowman was a regular fixture on TV, feuding with the likes of Gunther, The Judgement Day, Bronson Reed and Jacob Fatu.

The now-released wrestler’s final match under the WWE banner was an April 18 tag team match on SmackDown. He teamed with then-United States Champion LA Knight to defeat Jacob Fatu and Solo Sikoa.

Other wrestlers included in the Friday WWE roster cut are:

• Shayna Baszler
• Dakota Kai
• Kayden Carter
• Katana Chance
• Cora Jade
• Gigi Dolin
• Jakara Jackson
• Eddy Thorpe
• Riley Osborne
• Oro Mensah
• Wolfgang
• Joe Coffey
• Mark Coffey
• Javier Bernal