WWE has conducted a major round of talent releases on Friday, May 2nd, 2025, letting go of several high-profile superstars across Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. According to a report from Fightful Select, internal company memos confirmed the following names have been officially released from the company:
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Braun Strowman
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Dakota Kai
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Shayna Baszler
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Kayden Carter
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Katana Chance
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Cora Jade
These cuts come amid a broader wave of cost-cutting and restructuring under TKO Group Holdings, the parent company formed by the merger of WWE and UFC’s parent, Endeavor.
Braun Strowman, a former Universal Champion, had recently returned from a serious neck injury in 2024. Known as “The Monster Among Men,” Strowman was previously a top-level star and had been featured heavily in past main event storylines.
Dakota Kai, a founding member of the Damage CTRL faction, had not been featured on WWE programming since March. She recently posted that she was not injured and fans had anticipated her return. However, her second stint with WWE has now come to an abrupt end.
Shayna Baszler, a two-time NXT Women’s Champion, had been most recently aligned with Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville (who was released earlier this year) as part of the Pure Fusion Collective on Raw. Baszler had a strong MMA background and was considered one of the toughest women in WWE.
Kayden Carter and Katana Chance, known for their energetic tag team chemistry, are former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions and had recently enjoyed a run on the main roster where they briefly held the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles earlier this year.
Cora Jade, a standout in NXT, has also been let go. She had not competed since suffering an injury in late 2023 and had been on the shelf for most of 2024. Jade was considered one of NXT’s brightest young stars and had been part of several major storylines before her hiatus.
These talent departures follow the office and production staff layoffs from Thursday, May 1st, which included the release of longtime digital personality Ryan Pappolla and Senior Vice President of Creative Writing Operations Christine Lubrano.
The timing of these back-to-back cuts suggests a larger internal shakeup aimed at streamlining costs and restructuring departments across both the creative and talent divisions.
As of now, there is no confirmation on whether more talent releases will take place throughout the day, but sources suggest this could be part of a broader wave of changes within the company.
PWMania.com will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
