Jaws dropped when the news broke out that WWE had released Braun Strowman on May 2.
The gigantic ex-Universal Champion had spent years gracing WWE programming, having become famous due to such moments as flipping an ambulance and engaging Goldberg in a match at WrestleMania 36.
However, this time a message appeared to go deeper than before-and not even Strowman himself could find something to say.
Insiders in a recent interview on radio said that the move by WWE was a financial rather than a creative move. As Dave Meltzer in Wrestling Observer, Strowman had a huge contract but it did not correspond to the number of times he was featured on TV.
To that add residual gauges of a hamstring injury, and it seemed apparent WWE was placing a square peg in a round hole in terms of its ring value as contrasted with its pay packet.
A Quiet Toast and a Loud Statement
Rather than getting on fire on streets, he published a casual image on social media: him taking a break with a drink on a boat as sun goes down. No caption. No rant. Just calm. This silent response said a lot, he did not respond but reflected and that was an indication that this chapter was not closing on anger but on reflection.
His cold silence is dissimilar to recent announcements in WWE. In a move under TKO Group merger, company is ruthless in stripping its ranks, including in record profits since WrestleMania 41.
His departure, however, was especially tough, especially on Strowman. He was not a bit player, but an icon, Monster Among Men, the former unconquerable. That in itself hyped the shockwaves.
His second release following a previously earlier departure in 2021 and a re-hiring in 2022, consolidates grim truth that WWE has changed its strategy toward money-saving moves instead of high-profile hires. The game, in the case of Strowman, had just changed.