{"id":275524,"date":"2025-05-03T22:42:01","date_gmt":"2025-05-03T22:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/03\/5-stars-who-have-been-released-by-wwe-twice-in-the-past-five-years\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:08:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:08:38","slug":"5-stars-who-have-been-released-by-wwe-twice-in-the-past-five-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/03\/5-stars-who-have-been-released-by-wwe-twice-in-the-past-five-years\/","title":{"rendered":"5 stars who have been released by WWE twice in the past five years"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"4902963\" data-slug-id=\"2503280\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/statico.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>WWE released several superstars ahead of this week\u2019s episode of SmackDown. Still, many layoffs are being made, as wrestlers confirm their status on social media, sending shockwaves across the pro wrestling fandom. <\/p>\n<p>While this was the first release for some wrestlers, many stars have left the company twice in the last five years.<\/p>\n<p>Here are five superstars who have been released twice in the last five years.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>#5. Braun Strowman takes an unexpected blow<\/h2>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/braun-strowman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Braun Strowman<\/a> was involved in a highly electric and multi-match feud with Jacob Fatu ahead of WrestleMania 41. After giving The Monster of All Monsters his first-ever defeat in the Last Man Standing format, The Samoan Werewolf went on to become the new United States Champion at \u2018Mania by defeating LA Knight. However, while Fatu got a championship belt, Strowman got released.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to this, the former Black Sheep of the Wyatt Family was released back in June 2021 and re-signed to WWE in September 2022. He had to take an injury hiatus in April 2023, following which the former Universal Champion returned in April 2024 after getting neck surgery. Now, he has been let go once again.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>#4. WWE released Dakota Kai shortly after her emotional post<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/dakota-kai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Dakota Kai<\/a> had to stay away from the ring after undergoing meniscus surgery in August 2024. She returned in November the same year, and it seemed she would finally get a good singles run. However, she just briefly wrestled against Lyra Valkyria for the Women\u2019s Intercontinental Championship. She fought her last match on March 17, 2025, winning against Ivy Nile.<\/p>\n<p>A few days ago, the Damage CTRL member posted an emotional update saying <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/wwe\/news-i-miss-wrestling-too-beloved-star-sends-message-dakota-kai-wwe-suddenly-takes-tv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">she missed wrestling<\/a>. This made several fans and fellow wrestlers send supportive comments her way. However, now she has been released from WWE.<\/p>\n<p>Before this, she was released from the company in April 2022 after completing five years in the promotion. However, she was re-signed just three months later in July 2022. While the chances of the same happening a second time are slim, Dakota Kai fans would love to see her come back stronger.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>#3. Akam and #2. Rezar got slashed out of the roster a few months ago<\/h2>\n<p>Akam and Rezar, known as Authors of Pain, were released from WWE on February 7, 2025. Their release came alongside their manager, Paul Ellering, effectively dissolving their faction, The Final Testament, headed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/killer-kross\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Karrion Kross<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Akam and Rezar are one-time RAW Tag Team Champions and also held the doubles championship on the NXT brand. Authors of Pain also supported Seth Rollins when he began his Monday Night Messiah arc following the 2019 Survivor Series. <\/p>\n<p>Now, The Visionary is back with a similar gimmick and has embarked on a mission <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/wwe\/seth-rollins-show-smackdown-introduce-wwe-star-4th-member-alliance-exploring-possibility\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">to save the business of pro wrestling<\/a> alongside Paul Heyman and Bron Breakker. However, his former henchmen, Akam and Rezar, who were earlier released in September 2020, are no longer by his side.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>#1. Tegan Nox also gets sacked for the second time<\/h2>\n<p>Tegan Nox, known in the independent circuit as Nixon Newell, was released from WWE on November 1, 2024, from Friday Night SmackDown. The 30-year-old star had a somewhat chaotic journey in the Stamford-based promotion. She made her main roster debut alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/player\/shotzi-blackheart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Shotzi<\/a>, who also departed the company after this week\u2019s blue-branded show, on July 9, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>The duo performed well and defeated the then-Women\u2019s Tag Team Champions, Natalya and Tamina, in multiple non-title matches. Despite this, they never got a title shot, and their team was soon separated when Nox was sent to RAW after the 2022 Draft, while Shotzi remained on SmackDown. However, Tegan was released before making a single appearance on the red brand in November 2021.<\/p>\n<p>She was brought back to the company with a new deal in December 2022. However, WWE barely used her. The Welsh wrestler recently spoke about her second release at a <em>Highspots\u2019 Sign-It-Live <\/em>event. She noted that the character she played wasn\u2019t in sync with what she really wanted to show the fans.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;I\u2019m very emo, pop-punk. This is me. Tegan Nox was so far removed from me that I was trying to get this through but I just wasn\u2019t allowed. They preferred me to be the girl next door, instead of tattooed-up punk kid,&#8221; she said.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>As mentioned earlier, the 30-year-old is currently performing on the indie circuit. It would be interesting to see where the rest of the former WWE superstars find their next pro wrestling destination.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/statico.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/statico.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-author-info-parent\">\n<span class=\"about-the-author\">About the author<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-pic-holder\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"author-pic\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,&lt;svg width=\" height=\"100\"\/><rect width=\"100\" height=\"100\" style=\"fill:rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\/>&#8221; data-lazy=&#8221;https:\/\/keedag.sportskeeda.com\/user-pic\/5370018-1740385445-200.jpg?w=200&#8243;<br \/>\nalt=&#8221;Ankit Singh&#8221; height=&#8221;72&#8243; width=&#8221;72&#8243;&gt;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-bio-detail-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p class=\"author-bio\" id=\"author-bio-text\">\nAnkit Singh is a WWE Features writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. His educational background in psychology helps him gain insight into several storyline twists in pro wrestling. Ankit has been a fan of the industry since childhood; the on-screen action gives him an adrenaline rush and led him to pursue a career in content writing. He has nearly three years of experience in the industry, working for organizations like Essentially Sports and NB Media as a news writer, editor, and scriptwriter.<\/p>\n<p>Ankit started following pro wrestling in high school. At the time, Edge (aka Cope) was making waves as part of his World Heavyweight Title feud with Alberto Del Rio. He grew up watching modern-day greats such as Sheamus, Randy Orton, and John Cena. The Shield was the top faction in WWE in 2012-13, and its breakup storyline made Ankit a lifelong fan of the sport. Orton and Seth Rollins are Ankit\u2019s favorite wrestlers in the men\u2019s division. He admires The Viper\u2019s character work, in-ring skills, and longevity. Meanwhile, he looks up to The Visionary because the latter is a complete wrestler, in his opinion. Ankit likes Liv Morgan\u2019s heel gimmick and promo skills in the women&#8217;s division. He was also fond of AJ Lee\u2019s presentation and microphone skills in the PG Era.<\/p>\n<p>Besides pro wrestling, Ankit likes to watch anime, play video games, and discover new music.\n<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"author-know-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/author\/defaultcats11-19dc5\" aria-label=\"Author know more\">Know More<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/statico.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/statico.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Jeevak Ambalgi<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/wwe\/5-stars-released-wwe-twice-past-five-years\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] WWE released several superstars ahead of this week\u2019s episode of SmackDown. Still, many layoffs are being made, as wrestlers confirm their status on social<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":275525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275524"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}