All 13 WWE Superstars who were released on August 6th, 2021
WWE has released 13 superstars from their contracts today, with some surprising names from NXT being included in the cuts.
Since WrestleMania 37 in April, the company has released a bunch of superstars every few weeks. The cited reason for them has been "budget cuts," with all levels of talent being affected by these increasingly regular cuts.
Big stars like Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, and most recently Bray Wyatt were released from the promotion in the past few months, along with various other prominent stars. Meanwhile, NXT and 205 Live have also been subject to mass cuts.
While the Black and Gold brand was affected around a month ago, this round of cuts came as a major shock. Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp broke the news of these releases during tonight's episode of SmackDown, as some of the names being released were truly shocking.
Here is a list of all 13 WWE talents that were let go today.
#13 WWE NXT star Leon Ruff
One of the more surprising superstars to be released by WWE today was Leon Ruff, who was a regular presence on NXT until a few months ago. He burst onto the scene when he scored a major upset over Johnny Gargano and won the North American Championship.
Ruff enjoyed a string of impressive performances, including at NXT TakeOver: War Games 2020 where he held his own against Gargano and Damian Priest in a triple threat. Also, Hit Row first showed up on NXT at his expense following a Falls Count Anywhere Match against Isaiah "Swerve" Scott.
#12 Indian WWE Superstar Giant Zanjeer
Trained by The Great Khali, Giant Zanjeer showcased his impressive size in his only match under the WWE umbrella. He teamed with Shanky, Rey Mysterio, and Ricochet to win an eight-man Tag Team Match during the company's India special earlier in 2021 - Superstar Spectacle.