WWE have released Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Ruby Riott, Santana Garrett, and Buddy Murphy. The reason cited was part of budget cuts, and Strowman was being paid $1.2 million per year according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The former WWE Universal Champion signed a new contract in October 2019, so the budget cut regarding Strowman is the WWE’s biggest saving financially from all of the talent cuts in the last year plus during the pandemic.
Lana had a lucrative contract with the company but that was also why she was let go by the company. Lana had a very mixed run in WWE, as she debuted as the manager for former WWE Superstar Miro, who is her husband in real life.
Former WWE writer Vince Russo recently spoke on Writing With Russo with Dr. Chris Featherstone, where he talked about Lana’s career. Lana became involved in a romance angle with Dolph Ziggler in June 2015, while Rusev was paired with Summer Rae. The storyline was dropped on the October 12, 2015 episode of Monday Night RAW, which was a day after TMZ reported that Lana and Rusev were engaged to be married. According to Russo, that is exactly when it all went downhill for Lana.
“Bro, that’s when the trouble began,” Russo said. “When they were going on social media talking about their real relationship, getting married, pictures on the beach and all that. That’s what really p****d the WWE off. All out of spite, all out of spite [WWE ending the romance storyline], that was the beginning of the end.”
