In the recent WWE talent releases, fans were surprised to hear that both Dakotaka Kai and Brown Strowman had been let go. Both are seemingly useful roster members, and the reasons behind their respective releases have little to do with their effectiveness, but we know that there is an injury situation and compensation level.
Salary and injuries contributed to the release of Strowman and Kai
According to the Wrestling Observer newsletter (H/TA post on Reddit), Braun Strowman and Dakota Kai were released due to high pay and constant injuries. The report adds that Dakota’s age is also a factor, and WWE hopes she will eventually get caught up in AEW. Anyway, the company released her.
An interesting report if accurate. It would be easy to believe that Strowman is among a higher paying performer. However, as one Reddit user wrote in the comments section, “Given the significant wage gap between most male and female wrestlers, I’m really interested in seeing how much Kai can justify compared to others who have been injured, and what WWE reported is an insane profit.”
Will Strowman be back?
In a previous post, I said that WWE may be open to working with Strowman under a different contract structure. During the Q&A session, Backstage Pass’ Bill Apter revealed that WWE is leaving the door open for Braun Strowman’s return. He noted that the departure was not bitter and that Strowman was open to a short-term comeback if contacted by six. Month or year. The biggest question was how much he was paid for the frequency he was injured.
WWE felt that he was not justified to have such a high salary just for his sparing use. The company would be better off paying her for a one-off or limited run and staying in touch with him for years rather than having him on the roster full-time. Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline.com also said Strowman hadn’t been working well in the ring since returning from a big hamstring injury, and pointed out to us that anyone there was hurt more severely than he noticed.
As for Dakota Kai, if she can go to EEW, that’s obviously not the case. And if WWE expects her to do so, they should not ask her to work a light schedule for less money, even if they have plans to use her again in the future.
