Braun Strowman Reflects On His WWE Release: 'It Was A Hard Pill To Swallow'

During 2020 and 2021, WWE let go of over 200 talent signed to the company, including several major stars. One of the most shocking, however, was former Universal Champion Braun Strowman, who was positioned at the time of his release as a top star within the company. However, like many former WWE stars, the resignation of Vince McMahon and ascension of Paul "Triple H" Levesque led to Strowman making his shocking return to the company at the beginning of September, causing destruction and chaos in the process. The former world champion spoke about his release as a guest on "WWE After the Bell with Corey Graves."

"It was a really hard pill to swallow, probably one of the biggest pills I've ever had to swallow in life, but a reality check," Strowman said. "It was disheartening, to say the least, stepping up at the beginning of the pandemic when other people couldn't come to work, people didn't come to work, not knowing what's going on in the world and strapping this company on my back and going out there week in and week out, doing everything in my power to get the quality product out so I could take the peoples minds off the stuff that was going on."

"I have no hard feelings, business is business," Strowman continued, but noted that he "had this feeling of, well, I was just a stray dog, and all of a sudden I was kicked off the porch."

"All those doubts start to play into yourself because it's a cold call out of nowhere," Strowman continued. "I was literally making breakfast at 9:00 am and got the phone call like, 'Hey, sorry, we have bad news. Due to budget cuts, we're initiating your 90 days and then your contract is going to be terminated.' I was just speechless, I think I said 'Thank you' and hung up the phone.

"I was just like literally, what the f***? Yeah, it definitely sent me to a bad place for a bit, but I definitely know that everything in life happens for a reason, everything is a test and I'm a firm believer in God never puts more on your back than you can handle without you breaking, and he just tests my strength once again. Did I falter at times and want to give up? Absolutely, I'd be a liar if I said I didn't."

The Monster Among Men didn't appear anywhere outside of WWE during his one-year absence, though he was instrumental in creating the Control Your Narrative promotion alongside his friend, EC3, though CYN's feature remains uncertain now that Strowman is back in WWE.