Reasoning Behind WWE Releasing Aksana

On Thursday, June 12, WWE shocked the professional wrestling world, releasing 11 of its personnel. The releases came as a shock to some due to recent reports that WWE would simply be letting its contracts expire in the future, rather than releasing unwanted talents. Additionally, the releases were shocking because among them were talents such as Aksana, who appeared on WWE programming the same week of her release.

In the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it looks at why WWE decided to release Aksana. Part of it had to do with her losing support among her peers backstage, particularly producer Kevin Dunn. At one point, Dunn was a big supporter of Aksana. However, prior to her release, that had changed.

Another substantial part had to do with WWE’s divas in waiting in developmental territory NXT. In the near future, Sasha Banks and Charlotte will likely be called up to the main roster. With new divas on the horizon and a current Divas Champion in Paige, who debuted in April, WWE made the decision to move on with Aksana. On the other hand, another veteran diva, Rosa Mendes, was able to avoid being released. The main reason for Rosa staying put is her upcoming role on “Total Divas” due to producers wanting her on the show.

Editor’s Note

For me, I was shocked to see Aksana released because she was on both “Raw” and “Smackdown” that week. Though, the reasoning for her release does make sense. There are many divas waiting in the wings, and Aksana had already hit her peak in WWE.