On June 1, R-Truth tweeted that he had been released by WWE.
The company’s decision not to renew his contract triggered a huge backlash – from both fans and fellow wrestlers.
His departure lasted all of six days, with Truth reappearing at Money in the Bank to attack John Cena, to the rapturous delight of the crowd at the Inuit Dome in LA.
But with that return now official, the question becomes – are there any other popular stars released by WWE that they could bring back? Here are six possibilities.
6. Braun Strowman
One of the most surprising WWE releases this year was Braun Strowman, who was cut in early May.
This came despite him being fresh off a high-profile feud with Jacob Fatu on SmackDown.
A former Universal Champion, Strowman has long been WWE’s most prominent giant of the past decade and remains popular with fans.
Given he was released in 2021 and brought back a year later, perhaps we could see history repeat itself once again at some point in the future.
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5. Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler was released by WWE in September 2023.
Despite being a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, he was consistently more over with the company’s fans than his push reflected.
Working as Nic Nemeth, he’s worked for some of the world’s biggest promotions and racked up gold globally – winning the Global Heavyweight Title in NJPW, AAA’s Mega Championship, and TNA’s World Title.
Currently TNA Tag Team Champion with his brother Ryan Nemeth – could “The Show Off” be ready for a return to WWE? The WWE and TNA partnership makes it a distinct possibility, even if it’s not a full-time run.
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4. Cora Jade
2025 has seen two rounds of WWE talent cuts, plus surprise non-renewals like Carlito.
Among the most unexpected exits in the second wave was NXT’s Cora Jade, despite being featured prominently in both NXT and partner promotion TNA.
The 24-year-old is scheduled to return quickly to the indies under her old “Elayna Black” gimmick, with dates already booked with high-profile independent promotion GCW.
But given her age, it’s hard to believe we’ve seen the last of her in WWE – a future return appears a distinct possibility.
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3. Elias
The Drifter Elias was released in September 2023, ending a near-decade-long WWE run that began in NXT.
Since then, under the name Elijah, he’s signed with partner promotion TNA, recently coming up short in a World Title challenge at Against All Odds on June 6.
However, recent months have seen him back on WWE programming on NXT, thanks to the ongoing TNA–WWE relationship.
Could we now see Elias officially drifting back into NXT full-time?
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2. Dakota Kai
Another release that came in May was Dakota Kai – and again, this was something of a surprise given her spot in the popular Damage CTRL faction.
Kairi Sane has since returned from injury, reuniting with WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY on Raw, confirming the group hasn’t been disbanded.
With Asuka also expected to return soon from long-term injury, the group is nearly whole once again — one piece remains missing, however.
If WWE ever plans to reunite Damage CTRL for one more run together, Dakota Kai could be brought in to be a part of it.
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1. Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder was released from WWE in 2020, part of the controversial pandemic-era cuts.
Much like Dolph Ziggler, Ryder was often far more over with fans than ever reflected by his booking.
Since leaving, he’s reinvented himself as “The Indy God” Matt Cardona – shaking off the lower-mid card image of his WWE past.
Cardona’s been openly campaigning for a return to the company in recent interviews – could we soon see him walk back through the WWE curtain?
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