Below are a couple of top news stories of the day, featuring WWE releases and Braun Strowman.
• Reason Behind WWE Releasing Top Creative Team Member After WrestleMania 41
As we previously reported, Christine Lubrano, who was the Senior Vice President of Creative Writing Operations, was released from WWE recently.
Lubrano had joined WWE in January 2021 and played a major role in managing the creative side of the company.
She was responsible for managing all strategic aspects of the company’s creative department. The creative teams for RAW, SmackDown, and NXT reported to both her and Bruce Prichard, with both ultimately reporting to WWE’s Chief Content Officer, Triple H.
The Wrestling Observer reported the following reason for her release:
“What we were told is that a lot of what she was doing was duplicating work being covered by Bruce Prichard and other executive assistants.
It was not an individual firing but part of a number of people let go in different departments for cost-cutting reasons.”
• Braun Strowman Teases Retirement After WWE Release
Braun Strowman has been released from WWE, surprising many fans since he was still involved in active storylines on SmackDown. The former Universal Champion’s exit has now been linked to financial reasons behind the scenes.
According to the Wrestling Observer, Strowman’s salary played a major role in the decision to let him go. WWE reportedly felt that the money he was being paid didn’t match how much he was being used on TV:
“He is the one that, the salary was high. One person told me that they felt he was paid more than how they were using him I guess is the best way to put it, but salary played a part in this.”
After his release, Strowman teased retirement with the following tweet:
I might just retire here!!!!! pic.twitter.com/qtpov44ODZ
— The Monster of all Monsters (@Adamscherr99) May 3, 2025
Strowman had previously been released in 2021, but WWE brought him back in September 2022 after Triple H took over creative. Since then, he was featured in several storylines. In the past year, he had been feuding with Bronson Reed and Jacob Fatu.
His last match was a Last Man Standing bout against Jacob Fatu on the April 4, 2025 episode of SmackDown. He lost that match and did not appear at WrestleMania 41 before being released.
