Braun Strowman On Why WWE Release Was 'A Very Hard Pill To Swallow'

It's not every day that former WWE Universal Champions, arguably in the prime of their professional wrestling run, get released. For Braun Strowman, that day came in June 2021, as he, along with other notable names like Aleister Black, Ruby Riott, and Buddy Murphy, were released. 

In recent months, however, "The Monster of All Monsters" has seen a reversal of fortunes after Paul "Triple H" Levesque took over as WWE's Chief Content Officer. On the September 5 episode of "Raw," Strowman would return during a Fatal Four-Way Tag Team match and run through everybody. But to say that the 2021 release hit him hard would be a massive understatement.

"It was a very hard pill to swallow because at the end of the day, I realized that I was put on this earth to be a WWE Superstar," Strowman told the Toronto Sun. "At first it was a big shock because it was like 'Alright, what am I going to do now?' I didn't want to do anything else."

During his first stint with WWE, he main-evented countless events and sold-out arenas, and it's easy to get wrapped up in that when you're right in the thick of it. That's why during his time away, Strowman took a moment to reset.

"If you look back, you name it, I did it," he continued. "So it was an awesome opportunity in a bad (situation) to take a step back and realize how blessed I truly was."

Strowman accomplished just about everything a WWE star could in his first stint with the company, winning the Intercontinental Championship, Universal Championship, and "Raw" Tag Team Championship, as well as the 2018 Money in the Bank briefcase.