Earlier this evening, WWE announced the release of Steve Cutler. The moment of the decision was curious, considering that he just returned to Smash in December with a new trick as one of King Corbin’s henchmen. Then again, he was off television in January, so it looked like something was going on.
There was a story in December about Vince McMahon sending Keith Lee and Otis to the Performance Center for extra training with other big guys to refine their work. According to Fightful, Cutler was at the Performance Center bumping into the big man class, and he made a very positive impression on everyone there.
But the report goes on to explain that Cutler had to be removed from television in January, after a positive test for COVID-19, and this resulted in him being eliminated directly from Vince McMahon. There is a belief behind the scenes that this is what led to his release, but the door is open for him to return at some point.
Since then, Deonna Purrazzo has tweeted that she and Cutler tested positive for COVID in early January, but both are healthy now.
.@SteveCutlerWWE And I had tested positive for COVID in early January. We had no symptoms, but we took all necessary precautions.
Thanks for the good luck, but we are healthy and in a good mood. When one door closes, another opens. ❤️
– The Virtuosa (@DeonnaPurrazzo) February 5, 2021
The idea that a positive COVID test for a secondary player on television led to McMahon’s heat and an eventual release seems quite extreme and unfair, so there must be more to this story. For what it’s worth, Cutler responded to the WWE decision by stating that it shocked him.
Let us know in the comments below what you think of the situation surrounding WWE’s Cutler release.