5-time champion confirms she was released by WWE

There have been a lot of departures and releases from WWE over the past few months, and one of the names that shocked fans was Shayna Baszler.

The former Women’s Champion was part of a team with Zoey Stark at the time she was released, and was someone that WWE relied on several times throughout her career. However, during her recent interview on the Ariel Helwani Show, Baszler confirmed that she was released by the company.

Baszler noted that she had just signed a new deal with the company and still had three years left, so it wasn’t a situation where her contract expired; it was a phone call that determined that she was fired.

“I was released. I had actually not too long ago signed an extension, so yeah, I wish it would have ran out, but yeah, I was released,” she revealed.

Baszler was released by the company back in May 2025 along with a number of stars like Braun Strowman, Dakota Kai, Kayden Carter, and Katana Chance.

Shayna Baszler was a shock release from WWE earlier this year

The budget cuts that come every year after WrestleMania were expected, but Braun Strowman and Shayna Baszler were the most shocking on the list.

Baszler herself noted while speaking to Helwani that she expected it since Sonya Deville’s contract wasn’t renewed earlier in the year, even though she was a part of the annual Royal Rumble.

Baszler and Zoey Stark were then left alone as a team, and Baszler stated that she wasn’t on TV at the time, so she had a feeling about her future.

Stark has since been left alone on RAW after the trio broke apart due to the WWE exits this year, but she has now suffered a leg injury and could be sidelined until mid-2026.