Earlier tonight, WWE announced the release of Steve Cutler. The timing of the decision was odd given that he had just returned SmackDown in December with a brand new gimmick as one of King Corbin’s henchmen. But then again, he got off television in January, so it seemed like something was up.
In December, a story started circulating about Vince McMahon sending Keith Lee and Otis to the Performance Center for additional training with other big boys to refine their work. According to Fightful, Cutler was bumping into the great men’s class at the Performance Center, and he made a very positive impression on everyone there.
But the report goes on to explain that Cutler had to be taken off television in January after testing positive for COVID-19, and that resulted in him getting heat directly from Vince McMahon. There is a backstage belief that this led to his release, but the door is open for him to return at some point.
Deonna Purrazzo has since tweeted that she and Cutler tested positive for COVID in early January, but they are both healthy now.
.@SteveCutlerWWE & I had tested positive for COVID in early January. We had no symptoms, but took all necessary precautions.
Thank you for the good wishes, but we are healthy and cheerful. When one door closes, another opens. ❤️
– The Virtuosa (@DeonnaPurrazzo) February 5, 2021
The idea that a positive COVID test for a minor player on television sparked heat at McMahon and an eventual release sounds rather extreme and unfair, so there must be more going on here. For what it’s worth, Cutler responded to WWE’s decision by saying it shocked him.
Let us know what you think about this situation around Cutler’s release of WWE in the comments below.