As the professional wrestling world was watching the best of the blue brand duke it out on SmackDown, WWE was quietly making cuts to their roster behind the scenes, saying goodbye to over a dozen wrestlers from across the board, from former main eventers like Braun Strowman to seldom-used NXT stars like Javier Bernal.

That's right, mere weeks after one of the biggest WrestleMania 41 shows of all time, with Paul “Triple H” Levesque bragging about the record gates after each show, the company is back to releasing wrestlers in the name of “budget cuts,” including a few stars who are currently in the middle of active storylines.

After breaking up Meta-Four on Tuesday's edition of NXT, only two members of the group remain employed by WWE, with Jikara Jackson and Oro Mensa being handed their walking papers as Lash Legend and Noam Dar remain locked into their respective storylines.

While Iyo Sky is currently locked in as the Women's World Champion after a successful retention at WrestleMania 41, she will not be rolling with Damage CTRL anymore, at least as it was constructed, as Dakota Kai has been released as well.

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Kai and Jackson weren't the only women released from their contracts, however, as Kayden Carter, Katana Chance, and Shayna Baszler were also released from the main roster, while Cora Jade and Gigi Dolin were also released from their NXT contracts.

And last but not least, at least for now, Gallus, Eddy Thorpe, and Riley Osborne were also announced as initial releases from NXT, with more names trickling out as the night went by.

How can WWE need to cut their budgets when they are making record profits at their shows? While that remains a hot button topic every time WWE says goodbye to a new crop of talent, for now, it's a sad day for professional wrestling, as a number of stars young and old just saw their dreams altered, with the next step in their careers likely set to define their in-ring futures.