Although Big Cass wasn't the most popular of superstars in WWE, nobody would have expected the news on Tuesday as the WWE officially revealed that he has been released from his contract.One of the primary reasons this came as a surprise was because fans thought that the former NXT superstar had a look Vince McMahon liked in a superstar. He might not have been the best in-ring performer or the most charismatic on the microphone, but being thrown into a feud against Daniel Bryan after the Superstar Shake-up does signal that there are some big plans down the road.
RELEASE
As we know, one poor decision from him scuppered any plans, but the assumption was always that eventually, Big Cass would be out of the doghouse like many superstars before him and resume his singles career.
Sadly for him, though, he's not going to receive that opportunity, and several sources have revealed precisely what went down between Big Cass and the WWE that led to his shock departure just hours before SmackDown LIVE aired.
The story every WWE fans is aware of is his questionable actions against the 'small person' dressed as Bryan during the build-up to their first match. According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, the original plan was for Cass to hit him with a Big Boot, but Cass went to creative backstage and asked if he could beat him down some more to draw heat.
That request was rejected before Cass sought out Vince with the same plan. When Vince says no, the wise decision would be to stick to the script. Instead, Cass went ahead after Vince's rejection and put a beat down on the Bryan impersonator which landed him in the doghouse. This is why he was made to look weak against Bryan on numerous occasions, and perhaps why he lost on the pay-per-views against him, too.
RUMOURED REASONS
Wrestle Votes has also revealed that Big Cass 'p****d' someone off backstage to the extent where the decision was made to release him. The interesting thing about this, however, is that he apparently rubbed someone the wrong way in the hours leading up to SmackDown LIVE, and not before that as WWE happily used him at Money in the Bank, as well as the SmackDown house show on Monday.
Sports Illustrated has since reported that personal conduct issues are to blame for his release.
They're claiming that Big Cass was apparently drinking during the European tour which took place a week after the Bryan impersonator incident, and allegedly had attitude issues too, with Cass reportedly being intoxicated in public one of the underlying reasons for his release.
Pro Wrestling Sheet also added that one incident which rubbed people the wrong way happened in private, however, on the WWE bus chauffeuring talent. They're claiming that the bathroom lock was apparently broken, but Cass didn't realise this and assumed he was being pranked.
After being stuck inside, an angry and claustrophobic Cass broke down the door, meaning other stars and personnel were forced to embarrassingly use the bathroom afterwards with no door.
However, it's also been claimed that WWE was reportedly impressed with Cass' performance at Money in the Bank in Chicago, but the issues were too much to save him from being released.
So, either Big Cass did something on Tuesday that forced the WWE's hand, or the culmination of problems left Vince with no choice, as the Wrestling Observer has noted that Vince called an emergency meeting at SmackDown and that's when he fired Big Cass.
With the release still relatively fresh, more information and updates are bound to be revealed at some point, but the reactions from fans show that they're not too concerned with how his departure will affect the blue brand.
What do you make of the reported reasons why Big Cass was released by WWE? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.