With the recent controversy with Chris Masters which could see him be fired by the NWA, we look back at his last match in the WWE and the reasons why he was released by the WWE.
Chris Masters was seen as the future of the WWE at one point. His bodybuilder physique and “Master Lock Challenge” gimmick made him a force to be reckoned with on Raw, and was clearly pushed well beyond his years.
While he was fired in 2007, WWE brought him back into the fold in 2009. He dropped weight and improved his wrestling ability considerably, but WWE ultimate let go of Chris Masters in 2011, after wrestling one final match against a former World Champion.
Chris Master’s Last WWE Match
Chris Masters last match in WWE was on WWE Superstars, where he lost a short match against Jack Swagger on August 4, 2011.
Masters was much, much smaller than he was in his prime. In the past, he had been one of the most impressively built wrestlers in the company, but lost muscle after swapping heavy weights for aerobic exercises.
His last match in WWE was not bad, but was a real “nothing match” in the grand scheme of things. The bout saw both men trying to lock in their submission moves (The ankle lock and Master lock, respectively), with them attempting to tell a story.
In the end, Jack Swagger countered the Master Lock into the Ankle Lock, forcing Masters to tap out and send him out of the WWE for the final time.
One day later, Chris Masters was released by the WWE, alongside over talents like Vladmir Kozlov and David Hart Smith (Harry Smith, the son of the British Bulldog)..
His release was referenced by CM Punk in a promo lamenting John Laurinaitis for letting go some of the top young talents in the WWE.
Why Did Chris Masters Leave WWE?
Chris Masters left the WWE in 2011 because the company didn’t see a future with him as a wrestler, so released him from his WWE contract.
Since his firing in 2007 and return in 2009, Masters stock had dropped immensely. He was much smaller than at his peak, and his incredible physique was the only reason he was pushed so hard in the company.
He went from matches against Kurt Angle, John Cena and The Undertaker in the main event, to facing the likes of Jack Swagger and Santino Marella on WWE Superstars.
WWE’s official statement regarding Chris Masters WWE release in 2011 reads: “WWE has come to terms on the release of Chris Masters as of today, August 5, 2011. WWE wishes Chris the best in all of his future endeavors.”
CM Punk disagreed with WWE firing Chris Masters, mentioning his name in one of his “worked shoot” promos against John Laurainitis.
Masters responded to Punk’s mention of him on TV, noting how appreciative he was of the former WWE and AEW for backing him up during the biggest run of his career.
“CM Punk specifically had acknowledged how hard I had been working to improve my craft and get as good as possible in the ring. [He] encouraged me, we even worked out together one time… People always when they mention CM Punk to me, they always bring up the promo where he had brought me up, me and Harry, after the release.”
“I was appreciative of what he said because I knew it was something that he genuinely felt. Whether it was scripted or not, it didn’t really matter because he had told me exactly what he had said out there on several occasions.”