Today's wrestling audience isn't yesterday's wrestling audience. If people make a big deal about something, the company will have to listen.
We wouldn't get Cody finishing the story if the fans weren't outraged. We wouldn't get Bryan winning the title in the main event of WrestleMania if the fans weren't outraged. People chanted "We Want Ryder" at MSG during a Rock promo and a month later, Ryder won the U.S. title.
This isn't just a guy getting released. This is one of the most popular, beloved guys on the roster getting released after almost twenty years with the company. At least with Samantha, as shocking as that was, she left on her own terms. And Truth has been on TV constantly over the last few years, so it's not like he was sitting in catering with nothing to do. It doesn't just end here and history shows that.