Carmella has clarified things.
The former SmackDown Women’s Champion went on a break in 2023 due to her real-life pregnancy. Health complications arising from her pregnancy extended the wrestling veteran’s hiatus, and many considered her to be done with her career when the company let her contract expire back in 2025.
So it wasn’t a surprise when the former WWE star, real name Leah Van Dale, talked about retirement on the latest episode of her podcast. While discussing her marriage with Corey Graves, Carmella said that she is retired:
Luckily, I’m retired now, so it’s definitely a little bit different, but yeah, we met at work. I was a professional wrestler, so it’s like I can’t wrestle anymore. I’m a mom. I have kids. So that’s kind of like, I’m retired.
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Carmella Explains Her Comments
The former Champion clarified things on X after the quote went viral and led people to believe that health issues arising from her pregnancy forced her to retire from active competition.
Carmella explained that her leg has completely healed and that she is in the best shape of her life. The former WWE star indicated that she can come out of retirement anytime she wants:
There is no word on if Van Dale is actually planning a return anytime soon, but her comments do suggest that she is not done with the wrestling world completely.
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