Leah Van Dale, who wrestled as Carmella, talked through the blurred line between work and home with Laura Clery on her podcast, Hot Mom Sh!t. She and husband Corey Graves met on the job and then took it home with them.
We worked together. So, we met through work. We worked together all the time, and then we were home. Like, I related a little bit to your book and you’re saying, ‘our dates were all about, you know, half romance, half business planning,’ so we did that.
That part has changed. Carmella confirmed that she has indeed retired from pro wrestling.
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.
Graves is still a WWE commentator and still on the road constantly. Van Dale works out of the house, which is where her son gets stuck.
My 2-year-old does not understand, because my husband travels so much for work still. And I’ll be like, ‘Okay, I have to go work.’ And he’s like, ‘But you’re going downstairs.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, but that’s Mommy’s work.’ I know he doesn’t understand, but funny.
Van Dale last wrestled for WWE in 2023. Her contract expired in February 2025 without being renewed, and she has spoken openly about getting that news while on maternity leave. She and Graves married in 2022 and have two sons, the second born last October.
She has plenty going on downstairs. Van Dale founded Snatch, a company built around mothers, and launched the podcast earlier this year.
