Kelly Kelly has taken a turn on her Evolution II absence.

The former Divas Champion was one of the names surprisingly missing from the All-Women PPV earlier this year. Reports had suggested that she had declined the offer for an appearance because she wanted to wrestle at the PPV but the management wanted her to just sit in the crowd.

Kelly herself had written ‘to sit in the crowd it just didn’t feel like the right way to come back’ while responding to a post about the PLE on social media at the time.

During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, however, Kelly Kelly gave a different reason behind her refusal. The wrestling veteran was first asked about being a mom, and she discussed how her kids are her priority now and all her life decisions are based on what’s right for her children.

Discussing Evolution, the former champion claimed that she said no to the show because her kids would not have been able to attend:

“I wanted to talk about this, because it was a thing. So when I got the call, it was in Atlanta, obviously.

Again, it was one of the weekends, the only weekend I had off, and my kids, I think they had something going on. And I feel like when I come back, I want my kids to see me there and they wouldn’t been able to make it.”

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Could Not Have Been Farther From The Truth: Kelly Kelly

Kelly Kelly later confirmed that she was only asked to attend the show last minute, and her husband was also working that weekend. When asked if she could have made things work if given more time, the female star who lives in LA replied positively, saying that she couldn’t fly to Atlanta on such a short notice:

“Somebody on the dirt sheets was like, ‘Oh, somebody in the higher ups said that she only wants to come back if she has a match’, which could not have been farther from the truth.

I didn’t need a match to come back. If it was in LA, I would have been there no questions asked. But to fly across the country to do that, like I said in the beginning, with my kids, I’m very picky about what I say yes and no to right now.”

The wrestling star later claimed that the WWE officials are well aware of the reason behind her decision and they were totally fine with it. Kelly Kelly explained that there was never a conversation about her having a match at the event.

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Kelly Kelly’s time as a WWE Superstar came to an end in September 2012, a surprise given that she was the top woman in WWE as Divas Champion just one year prior. In a new interview with Chris Van Vliet of Insight, Kelly admitted why she wasn’t surprised to be shown the door.

“I got a call on my off day, yeah. I was like, I get it, I feel like I kind of have been slacking off.”

Whether Kelly had been ‘slacking off’ or not, there were no hard feelings from WWE. On the contrary, those she spoke to were supportive of Kelly to pursue opportunities outside of the ring.

“[They said] we know you want to do other things, go do them. We want to see you happy. We can tell you’re not very happy here right now. I was happy not being on the road because I was seeing somebody.”

Debuting six years earlier aged 19 in ECW, Kelly said that she “grew up in front of WWE.” While her late teens and early 20s were far from the norm, Kelly was pleased to have been a WWE Superstar.

“This was how I was meant to grow up. I grew so much in such a young age and I saw the world. I got to do so many things… so lucky and blessed to be able to do that.”

While Kelly continues to make occasional appearances for WWE, her focus is on her children and life outside of the ring. With no hard feelings stemming from her first WWE run and her release, fans can expect to see her back at some point, perhaps in an upcoming Women’s Royal Rumble.

Kelly Kelly is a former WWE Divas and WWE 24/7 Champion, but she also has a unique title accolade to her name. To date, Kelly is the only woman to have successfully defended a Men’s World Championship in the promotion. The defense came on the February 4, 2011, edition of SmackDown as she and champion Edge defeated Dolph Ziggler and Lay-Cool in a unique World Heavyweight Title tag-team handicap match.

14 years later, the match remains one of Kelly’s most notable bouts. Speaking on the Insight podcast, the WWE alum reflected on the impact the match made.

“I don’t think I realized at the time how people [talked about it]. They were like, No, you were the only woman to defend the World Heavyweight Title in a match like that. It was a big deal.”

Kelly recalled being pitched the match the night before, and shared that she’d be (kayfabe) fired during the same SmackDown by Vickie Guerrero. This led to WWE’s team questioning if Kelly had the sufficient acting chops.

“[Michael Hayes asked] Can you cry on command Kelly?’ I’m like, ‘I guess?’ He was like, ‘If you don’t cry, it’s all gonna go to sh*t. The fans need to feel this. They really need to feel like you’re fired.'”

Kelly was dealing with “so much pressure” but had a plan to drum-up tears. The easiest way for her to feel sad and hurt and produce tears, was if she was hurting for real.

“I told Michelle and Layla, I said, ‘Okay, I need you to beat the sh*t out of me. I really need you to lay it in.’ Because I can internalize it, and I can hold it all in until it’s time for me to cry.”

Kelly’s plan worked to perfection, as she held back the tears until the perfect moment. With “the ugliest cry” being produced by the young Superstar, Kelly’s performance both during and after her sole World Heavyweight Title defense made this a key moment in her career.

Kelly Kelly has traded in her days in the ring to days changing diapers as the former WWE Divas Champion is today a proud mom of twins. While the glitz and glam of being an internationally-recognized Superstar may be appealing, Kelly made clear to Chris Van Vliet of Insight that her family is her number one priority.

“My whole life revolves around my kids now. I turn down so many things because I just know that I’m only gonna have this time with them for so long.”

Kelly isn’t afraid to turn down signings if they clash with an event her children are participating in. As a mother, Kelly can’t help but be impressed by those wrestlers who balance life at home and in the ring.

“It’s wild. I commend them. I see Becky, who has her daughter on the road, Alexa… I think what they’re doing is really cool.” 

Both Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss are moms to one child and each spent over a year out of action due to pregnancy and motherhand. With double the work as a mom to wins, one boy, one girl, Kelly is confident a return and schedule like Bliss or Lynch is off the table.

“Not with two. I don’t know. I think with two you’re pushing it. I just think it’s already so much whenever I try to go out of town with them and we do vacations.”

Though Kelly Kelly is happy with her choice, she admitted to missing the reaction from the WWE Universe. However, Kelly gets her fill with surprise appearances, including as part of three Women’s Royal Rumble matches.

When fans will see Kelly Kelly again, only time will tell. Until then, the former WWE Divas Champion is happy to be with her children for every step and scrape they’ll face in these crucial years.