Taya Valkyrie reflects on her WWE release and makes it clear that she enjoys where she is now.
The former IMPACT Knockouts Champion signed with WWE in February 2021, but the company released her in a wave of cuts on November 4. Her run with the company was inconsistent, and she hit the ground running once she entered free agency. Over the past year, Valkyrie has competed for several companies and won multiple titles, including the IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Championship, the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship, and the MLW World Women’s Featherweight Championship.
Speaking with Alistair McGeorge of Metro, Valkyrie reflected on her WWE release and noted that, at the time, she was sad and depressed. However, she sated that this chapter of her life feels like a dream now, as she’s in a much better place.
“I look back on myself in WWE and when I got released and where John got released, where I was so sad and depressed and in a place where I didn’t really feel like I fit in anywhere,” Valkyrie said. “That just doesn’t feel like myself anymore. It feels like the past and a weird dream sequence that I lived through, but did I really live through it? Was I present? I dunno! [laughs] I’m so far separated from that, I’m in such a good place professionally and personally.”
Valkyrie went on to highlight how returning to IMPACT Wrestling helped revitalize her, as the company’s creative environment puts her in a situation where she can thrive. She noted that IMPACT also gives the ability to work with people she has bonded with.
“I need to be in such a good place mental health wise, and just be around people that really understand creative people like me,” Valkyrie said. “I’ve always felt a really, really cool connection with everyone from the office to the owners to the wrestlers. I can spread my wings and be weird if I want to. All our ideas are listened to – obviously sometimes we’re throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, but we really get heard that and I love that.”
In hindsight, Valkyrie credited the response she got when she returned at IMPACT Multiverse of Matches and her triumph over Deonna Purrazzo at the Rebellion pay-per-view as the point where she started to get her confidence back.
“It started to turn for the better, I started to gain my confidence back,” Valkyrie said. “I was like, “Oh! Oh yeah, I remember her! This Taya, I like this Taya!” You just have to remind yourself of who are you. It’s very corny to say, but it’s the truth.”
Valkyrie and Jessicka won the IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Championship by defeating VXT (Deonna Purrazzo & Chelsea Green) at IMPACT Bound For Glory, and they continue to defend the gold.
RELATED: Taya Valkyrie Is Open To Future Creative Role, Collaborating With Rosemary Is Like Word Vomit
