Carmella (Leah Van Dale) opens up about her departure from WWE.
Carmella had been with WWE since 2013, and she won the SmackDown Women’s Championship and the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship during her time with the company. She gave birth in November 2023, and she dealt with health issues coming out of her pregnancy, as she revealed that she had drop foot. Carmella had been absent from the ring since May 2023. On February 21st, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful (via Fightful Select) and Masked J of PW Nexus reported that Carmella’s WWE contract expired.
Speaking with Kail Lowry on Barely Famous, Carmella discussed her departure from WWE and the circumstances leading into it, as she said that WWE usually froze talent’s contracts when they were pregnant. She also stated that she offered to contribute while she was sidelined.
“A handful of women have gotten pregnant while under contract and basically, they freeze your contract while you’re pregnant,” Carmella said. “They pay you, which is so incredible. They don’t have to pay you while you’re pregnant, and they paid me, and they’ve paid every woman who has been pregnant before under contract. I’m so grateful for that. I will say, I did offer to work when I was pregnant. ‘Please, I know I can’t wrestle, but let me go on the road. Let me do interviews. I’ll do kick-off shows. I’ll do panels. Let me contribute.’
“I didn’t want them to think I was cool sitting at home, getting paid, and not working. They were like, ‘No, stay at home, it’s fine.’ I did, I stayed at home, and they were really cool about it. Usually, what’s happened in the past with women who have been pregnant under contract is they have their baby, they recover, and every postpartum journey is so different. I don’t want to speak on anyone else’s recovery. Mine was obviously a lot more difficult because of the nerve damage with my foot. I let them know the day I had my son, ‘This is what happened, this is what’s going on.”
Carmella On Women’s Health
During the interview, she recalled how she kept in touch with WWE about her health, and she was caught by surprise when she was told that her contract was expiring. She said that her contract had been paused for seven weeks, but it was reinstated, and she didn’t know.
“When I had the nerve damage, [my doctor] was like, ‘It’ll just resolve in like four to six weeks and you’ll be fine.’ Now, months and months are going by and it’s not getting better,” Carmella said. “I’m getting all these tests, seeing specialists, and I’ve been in touch with WWE the entire way, telling them what was going on and everything like that. Fast forward until a few weeks ago and I got a call saying my contract was up in 10 days. Basically, what happened was, usually when you’re injured, your contract is on a pause. They take however long the contract is paused, whether it’s during pregnancy, postpartum, or just a regular injury you get in the ring, your contract is paused for a certain amount of time. Then, when you go back to work, however long it was paused for, they tack on to the end of the contract. That’s the impression that I was under. Come to find out, the way it worked out, my contract was paused for seven weeks after I had my son and then reinstated. I didn’t know. Nobody told me that I only had seven weeks off after my son and that they were going to reinstate it. I basically had a year left on my contract when I got pregnant. When it was reinstated, January 1, 2024, they just picked that date and that’s the date that it got reinstated, January to the following February, which is where we’re at now, it’s expired, and that’s that.
“Basically, when I got pregnant, they sent me a letter and they gave me an X amount of days off for being pregnant and then seven weeks post-partum. Basically, they anticipated how long it would take me to recover postpartum. I assume they give this number to all the women who get pregnant. They said in this letter, ‘No matter what, when you return to wrestling, these dates will all change.’ It’s kind of a placeholder date and number and period of time you have off, but when you return, that’s the date we’re going to take and the contract will be frozen for the amount of time you were out. Say I was out 300 days. They’re going to freeze your contract for whatever amount of time, but once I comeback, they would add 300 days back onto my contract. That’s the impression I was under because that’s how it’s worked for other women in the past and that’s how it’s worked when you’re injured or anything. Every woman is so different. Some girls have been out for six months postpartum. Some 14 months, five months, eight months, everyone’s recovery is different. It’s not like you can put an exact timeline on when you’ll return. I was completely shocked they had only given me seven weeks and then reinstated my contract but didn’t tell me. I didn’t go back to work. Even if I was completely healthy and didn’t have nerve damage in my foot, there was no way I was returning seven weeks postpartum.”
Carmella On Her WWE Contract
Carmella was the asked whether WWE was aware of the nerve damage to her foot, and she said they were. She reiterated that she was shocked when she was told that her contract was expiring, as she thought it had been frozen.
“Yes, that’s why I was also confused because it said, ‘these dates will change based off your medical condition.’ I have a medical condition and I assume they put that in there for any pregnant woman because you don’t know what will happen. I was completely shocked and had no idea. I got a phone call a few weeks ago saying, ‘We want to let you know, your contract is up in 12 days and we’re not renewing it.'”
Carmella On Her Pitch To Return
Carmella then shared her reaction to the situation, as she said that it really hurt, and she was disappointed. She said that she was trying to do everything she could to heal and get better. Carmella also pitched an idea to return as a manager or finding another way to contribute, and she explained that she was cleared to travel but not wrestle.
“It hurt. It really hurt. I was upset and disappointed,” Carmella said. “They knew about my injury and I was doing everything in my power to heal and get better. The same day I got the phone call, I was at my spine specialist and neurologist getting different tests and results and talking about options. My foot is getting better, it’s just not 100% yet. The kicker is, I offered to go back to work last summer. I was maybe eight months postpartum and I reached out to the head of everything and I was like — I wasn’t sure he knew I had nerve damage, but I laid everything out for him and I was like, ‘I can’t wrestle, but I’d love to contribute any way that I can.
“Here is my pitch.’ I had an idea of working with this tag team and being a manager. Carmella is a huge personality and I love talking on the microphone, so let me help another team out. ‘I can’t wrestle, but let me contribute.’ He loved the idea, he put me in touch with the head of creative. ‘Let’s get it going. I can’t wait to see you,’ was what he told me, point blank. I was in touch with creative, they got medical clearance from my personal doctor who said I could travel but not wrestle. Then, radio silence. I didn’t hear from anyone. That was the end of July, I was in the middle of collaborating with them on this.
Carmella On WWE Ghosting Her
When asked if everyone wat WWE “ghosted” her, Carmella said that was the case, and she said that this hurt as well, as she always did what the company asked.
“Ghosted. Completely ghosted. It hurts because I feel I’ve always been a company girl and I’ve done whatever they needed me to do. I represent the company in a professional way and do what is asked of me. I’ve never gone off script or done anything like, ‘Shoot, maybe I shouldn’t have done that.’ I do everything that is asked of me and it feels like a shitty way to end a 12 year career with the company.
“Is it because I’m a woman? Is it because I had a baby? It is because I had a baby, point blank. They weren’t giving me any answers on the phone either. ‘Why? What’s happening?’ They were like, ‘This is just what we’re going with right now.’ I don’t even think they said that, it was just, ‘I’ll put you in touch with legal.’ Legal? I just want to know why this is happening. This doesn’t feel right.”
Carmella also noted that it was “wild” how Corey Graves, her husband, still had a job there and she didn’t, as she questioned the fairness. She again said that the situation was “hurtful”, as she kept trying to go back to work.
Carmella Wanted To Contribute
Carmella pointed out that Graves and Big E returned and contributed to the company in other roles after they suffered serious injuries, and she questioned why she wasn’t given the same opportunities.
“Why wasn’t I afforded those same opportunities? That’s what I keep asking myself because I feel like I have a lot to offer,” Carmella said. “I have a fanbase, I represent the company well, why wasn’t I given an opportunity somewhere else when I’ve shown interest and shown that I wanted to contribute in any way that I could. They didn’t give the opportunity. Is it because I’m a woman? I don’t want to keep saying these things but it is 2025 and we still have a long way to go with equality. I think the women there are extremely underpaid compared to the men. That’s just a fact. Everyone there knows it. The women working there know it. They maybe can’t say it because they’re working there. Let me say it. I’m going to say it and speak up for them because it’s important.
“There is some work to do, I feel like. I could have done backstage interviews. Just let me contribute. When you’re paying somebody and they’re not able to do their job, let’s find something else. If there was some communication, ‘We know you’re injured and you can’t wrestle right now, why don’t you come back in a few months or when you feel better. Let’s revisit the conversation.’ I wasn’t even given a conversation. Just, ‘We’re not renewing your contract.’ You have 12 days to figure out how to make money and support my family? I was so shocked that I didn’t even really know what was happening. I was so confused by all of it.”
Carmella On Her Future
Carmella said several times that she thought her contract was frozen, but she noted that WWE could change their mind, and they decided not to extend it. She made it clear that she still had friends in the company, and she supported them. When asked about potentially returning to WWE, she questioned why she would go somewhere that she wasn’t wanted. Carmella said that the time might be right someway, but for now, she was looking forward to the future.
“Why would you want to be somewhere that doesn’t want you? It’s like you’re in a relationship and someone is trying to break up with you. ‘No, don’t leave me. I promise.’ No, you’re not wanted in that relationship,” Carmella said. “It’s not for me and I truly feel that door is closed. I’m not saying forever. It’s not like Carmella may never make another appearance. I think that would be great to eventually put my Jordans back on a moonwalk back out there and be in front of the fans. I think someday, it will, but right now, it’s just not for me. This is the universe’s way of telling me there is something else for you. I’m excited for that.
“I’m not sitting here trying to disparage WWE, but I want to be real honest because it’s 2025 and we still have a long way to go for women and moms and pregnancy and health and all of it. I feel like this conversation needs to be had because, I had a baby and now I’m not working, and that sucks. That’s just the reality of the situation. I feel like I’m being punished because I had a baby. I wouldn’t change a damn thing. I’m obsessed with my son and this is my life. I would do it a million times over again, but it’s just the reality of the situation.”
Overall, Carmella said that she was thankful that she would have more time with her son, and she was happy that Graves still had a job. She also said that her departure wasn’t up to her, and it was not her choice. She made it clear that she enjoyed her time in WWE, but she was excited for the future. (H/t Fightful)
RELATED: Carmella Thanks Fans For Their Support, Says She Will Tell Her Side Following WWE Exit
