"I Feel Like I'm Being Punished Because I Had A Baby" - Carmella On WWE Release (WWE News)
Carmella addresses her WWE exit.
Having departed WWE earlier this year, Carmella has made her first post-WWE comments, stating how she feels punished for having a baby.
As picked up on by f4wonline, a preview of Carmella's appearance on the Barely Famous podcast was dropped on Instagram. The full episode debuts on Friday, but for now, this preview sees the former SmackDown Women's Champion address her WWE exit.
For those who may have missed it, WWE opted not to renew Carmella's contract earlier this year, meaning the 37-year-old now finds herself a free agent. 'Mella last wrestled for WWE at a March 2023 live event, and her final televised match for the company came earlier that month against Bianca Belair. In the time since then, Carmella and her husband Corey Graves have welcomed their first child into the world.
In this upcoming interview, Carmella says her WWE departure was "a sh**ty way to end a 12-year career with the company", explaining how she got a phone call to say her deal was up in ten days and that she was then "completely ghosted".
Carmella added:
"What if this is the end of my career? Like, what am I doing with my life? What do I have to offer? Why wasn't I given an opportunity somewhere else. I feel like I'm being punished because I had a baby."
When it was suggested that WWE could always change their minds and bring her back, the second-generation star noted:
"Why would you want to be somewhere that doesn't want you? I wish more for women in general, and moms, and especially athletes. I feel like you shouldn't have to choose one. Why can't you have both?"
Carmella also mentioned how she and Corey had a child, and he still has a job, but she doesn't.
Carmella In WWE
A former cheerleader for the New England Patriots and a one-time Laker Girl, the real-life Leah Van Dale joined WWE in 2013, soon being given the Carmella moniker and then paired with Enzo Amore and Big Cass.
While Enzo and Cass were called up to the main roster the night after WrestleMania 32, Carmella would have to wait a few more months for her call-up, being drafted to SmackDown that July.
During her time on the main roster, the Princess of Staten Island won the SmackDown Women's Title, became a four-time 24/7 Champion, won the Money in the Bank briefcase, and was one-half of the Women's Tag Team Champions with Zelina Vega. As alluded to, 'Mella's father is Paul Van Dale, a wrestler who primarily served as an enhancement talent for the then-WWF in the 1980s and into the '90s.
What's next for Carmella remains to be seen, and we should hear more on that when the full Barely Famous episode premieres on Friday.