Carmella has not closed the door on WWE, but she is unsure whether a return in a full-time capacity would make sense for her family at this stage of her life.
The former WWE Superstar addressed her wrestling future while appearing on IDIOT with Laura Clery. Carmella made clear that she is still weighing what comes next after an extended absence from the ring, and that the age of her children is central to that decision.
“I’m just not sure what the next step is for me, but I know I would regret being on the road and traveling while they are this young. That’s not to say that I would never go back to WWE, but I just don’t know if it would be any time in the near future or in a full-time capacity because I can’t imagine being away from my kids for that long.”
The comments offer important clarification on Carmella’s current outlook. At the beginning of September, she said that she was retired, only to later step back from that description. Her latest remarks reinforce that she is not presenting her in-ring career as definitively over. Instead, she appears to be considering whether there is a way for wrestling to fit into the life she wants for herself and her family, particularly without committing to the extensive travel associated with a regular WWE schedule.
For more background on this topic, read Ethan Page Says His Wrestling Ambitions Now Reach Beyond Championship Gold.
A WWE Future Has Not Been Ruled Out
For Carmella, the question is not simply whether she wants to wrestle again. It is also about the structure and timing of any potential return. WWE’s full-time roster schedule has historically demanded frequent travel, television appearances, live events, training, and time away from home. Carmella indicated that those realities are difficult to reconcile with having very young children.
That distinction matters. Her statement does not frame a WWE comeback as impossible, nor does it establish a timetable for one. She specifically left open the possibility that she could return one day. However, she also stressed that a near-term comeback, especially one that requires full-time participation, is uncertain.
There are no announced plans for Carmella to return to WWE programming, and she did not identify a specific role, date, or type of schedule that would change her thinking. For now, her public position is one of openness without commitment. A return remains possible, but her priority is avoiding the regret she believes could come from missing time with her children while they are still young.
Her Time Away From the Ring
Carmella has not wrestled since 2023, when she stepped away from WWE to give birth to her first child with her husband, Corey Graves. Her time away has included significant personal and physical challenges. After her first pregnancy, Carmella suffered from drop foot.
Drop foot can affect a person’s ability to lift the front part of the foot, making movement more difficult. For a professional wrestler, whose work depends on athletic movement, balance, timing, and physical confidence, any condition affecting mobility can be especially consequential. Carmella’s absence therefore extended beyond a simple pause from television. It came during a period of major change in her life as she became a mother and dealt with the effects of pregnancy and recovery.
Carmella and Graves later welcomed their second child in October 2025. With two young children at home, she has made clear that the demands of a full-time travel schedule are not something she can easily envision taking on right now.
Her perspective reflects the personal calculations that can accompany a wrestling career, particularly when an established performer has spent years working within the pace and visibility of WWE. Returning to a ring is one decision. Returning to the weekly rhythm of a major company’s road schedule is another. Carmella’s comments focus on the latter issue as much as the former.
Contract Expiration Ended Her WWE Run
Carmella’s WWE contract expired in 2025, ending her run with the company at that time. The expiration came while she was away from active competition. She was not brought back to television before the contract reached its end, and there has been no official announcement of a new agreement since then.
Her current free-agent status does not automatically point toward a return anywhere. Carmella’s comments were specifically about the possibility of going back to WWE, and her answer centered on family rather than negotiations or professional opportunities. She did not say that a return was being discussed, nor did she indicate that she is preparing for a comeback.
Still, the fact that she does not view retirement as a final and unchangeable decision leaves room for future possibilities. Wrestling careers do not always follow a straight line, especially for performers whose circumstances evolve outside the ring. Time away can become permanent, or it can lead to a return under different terms, at a different pace, or at a different stage of life. Carmella is not yet defining which path will be hers.
What a Return Could Mean
At present, the only firm conclusion is that Carmella is reluctant to commit to full-time travel while her children are this young. That does not necessarily eliminate every imaginable wrestling scenario in the future, but it does establish a clear boundary around what she is willing to consider right now.
A WWE return, if it ever happens, would depend on factors Carmella did not outline in detail. Her family needs, her own physical readiness, her desire to perform again, and the nature of any opportunity would all be relevant. What she did state plainly is that being consistently away from home for long stretches is not something she believes she could comfortably do at this point.
That is a notably different position from an unconditional retirement announcement. Carmella is not declaring that she will never wrestle again. She is acknowledging uncertainty, while also emphasizing that her family is the priority in the immediate future.
Her words also avoid placing pressure on a comeback narrative. There is no promise of an eventual return, no tease of a surprise appearance, and no indication that she is simply waiting for the right storyline. Instead, she is candidly describing the conflict between a possible return to a demanding profession and the time she wants to spend with her children.
Carmella’s Legacy in WWE Remains Significant
Regardless of what comes next, Carmella’s WWE career has already included major accomplishments. She became the first woman to win the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, a landmark achievement that remains part of the division’s history. She also held the SmackDown Women’s Championship and established herself as a prominent personality across WWE programming.
Her run encompassed multiple iterations of her on-screen character and placed her in high-profile situations over the years. Whether she was competing for championships, participating in the Money in the Bank picture, or bringing a distinct presence to WWE television, Carmella built a recognizable identity during her time with the company.
That history is why her future continues to draw attention even while she remains away from the ring. She is not discussing a return as someone whose career was defined by a brief appearance. She is a former champion and a performer with a long WWE history, now making decisions based on circumstances far more important than a spot on a weekly card.
No Immediate Decision Announced
Carmella’s latest comments leave the situation open-ended. She has backed away from calling herself retired, but she has also made it clear that fans should not interpret that as confirmation of an imminent WWE comeback. There is no announced return date, no report of a new contract, and no indication that a full-time schedule is currently appealing to her.
For now, Carmella is focused on being present with her family. WWE remains a possibility somewhere down the line, but only if it aligns with what she feels is right for her children and her life away from the ring.
In the meantime, her message is straightforward: she is not saying never. She is saying that the road, at least in a full-time form, is not something she can imagine choosing while her children are still so young.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.