Lady Leigh has looked back on the WWE release that changed the direction of her career, reflecting on the uncertainty she felt at the time while emphasizing the progress she believes she has made since leaving the company.

Leigh, who worked under the name Jin Tala during her time connected to WWE’s Evolve brand, was released on October 10, 2025. One year later, she shared an emotional message about receiving that news during her boyfriend’s birthday dinner, the lack of explanation she was given, and her determination to continue pursuing professional wrestling on her own terms.

“This day last year, I was released from WWE,” Leigh wrote. “No reasons were given. It left me thinking I didn’t have what it takes.”

Rather than allowing that moment to define the rest of her career, Leigh said she followed the feeling that she had not yet reached her potential. Her message framed the past year as one of persistence, adjustment, and growth, with Japan becoming an important part of the next chapter.

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“I’m evolving, adapting, ever growing,” Leigh wrote.

A difficult WWE departure

Being released is an unavoidable part of the wrestling industry, but that does not make the experience any less personal for the talent involved. WWE releases can bring sudden professional uncertainty, particularly for performers who are still working to establish their identities in a developmental setting. Leigh’s reflection makes clear that the call initially made her question whether she belonged in wrestling at all.

Her account also underscores how abruptly those moments can arrive. The timing of the call, during a birthday dinner for her boyfriend, turned a private celebration into a career-defining memory. Leigh did not identify a reason for the release, stating that no explanation was given to her. That absence of clarity can leave a wrestler to process not only the loss of a position, but also the larger questions that follow about where to go and what to improve.

Leigh was working with the Evolve brand at the time of her WWE release. Her run there took place in an environment designed to give developing wrestlers opportunities to gain experience and develop in front of WWE audiences. Yet her departure ultimately opened the door to a broader independent schedule and the chance to shape her career beyond one system.

Her public comments did not dwell solely on disappointment. Instead, Leigh presented the release as the beginning of a period in which she has been able to test herself, travel, and move closer to the wrestling style and atmosphere she wants to embrace.

Finding a path through the independents

Since leaving WWE, Leigh has worked for a number of independent promotions. That kind of post-release schedule can be vital for a wrestler seeking to build momentum. Independent appearances offer opportunities to work with different opponents, perform before new crowds, and learn how to adapt to the varied expectations that exist from promotion to promotion.

For Leigh, that process has also included a move into Japan. She described creating “unforgettable memories” there and said she has been getting closer both to the type of wrestling she loves and to feeling loved by wrestling itself. The wording is notable because it speaks to more than simply booking dates. It suggests that the year after her release has helped renew her connection to the profession at a time when she could easily have stepped away.

Japan has long represented a meaningful destination for wrestlers who want to broaden their experience, particularly performers looking for a different in-ring culture and a new setting in which to develop. Leigh did not provide further details about the specific nature of her work there, but she made clear that the experience has been central to her current outlook.

Her message was also defined by self-belief. Leigh said she pursued a gut feeling that her potential had not reached its limit and that she would be the person to decide when her career was over. It is a forceful answer to the self-doubt she described feeling in the immediate aftermath of her WWE release.

That determination is especially significant for someone in a rebuilding phase. A release can create pressure to immediately prove that a company made the wrong decision. Leigh’s words instead point toward a longer process: evolving, adapting, and continuing to grow rather than treating a single year as a final verdict on her ability.

Ring of Honor debut adds another milestone

Leigh’s work since her release has not been limited to the independent circuit or her time in Japan. Earlier this month, she made her Ring of Honor debut, adding another notable stop to a year that has seen her expand her profile after WWE.

A Ring of Honor appearance is an important marker for any wrestler looking to reach a wider audience. The promotion has a deep association with wrestlers who aim to distinguish themselves through in-ring performance, and the debut gives Leigh another platform as she continues to establish the Lady Leigh identity following her time as Jin Tala.

The debut also fits the theme of her reflection. Leigh’s statement was not a declaration that every obstacle has vanished. Rather, it was a message about continuing onward after a painful setback and recognizing the opportunities that have emerged along the way. Working independents, traveling to Japan, and debuting in Ring of Honor are all concrete developments in a career that could have been placed on pause by the 2025 release.

There is no indication in her comments that she is looking back at WWE with anything other than honesty about the impact of the decision. She acknowledged the emotional toll of being released and the doubts it caused, while keeping the focus on what she has done since. That balance gives her message weight: it does not minimize the disappointment, but it does reject the idea that the release settled what she could become as a wrestler.

Lady Leigh’s evolving identity

The transition from Jin Tala to Lady Leigh is part of the broader shift visible in her career over the past year. Names, presentation, opponents, and settings can all change when a wrestler leaves a major system and begins navigating the wider industry. Leigh has embraced that period as an opportunity to evolve rather than as a retreat from her ambitions.

Her closing sentiment was a call to keep moving forward and to let that growth be visible. While the WWE release was the event that prompted the reflection, the message itself was aimed at the present: she is still working, still learning, and still chasing the version of wrestling that feels most meaningful to her.

For fans who followed her developmental tenure, Leigh’s update provides a clear picture of how she views the past 12 months. The release hurt, and she was left without the answers she wanted. But she did not interpret the moment as proof that she lacked the ability to succeed. She continued to take bookings, made her way to Japan, and reached Ring of Honor.

That is why the anniversary post resonates as more than a retrospective. It is a statement of intent from a performer who believes the most important decisions about her future remain in her own hands. Lady Leigh’s next steps have not been mapped out in her comments, but her position is unmistakable: the end of her WWE run was not the end of her wrestling journey.

One year after receiving the call, Lady Leigh is presenting herself as a wrestler still in motion—one who has turned a difficult professional moment into motivation to keep adapting, keep growing, and keep pursuing the career she wants.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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.