“I can’t wrestle anymore.” That’s the hard truth Carmella dropped on her Hot Mom S–t podcast Tuesday, confirming she’s officially retired from professional wrestling. This isn’t just a casual announcement, it came right from the source during a discussion on her own show, starting around the 25:30 mark.
The “Retired” Air Quotes and What They Really Mean
She flat out said, “I was a professional wrestler. So, it’s like, I can’t wrestle anymore. I’m a mom. I have kids. So that’s kind of like, I’m retired.” Talk about laying it all out there. Now, yeah, she did use air quotes around “retired,” which, if you are like me, makes you wonder if there is a sliver of hope for a comeback down the line. But honestly, it does not sound like she intends on stepping back inside the ring any time soon, if ever. Her focus is clearly somewhere else entirely, and for good reason.
A Decade of Dedication Ends
At 38 years old, Leah Van Dale, known to us as Carmella, had a decade-long run in WWE from 2013 to 2023, and let us be real, she made her mark. She grabbed the SmackDown Women’s Championship, a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, and etched her name in history winning the first women’s Money in the Bank ladder match in 2017. That is a serious resume. Her absence from the ring started in 2023 with her first pregnancy with husband, WWE commentator Corey Graves. She was off programming for nearly two years, and then we heard TRNBCKL’s Masked J reported her WWE contract had run out. Then came the news of her second pregnancy, with the birth in October 2025. It has been a whirlwind, right?
So for now, it is all about family and other ventures like that podcast. She has made it clear there is little room or time for an in-ring return, and frankly, who can blame her? She has earned this new chapter.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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