WWE Hall of Famer and NXT Analyst Beth Phoenix was a guest on “After the Bell” with Corey Graves. Phoenix discussed her decision to “retire” from WWE in 2012 and the discussion she had with Vince [McMahon] that led to that decision.
“At that point in my life, I had also met a very nice man and he was in a state of mind. He had been told he had to retire from wrestling and never do it again,” Phoenix stated. “So he was wrapping his head around that, and I was wrapping my head around a lot of change in my life. And I was like, ‘well, we might be ready for a family.’ So that was kind of dancing around in our minds at that time, and that’s mainly why I stepped away. When I had the conversation with Vince, it was hardest thing I’ve ever done.
“Being a wrestler was all I ever wanted to be. I didn’t want to be an actor, I didn’t want to be a musician. Nothing else was as big to me as being a wrestler. So going to Vince McMahon and saying, ‘I have to go home’ was really really hard for me. It was a big moment, a heavy, heavy day in my life. It was just time. I was really feeling it in my heart, and I’ve never been one to be checked out. I didn’t want to be at work sad. I didn’t want to be at work not giving 100% because there was plenty of hungry people that deserve to be in that spot instead of me walking around gloomy.”
