Current WWE Women’s World Champion Naomi has opened up about her 2022 departure from WWE, admitting she nearly walked away from wrestling for good.
Speaking with Stephanie McMahon on the What’s Your Story podcast, Naomi revealed that the controversial walkout alongside then-partner Sasha Banks (now AEW’s Mercedes Moné) led to a period of deep self-reflection, and initially made her think she was “done” with the business.
In May 2022, Naomi and Banks, who were the reigning WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, left Monday Night Raw over creative differences.
Both women would spend a lengthy hiatus away from WWE, with Naomi eventually competing in TNA Wrestling before making her WWE return at the 2024 Royal Rumble. “When the walkout and all of that happened, that was the first time, honestly, in my adult life, where I had the chance to stop, rethink, redefine, and figure out what I really wanted next,” Naomi said. “In the beginning, I struggled trying to process that. I thought I didn’t want to wrestle anymore. I thought I was done.”
The situation was made more challenging by the fact that Naomi’s husband, Jimmy Uso, was in the middle of the biggest run of his career with The Bloodline storyline. “He did such a great job, but I had to go through a lot emotionally and mentally on my own because he had his own stuff going on. That was the first time I just had to do the work on myself. It made me stronger. It relit a fire in me. I became a lot more confident in myself, because I didn’t have him to reassure me about work.”
Naomi said she didn’t like the feeling of quitting and wanted a better ending for her legacy, her family, and herself. “I have never quit anything in my life. I wanted to make my parents proud. I have step kids, I wanted a better ending for them, for my story, for my legacy. The beautiful part was me fighting through that and proving there’s more for me to do and accomplish — not just in wrestling, but as a woman going through a difficult time and a transition in life.”
The full interview is available below.
