Elayna Black Reflects on Missed Opportunities and WWE Journey: “I Loved My Time There So Much”
Former WWE Superstar Cora Jade—now once again competing under her original ring name, Elayna Black—recently was a guest on Insight with Chris Van Vliet for a candid conversation about her release from WWE, her return to the independent scene, and the opportunities she feels she never quite got to seize during her time in the company.
After joining WWE in 2021, Jade quickly made a splash in NXT, establishing herself as a fiery competitor with a punk-rock edge. Her heel turn, feud with best friend Roxanne Perez, and multiple marquee matches made her one of the most talked-about young stars in NXT. But despite a promising trajectory, Jade’s WWE run came to an end this past May—and while she holds no bitterness, she acknowledges there were dreams she didn’t get to fulfill.
“I feel like, obviously, there are things that I didn’t get to do. But at the same time, like you said, that was my dream. I was eight years old, I watched wrestling and I immediately wanted to be a WWE superstar. Then I would look at all my little notebooks, I would have these bucket lists, little lists, and I would cross them off every time I would do something. It would say, get an action figure, have merchandise, wrestle this person, wrestle here, do all this stuff. And then I looked and I was crossing off so many of those things. Really, the only one I didn’t cross off was wrestling at WrestleMania, or winning the NXT Championship, or obviously any other championship.”
Jade’s reflections offer a rare mix of gratitude and vulnerability—honoring what she accomplished while not sugarcoating the natural frustrations that come with unrealized potential. Still, she was clear: her respect for WWE remains intact.
“Never will I sh*t on WWE or trash WWE. I loved my time there… Were there things that upset me? Yes. Am I bitter or anything like that? Absolutely not. I’m only 24 years old. Who knows what the future holds? I’ll never burn a bridge because I don’t know what the future holds.”
Throughout the interview, Black emphasized how meaningful her final stretch in WWE was, especially sharing the ring and the road with close friends and respected colleagues.
“Especially those last six months. I got to do it with Roxanne, with Bayley, with Giulia, Stephanie, all these girls I became so close with and I got to travel with them and do all these great matches and storylines with them. I loved my time at WWE so much.”
Now back on the independent circuit under the Elayna Black moniker, she’s already drawing eyes from fans who followed her early career and are eager to see what this new chapter brings. At just 24 years old, her story is still unfolding—and judging by her self-awareness, drive, and love for the industry, it’s a safe bet we haven’t seen the last of her on the biggest stages.
You can check out the entire interview with Elayna Black on Insight with Chris Van Vliet below.
Stay with Bodyslam.net for continued coverage of Elayna Black’s post-WWE journey and everything happening in the world of pro wrestling.
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