WWE: Naomi on Walking Out Of WWE In 2022 Being “I Thought I Didn’t Want To Wrestle Anymore”, Paul Ellering on Feeling WWE Writers Could’ve Done More With Final Testament, WWE Library Future Destination Update

Naomi Comments on Walking Out Of WWE In 2022 Being “I Thought I Didn’t Want To Wrestle Anymore”

A recent episode of the What’s Your Story? with Stephanie McMahon podcast featured Naomi and Jimmy Uso as the guests. One of the topics discussed included Naomi’s thoughts about her walking out of WWE in 2022 and how she had felt that she did not want to wrestle anymore.

“When the walkout happened, I think that was the first time in my adult life where I had the chance to stop, rethink, redefine, and figure out what I really wanted next and how I wanted my life to move forward. In the beginning, I really struggled to process that. I thought I didn’t want to wrestle anymore and that I was done. [Jimmy Uso] was also in a different place in his career. He was in the thick of Bloodline.”

Naomi also gave her thoughts about the support she received from her husband Jimmy and her family at the time.

“It was such a crazy time. He did such a great job. I also 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 where I had to do the work on myself. It was great. It made me stronger. It re-lit a fire in me. I became a lot more confident in myself because I didn’t have him to reassure me on things about work. I thought I grew so much through that and the time period when I was gone. When I came back, I was ready, I was refreshed, and I was intentional on what I wanted this time to be like. I focused, I locked in, and I worked hard. It paid off.”

Uso responded stating that he learned a lot from Naomi’s growth and the courage she had to step away from WWE. Naomi responded stating that it gave her a whole new appreciation and she realized that even though things stopped for her, everything kept moving for everyone else.

“It gave me a whole new appreciation. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Me, being home, I went through a shoulder surgery. Just physically, I feel like it was taken away from me. I thought maybe I was ready to transition into a different part of life, but in that moment, I realized, ‘Oh no. I ain’t done yet. There is still more in me. There is still more I want to do. There is still more I have to do. I don’t want it to end this way.’ Even through all the messiness of that, the beautiful part of it was me fighting through that, pushing through that, and wanting to prove that there is more for me to do and accomplish. Not just in wrestling, but as a woman and someone going through a difficult time.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

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Paul Ellering Comments on Feeling WWE Writers Could’ve Done More With Final Testament & His Praise of Karrion Kross and Scarlett

The Hannibal TV held a recent interview with former WWE manager Paul Ellering. One of the topics discussed included Ellering’s thoughts about his belief that WWE writers could have done more with the Final Testament group and how the group did not reach its full potential in the company.

“No, I didn’t think it did either. I thought the writers could have done more with it. There was a lot to do, especially with The Wyatt Family and the timing was right. It just never got the push that it deserved, and Karrion (Kross), he’s a tremendous talent, very good on the mic and Scarlett and him make a good combination, great pair and they’ll do well in the business no matter what they do, because there’s a lot of talent there.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com

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WWE Library Future Destination Status Update

As noted before, WWE recently signed a new media rights deal with ESPN to air their Premium Live Events (PLEs) on ESPN’s new streaming service in the United States starting in 2026. This new deal does not include WWE’s library which the rights for it are currently held by Peacock.

Fightful Select reported that their sources within WWE stated that they believe WWE’s video library could end up on YouTube due to WWE already has an existing partnership with Google for the WWE and WCW Vault channels.

It was reported that this could be a way for WWE to not only attract new fans but also be able to keep their options open should a major opportunity become available with another streaming entity in the future.