Wrestling
Former WWE Divas Champion Layla Reveals Why She Walked Away From Wrestling and Lost Herself After Retirement
BY SACNILK
Layla has opened up about the difficult transition she experienced after leaving WWE, admitting that her identity had become so closely connected to being a WWE Diva that she eventually felt she had lost herself. The former WWE Women's Champion discussed her post-WWE life during an appearance on TMZ Inside the Ring, explaining why she deliberately disappeared from the wrestling world following her retirement in 2015. Layla said that when she finally left WWE, she realized that being a WWE Diva had become a major part of her identity. "When I left WWE, Layla was like my whole identity was kind of lost," she explained. "I believe my identity was just around that I'm a WWE Diva." After spending nine years in WWE, Layla decided that she needed a complete break rather than immediately pursuing appearances, wrestling-related projects or other opportunities. "When I retired, I literally just disappeared," Layla said. The former Divas Champion explained that she stopped doing everything connected to wrestling because she needed to focus on herself. She acknowledged that her decision may have hurt some relationships within the wrestling industry, with people potentially believing that she had taken her distance personally. "I lost a lot of like wrestling family relationships and that because I think a lot of people took it personally," she said. "But that wasn't... it was nothing about anybody else. It was just about myself." Layla also spoke candidly about another difficult aspect of stepping away from the entertainment industry: getting older after spending years being presented primarily for her appearance. "Growing up, getting older... when you've always been like for your looks and stuff like that, like it was eye candy for a very long time," Layla said. "Getting older as a female, it's tough." Rather than immediately returning to wrestling, Layla said she needed to close that chapter of her life completely. She believes that decision ultimately helped her find herself again. "I needed it for myself," she explained. "I was being very selfish and taking care of me at that time and that's what I needed."