Elayna Black Discusses Needing a Break From Wrestling After Her WWE Release

Former WWE NXT Superstar Elayna Black (formerly Cora Jade) is now officially signed with TNA Wrestling. Speaking to Busted Open Radio, Black discussed her fandom for TNA, needing some time to step away from wrestling and take a break after her WWE release, and her TNA debut. Below are some highlights (via Fightful):

Elayna Black on Her Fandom Watching TNA Wrestling

“It’s been great. I love TNA. I grew up watching both TNA and WWE, so my first-ever wrestling event was actually a random TNA house show — I think it was like Hammond, Indiana… So I’ve always loved TNA, I’ve always wanted to be a part of TNA in someway, and after things ended with WWE, I was just trying to jump into things right away and do indies and all that kind of stuff and I think I just jumped into it maybe too fast and kind of just needed to take a second to breathe and figure out what I wanted to do and after a lot of thought and realizing how much fun I did have when I was at TNA. Last year, when I was with NXT, I came to TNA for a few months, and I had so much fun. I loved everybody there, I loved the environment, I love the company, I love the product that they put out, so I was like, I think now I feel ready. I’m starting to miss wrestling again, which is what I wanted to feel, because for a while, I just didn’t feel that. But I started to miss wrestling agai,n and I was like, I think TNA is gonna be a good home for me, and Tommy (Dreamer) and I have had a good relationship since I was there last year, so here we are, I’m happy to be here and I can’t wait to see what TNA does on AMC.”

On Needing To Take a Break From Wrestling After Her WWE Release

“I think I really, really needed that, and people can have their opinions on why they told me I retired, told me I quit. But whatever it was, I am so glad I did that because I don’t think I would still be wrestling if I didn’t take that break. Just being able to reset and just mentally reset and get myself together and realize I do miss this, I know what I wanna do, and I know where I wanna go. So I’m very glad I did take that time because I don’t think I would have stayed wrestling if I didn’t take that time.”

Elayna Black on Her TNA Debut at the premiere of iMPACT! on AMC

“Yeah, thank God (I got a pop at the TNA on AMC premiere), because I was worried that it was gonna be silent. I’ve been wrestling for so long now, it doesn’t matter how long I do it; I’m still so nervous. I just care a little bit too much sometimes. So I was very nervous, like I always am, but more so — even more nervous because I took off time from wrestling in July, so it was like six, seven months now, that I haven’t wrestled so, number one, that was scary and number two, everyone has their own opinions and I think I’m a bit controversial at times with the internet, and they all have their opinions and so I was very curious if people were going to accept me into wrestling or if they had kind of written me off, which is fine if they have. But I was curious to see if anyone was even going to care when I did come back to wrestling, so to hear the pop was very, very, very comforting in a way, but also very motivating and made me be like, okay, this is where I’m meant to be. It’s go time. So, I’m very excited for 2026.”