Elayna Black Feels She Got Back Into Wrestling Too Quickly After WWE Release: “I Don’t Think I Would Still Be Wrestling If I Didn’t Take That Break”

Elayna Black opens up about the last year of her career.

It was first reported by Fightful Select that Elayna Black’s contract with TNA Wrestling is for a year, and the promotion has since confirmed her contract status.

It is coming up on a year since Black f.k.a. Cora Jade was let go from WWE after a four-year run with the company. After her release, Black hit the ground running and started taking on independent dates.

While on Busted Open, Black discussed her experience thus far in TNA and went on to mention that she feels she tried to jump back into things too quickly after her release from WWE.

“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 again 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.”

She took a break from in-ring action for the remainder of 2025 and resurfaced in TNA. Black feels she would not be wrestling right now if she had not taken that break.

“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.”

She spoke about her surprise appearance at the TNA on AMC premiere show and the nerves she felt leading up to it. Black was unsure about the reaction she would receive because she did not know if people had written her off.

“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.” 

Black’s in-ring debut as a TNA-contracted talent is airing on the 1/29 Thursday Night iMPACT on AMC.

If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Busted Open with an H/T to Fightful for the transcriptions.