We haven't seen former SmackDown Women's Champion Carmella on WWE television since March 2023 when she faced Bianca Belair on RAW. She initially took time off due to pregnancy but remains sidelined thanks to a nasty-sounding non-wrestling injury.
Last year, Carmella confirmed that she was dealing with two herniated discs in her back, as well as issues in her foot which are directly related to that problem. It's a condition commonly known as "Drop Foot" which can occur while giving birth.
According to Fightful Select, Carmella's contract with WWE recently expired, meaning she's no longer officially part of the company. As a result, she joins the list of wrestlers who were released by the company last month (including Sonya Deville, the Authors Of Pain, and Blair Davenport).
It's unclear whether Carmella requested her release or WWE simply moved on from the first-ever women's Money in the Bank briefcase winner.
Perhaps tellingly, Carmella has removed all mentions of WWE from her social media account. WWE has also moved her profile to the alumni section on WWE.com, suggesting her time with them is well and truly over. How her husband, Corey Graves, feels about it is hard to say, particularly as he's had his own issues with WWE as of late.
Last June, Carmella admitted she didn't have a timetable for her in-ring return and said she was focusing on being a new mom.
"I would love to return. I mean, obviously, I'm so immersed in this motherhood world right now," she explained. "I haven't been able to do anything that will get me back to the ring quite yet. Hopefully, eventually, I'll get there. But right now I'm just kind of working, I'm going to be in physical therapy and things like that, too."
"I mean, I've been wrestling for 11 years, I've never been injured knock on wood. And now here I have a baby and I'm going to physical therapy so I don't know how that works out. But here we go."
Carmella has also told WWE Hall of Famers, The Bella Twins, about the problems she's encountered since giving birth to her and Corey Graves' baby. "I miss the fans. I miss performing," she said. "I fell in love with that and have been doing it for 11 years. More than anything, I want to prove to myself, ‘I can go through this insane experience of labor, delivering, pregnancy, and my body is completely different from the inside out,’ but I’d love to go back and prove that I can. No one else, just to myself."
"Unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with what is called drop foot. I have an injury from labor and delivery and pushing the baby out. I have herniated discs in my back, which push on this nerve that is connected to my right foot. The top of my foot, it’s hard to lift. I’m literally limping around everywhere," she concluded.
We'll let you know the moment Carmella breaks her silence on what appears to be her departure from WWE.