Cathy Kelley is a major talent, and when she made the decision to leave WWE in 2020, it came as a real blow to the company. It sounded like WWE's demanding schedule simply became too much for her, and NXT TakeOver: Portland marked her final day working in the world of sports entertainment.
Kelley signed with WWE in February 2016 as a correspondent for NXT and special events. Her debut came on April 1st of that same year when she covered NXT TakeOver: Dallas, while she'd later go on to host WWE Now, a popular and entertaining series that aired on WWE's social media platforms.
Now, we have additional details from Kelly on what led to her exit from the company. She returned this past April and, rather than being relegated to WWE's developmental brand, she's now a key part of SmackDown each week.
"I think at the time, I said that it was for reasons of [pursuing] other things and I still believe I could've pursued all of those things within WWE, but I felt like at the time, I really needed to step away," Kelley told Ryan Satin on his Out Of Character podcast. "My mental health had declined."
"I struggled with depression and panic attacks, anxiety basically from high school on and off. It was really tough."
She later reflected on being a big part of WWE's social media platforms and confirmed she went from being a brunette to blonde in an effort to stand out to upper management. Unfortunately, Kelley still felt like she'd hit something of a brick wall, hence why she decided 2020 was the right time to explore other avenues.
"I remember having a conversation with Michael Cole, who wasn't even my boss at the time but after having all of these live hits with 'NXT' and being told that wasn't going to happen. It was really defeating."
Things thankfully ended up working out for her and Kelley is now one of the company's best backstage interviewers.
It's previously been revealed that Kelley first became interested in journalism when she was in high school, later hosting several of her school's news broadcasts. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a degree in multimedia journalism and is a member of Mensa International, the world's largest and oldest high IQ society, and is a certified Mensa journalist.
We're sure WWE won't make the mistake of letting her go again, anyway!