Although she took some time off, Elayna Black always planned on returning to the ring.
Black, formerly known as WWE’s Cora Jade, announced she was taking an extended break from pro wrestling in the summer of 2025 to prioritize her mental health. She made a surprise return in January, making her debut as a member of the TNA roster, and continues to be a focal point of the company’s Knockouts division.
Despite her extended absence, Black says there were never any thoughts about her break becoming a retirement.
“No, there was never a thought in my mind that I was retiring. And, like you said, I thought that was pretty clear,” Elayna Black told WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard. “It was kind of annoying having to constantly hear things like, ‘You quit to do OnlyFans,’ when I was actually going through real-life mental health struggles and needed time away. It wasn’t anybody’s business what I was doing with my time.”
Elayna Black wanted to miss pro wrestling
Black says she took time for herself during her hiatus. She spent time with family and friends, and spent time on healing overall. She remains happy that she took a break because it made her miss wrestling, which is one of the reasons she stepped away in the first place.
“I was healing and handling things I knew I needed to work through because I wanted to come back to wrestling. I knew I needed to be in a much better mental headspace to do that, and that’s exactly what I was doing,” Black said. “I’m so glad I took that break because I honestly don’t think I’d be in TNA right now if I hadn’t. I probably would have left wrestling because I was going through things I needed to handle.
“[But] I feel so much better now. I missed wrestling,” she continued. “[And that] was the goal. I wanted to miss it because that’s how I’d know I was meant to come back. I missed it right away. But even then, I still knew I needed more time. Even when I wanted to come back sooner, I knew I needed to make sure I was truly ready.”
Elayna Black eventually leaned into the retirement rumors to her benefit
Black says she knew she was signing with TNA for quite a while. However, many fans believed that she had retired from the ring. Rather than correcting them, Black decided to “roll with it” and leaned into the retirement rumors, which she says made her TNA debut even more impactful.
“I knew for a while before I showed up that I was going to TNA and had been in talks with them. Eventually, when people were saying I was retired, I just rolled with it,” she stated. “Because I knew I was going to end up at TNA. I was like, ‘Hey, if they think I’m retired, that’s fine. I’ll roll with it. I’m retired? Yeah, see me pop up at the AMC premiere and then eat your words.’”
Black appreciates the fans who do still support her. She also learned that you can’t force anyone to understand why she stepped away in the first place.
“If you support me, I appreciate that so much. Getting to meet people at TNA meet-and-greets, seeing fans wearing my shirts, and having little kids come up to me means the world to me,” Black said. “It is what it is. I was just rolling with it, and I knew I was coming back. So it didn’t matter what I said, people would see.”
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