Leah Van Dale Says She Has No Plans For A WWE Return Right Now

On the It Girl YouTube channel, Leah Van Dale, formerly known as Carmella in WWE, answered some of the questions fans had about her. She talked about her wrestling character, her job at WWE, and if she has any future plans of returning to the company again.

Leah Van Dale’s WWE Contract Expired In Early 2025

Back in February, Leah was let go from WWE. She didn’t get released, but her contract had expired. In an interview, Leah said that WWE ghosted her after discussing plans of a return and that she felt “punished because I had a baby.” Former WWE wrestler, Bishop Dyer, also recently called out the company for how they handle contracts.

Leah had been with WWE since 2013 and had won several championship belts during her tenure, such as the SmackDown Women’s Title, Women’s Tag Team Title, and even the 24/7 Championship on several occasions. She was also the company’s first-ever Ms. Money in the Bank.

She took a maternity break from WWE in March 2023, and there were plans for her to return afterward. But she suffered some complications postpartum, and she told WWE about it. Leah had believed that her contract was frozen, as is usually the case when wrestlers are on maternity leave or injured. But the company reinstated her contract 7 weeks postpartum, which eventually expired in February 2025.

At that time, WWE told her they weren’t renewing her contract, and Leah felt very hurt by this. Behind the scenes, she and WWE were working on her return around mid-2024. She couldn’t wrestle due to nerve damage on her foot, but she wanted to return as a tag team manager. The company loved this idea but later ghosted her.

She Has No Plans To Return To WWE Anytime Soon

While Leah wanted to return to work before, it seems she has changed her mind. On It Girl’s Search Bar, she said she has no plans to return to WWE for now and that she enjoys being a mom and taking care of her child.

“I don’t right now. I don’t have any plans. I’m so in my mom era and I love it. Never in a million years did I think I would enjoy being at home and being a mom more than working and hustling, but I feel like I did that for so long.”

Although she is keeping that door open for the future, and wants to enjoy her time off for now.

“The grind in WWE is so hard; it’s like we don’t have an off-season. You’re on the road 52 weeks a year and for the first time in my life, I’m enjoying just a slower pace of life…..I think eventually I would love to go back at some point. So, never say never.” (H/T ITR Wrestling)

Leah is married to Corey Graves, who is a retired wrestler and currently works for WWE as Raw’s color commentator.

Main image credit: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire