Carmella EXPOSES lack of gender equality in WWE days after controversial departure

Carmella calls out WWE for its treatment of female talent in comparison to male wrestlers amidst ongoing release controversy.

Carmella EXPOSES lack of gender equality in WWE days after controversial departure

Carmella [via- WWE]

A few weeks ago, a dual report by Fightful and PW Nexus revealed that Carmella was no longer contracted to WWE. The former Women’s Champion later confirmed this on social media, promising she would open up about her departure, and open up she did! Carmella had a lot to say about her stay in WWE, calling out the company for its treatment of female superstars.

While speaking on Kail Lowry’s podcast, Carmella disclosed that she reached out to WWE while she was recovering from postpartum complications. However, she was “ghosted” by the higher-ups. As such, the 37-year-old questioned the lack of equality in the Stamford-based promotion. According to her, there was no legitimate reason why she couldn’t work in a similar role as Big E, who himself has been recovering from a life-threatening injury.

Why wasn’t I afforded that same opportunity? That’s what I keep asking myself. I have a lot to offer. I have a fanbase. I represent the company well. Why wasn’t I given an opportunity somewhere else?

Carmella via Kail Lowry’s podcast
YouTube video

This isn’t the first time this year that WWE’s gender equality has been called out. A few weeks ago, Fightful reported there was frustration within female talent regarding their booking. Several women’s wrestlers shut down creative pitches for their WrestleMania matches. Furthermore, there has been fan criticism regarding the booking of the female stars in comparison to the men’s well-layered main event scene.

FS Video

As for Carmella, her twelve-year-long WWE career has come to an unfortunate end. The Princess of Staten Island could return in the future, depending on her relationship with WWE. In her tenure, Carmella became the first women’s Money in the Bank winner, subsequently becoming Women’s Champion in 2018. Additionally, her pairing with R-Truth was one of the popular acts in WWE, which earned them a win in the Mixed Match Challenge tournament.

Carmella details her abrupt departure from WWE

Needless to say, Carmella was not pleased at how her departure from WWE panned out. After all, she was recovering from postpartum complications and even pitched working other roles in the meantime. During the same interview with Kail Lowry, Carmella revealed that she was informed by WWE about her departure twelve days before her contract expiration.

Carmella and Corey Graves
Carmella and Corey Graves [via- Digital Spy]

The former Women’s Champion felt “blindsided” by the company. As she relayed previously, she believed she was “punished” for being pregnant. The 37-year-old was on maternity leave since April 2023, welcoming her first child in November. However, the delivery had complications.

They were like, ‘This is just what we’re going with right now.’ I don’t even think they said that, it was just, ‘I’ll put you in touch with legal.’ Legal? I just want to know why this is happening. This doesn’t feel right.

Carmella via Kail Lowry’s podcast

Carmella suffered a drop foot and two herniated discs in the back. In fact, she disclosed that she had been preparing to get better physically prior to her release. Moreover, Carmella never received an explanation behind WWE’s decision to not renew her contract.

Related: Carmella schools a troll for calling her ‘EXPENDABLE’ amid her WWE release controversy