Adriana Rizzo isn’t staying quiet after WWE cut her loose. One day after her release became public, the former NXT star opened up about the injuries, setbacks and unfinished business that made the ending sting even more.
Rizzo, whose real name is Anna Keefer, confirmed on September 5, 2026 that her WWE run is officially over. She looked back on four years with the company, including her time as “Big Rizz” in The D’Angelo Family, and made it clear that she’s proud of how she handled everything that came her way.
“My journey with WWE has come to an end. The last four years have taken me through some of the highest highs and hardest moments of my life, and through all of it, I’m proud that I always remained me.”
Rizzo also had plenty of love for The D’Angelo Family, where she found her biggest role in NXT alongside Tony D’Angelo, Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo and Luca Crusifino.
“I’m incredibly grateful for my time as part of The D’Angelo Family. They truly became family to me. Becoming Adriana Rizzo was such a unique experience, and I loved every second of bringing her to life. That opportunity showed me that I was capable of so much more than I ever knew.”
The toughest part of her WWE run came away from television. Rizzo revealed that an Achilles rupture followed by ACL and meniscus surgery kept her out of the ring for nearly half of her time in NXT.
“My journey wasn’t an easy one. An Achilles rupture and surgery, followed by an ACL and meniscus surgery, kept me out of the ring for nearly half of my time in NXT. But I fought like hell to come back. And I did.”
That comeback is also what made the release especially hard for her. Rizzo had only recently returned to action after spending more than a year away, and she admitted she wanted the chance to show fans how much more she still had left. Rizzo then turned her message toward anyone dealing with injuries, setbacks or being overlooked, telling them not to give up.
“What makes this ending difficult is knowing how hard I fought to get back, and not getting the opportunity to show all of you just how much more I had to give. But I’ll never regret the fight it took to get there.”
“If any part of my journey means something to someone who has been knocked down, overlooked, injured, or told they were too far behind, I hope it reminds you to keep going. STAY RESILIENT!”
She also thanked the coaches, producers, wrestlers, friends and fans who supported her during her WWE run before making it clear that she doesn’t see this as the end of her wrestling story. Rizzo closed things out with one final callback to the character fans knew in NXT.
“I don’t know exactly where the road takes me from here, but I know there is a lot more of my story left to write.”
“Onto the next chapter. And remember… Fool me once – I break ya face!”
Rizzo’s WWE run may be finished, but she clearly isn’t treating this like a goodbye to wrestling. After battling through multiple major injuries just to get back in the ring, she’s leaving NXT frustrated that she never got the chance to show how far that comeback could have gone.
What do you think should be next for Adriana Rizzo after her WWE release? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
