Elayna Black is opening up about the treatment she received during her WWE career — and one particular comment about her appearance apparently stuck with her long after she left the company. According to the former Cora Jade, she was flat-out told she would never become champion because she didn’t look physically strong enough.
In a documentary published on TNA Wrestling’s YouTube channel, Black reflected on her time in WWE NXT and the frustrations she experienced while trying to establish herself. She explained that despite putting in the work, listening to coaches, and improving her performances, she continued watching other wrestlers receive opportunities that weren’t coming her way. Black said she couldn’t understand why her hard work wasn’t translating into more opportunities, especially when she believed she was doing everything WWE had asked of her.
“I felt like I was doing everything right. I felt like I was taking all the advice. I felt like I was improving in every aspect that any coach was telling me to. I felt like I was doing it, but I wasn’t getting the opportunities that other people were getting, and I kind of was watching myself being passed over, and I didn’t understand why.”
“I was told that I was not and would not be champion in that company because I looked like I couldn’t even crack an egg.”
Black didn’t identify who made the comment, but she made it clear that the criticism she received about her appearance had a serious impact on her confidence. She explained that she entered WWE without having major insecurities about her body. That changed once she found herself under constant scrutiny, with people judging how she looked and whether she fit their expectations of a professional wrestler.
“Very quickly, I started to become very, very insecure about my body. Yeah, that was definitely the first time that I was like, I never thought anything was wrong with my body, and then I get put into this position, and all these eyes in this different, you know, spotlight, and it’s a mind f** to be honest.”*
Those struggles were made even more difficult by the fact that Black joined WWE at just 19 years old. She admitted that she spent much of her early career worrying about how others perceived her and whether she was doing or saying the wrong things.
“I got signed when I was 19. So, I think for a while, honestly, like my first few years there, I was very worried about being perceived a certain way or like how people were going to view me or doing something the wrong way or saying something the wrong way and kind of like walking on eggshells because I wasn’t fully confident in myself and my work.”
Black has since returned to TNA Wrestling, where she says she’s finally beginning to feel comfortable with herself again. After years of struggling with outside expectations, she believes she’s reached a point where she understands who she is both personally and professionally.
“For the first time in a very long time, I feel confident in who I am as a person and as a character. I don’t think I’ve ever fully been 100% locked in. I know who I am, I know what I’m doing, and you’re not going to tell me s** until right now, which is a very rewarding place to be in.”*
Black’s comments offer a troubling look at the criticism she says she faced while trying to move up in WWE. Although she didn’t reveal who allegedly told her she would never become champion, the fact that she still remembers the remark shows how much it affected her.
What do you think about Elayna Black’s claim that she was told she would never become WWE champion because of her appearance? Do you believe her WWE career could have turned out differently if she’d received more opportunities? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
