Elayna Black Knew Her WWE Release Was Coming: “I Just Knew That Was My Last Match”

Elayna Black, formerly known as Cora Jade in WWE, saw her release coming long before she got the call—and now she’s sharing exactly how it all went down.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Black admitted she had a strong gut feeling that her time in WWE was coming to an end, especially during WrestleMania week in Las Vegas. While she didn’t know for certain, she couldn’t shake the sense that the clock was ticking.

“I feel like anyone probably has—in the company—has that little inkling in the back of their head just because it is so cutthroat, and cuts do happen often. So I wouldn’t say that it was a shock, only because—I’ve said it before—I’m very good with my intuition. I don’t know why, I just always have been. I’ve always just had like a gut feeling, and then when I feel that, it just tends to happen.”

She described soaking in the experience with her best friend Roxanne Perez at WWE World, knowing it might be her last hurrah:

“I did have that gut feeling maybe like two weeks prior, especially when I was in Vegas for Mania. I was rooming with Roxan—she’s my best friend—and all week I was just making sure to really like, take it in and enjoy everything. I did matches at WWE World. I did promos at WWE World. We had so much fun, and I got to do it all with my best friend. But I did have that feeling that I was going to be gone soon, so I was trying to enjoy it, you know?”

Her final match was against Sol Ruca at a WWE live event—and in her words, it felt like the end.

“I remember, I think it was my last actual match there, I wrestled Sol Ruca on a live event, and I just knew. I don’t know—I just knew that it was going to be my last time there. So I just took a lot of time in my entrance. I had fun in the match. I took a long time afterwards. I signed autographs, which I never really do because I’m a heel—I’m a bad guy. But I knew. I was like, ‘Well, that’s a wrap.’ And sure as hell, it was like a week later, that following Friday.”

When the release call came, she asked if it was budget cuts. WWE’s response?

“I asked why when I got the call, was it budget cuts, and I was told it was a company decision. So, I’m not going to argue it. It is what it is.”

Elayna Black might be done with WWE, but she’s not done with wrestling. With AEW and other promotions potentially in play, she’s keeping her options open and her head high.

Did WWE make a mistake letting Elayna Black go? Or was it just time for her to move on? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know where you think she should end up next.