Elayna Black Reveals Why She Felt Defeated By Body-Shaming in WWE

Elayna Black was released by WWE last month and immediately after that, Black stated that she was bodyshamed by her bosses and co workers in WWE and now Black has finally elaborated on these accusations.

While speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, Elayna Black talked about her time in WWE and how she always stood up for what she believed in, even when others didn’t. She shared how she faced body-shaming but made it clear she doesn’t want to blame WWE because it has always been her dream, and she still hopes to be part of it again.

Black said her dream was to become a WWE Superstar, and she worked hard to reach many goals. She got to work with Bayley and has Punk as a mentor now. But she also had some hard times because of people’s comments about her body.

“I feel confident that I stood on my morals and spoke up about things that maybe others wouldn’t have. Okay, for example, I’ll say this because I put it out there—it’s the body-shaming stuff. Again, I don’t want this to be a ‘bash WWE’ thing because it’s my dream, still my dream, and I don’t doubt I’ll be there again.

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I feel like, I don’t know, thinking about it—my dream was to become a WWE Superstar, and I became one and accomplished so many goals. I got to work with Bayley, me and Punk—he’s a mentor to me now. I got to do so much, so I don’t want it to be about bashing WWE either.”

Elayna joined WWE when she was 19 years old, very small and weighing about 110 pounds. She said people often made comments about her size, sometimes as jokes, but some were hurtful. She was told she wouldn’t become a champion because of how she looked.

Black doesn’t want to blame WWE, but she thinks things could have gone better if people didn’t body-shame her. She said many people, especially men, made comments about her body that she felt were wrong. Being so young, it caused problems for her confidence and how she felt about her body.

After that, she worked really hard to build muscle. She went to strength and conditioning classes but felt those classes were meant for college athletes and didn’t help her. So, she started working out on her own at another gym.

“I came in at 19 years old, I was like 110 pounds and so small, and it was constant comments—whether it was from guys who thought it was funny or not. I won’t name names, but I remember being told that I wasn’t, and wouldn’t be, a champion in WWE because I looked like I couldn’t even crack an egg.

I’ll never be like ‘bash WWE,’ but I definitely think things could have gone differently if it wasn’t for the body-shaming.

Yeah, there were multiple conversations about my body, and I don’t think anyone—especially another man—should say certain things to a female. I was so young, and it created a lot of issues for me body-wise. But obviously, I gained muscle after that. I worked my ass off. I went to the strength and conditioning classes, and I felt like they were more geared toward college athletes. It was like getting into that kind of conditioning, and I felt like it wasn’t really helping my body.”

Elayna Black said maybe she shouldn’t have responded to some mean comments online, but it was hard because of everything she went through and how much she had to improve.

Black also said people say a lot of things, and when she finally spoke up, others told her to calm down, which was frustrating. She reminded everyone she isn’t trying to bash WWE, but some things made her feel sad because wrestling is her dream. She even left high school at 16 to start wrestling training. Even then, she believes everything happens for a reason.

“So, you’re yelling at me about how I look, but you’re not really helping with the kind of conditioning I need. So, I went to my own gym. Maybe I shouldn’t have responded to that dirt-sheet stuff, but if you knew what I dealt with and how much I had to progress because of those comments, it’s crazy to me.

People say so much, and then when you finally say something back, it’s like, ‘Chill out.’ God forbid I say anything once—it was frustrating.

Again, when I said that, I didn’t want it to seem like I was bashing WWE. But there were certain things where I’m like, ‘Damn, this is my dream.’ I dropped out of high school at 16 so I could start wrestling training. So, it’s defeating when things like that happen. But you can only look at it like—everything happens for a reason.”

Despite the body-shaming and struggles, Black has made it clear she will be the best version of herself. She is now a free agent and so we’ll have to wait and see if she can reinvent herself in 2025, as fans are definitely supporting her.

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