Roxanne Perez Gets Emotional Over Cora Jade’s WWE Release

WWE’s recent wave of releases left fans reeling, but few names hit harder than Cora Jade. Now, her former tag partner and longtime friend Roxanne Perez is speaking out—getting emotional while opening up about Elayna Black’s exit from WWE.

While speaking to the New York Post, Perez reflected on the shared dream she and Black chased from their indie days to WWE NXT. For Perez, the end of their on-screen journey has been personal and painful.

“I absolutely love Cora so much,” Perez said, her voice clearly cracking during the conversation. “And, yeah, we definitely talked about making it to the WWE together before we even made it, and being able to share all of those moments that we were able to share together from her last (NXT) match, being to tag with me was really cool.”

Looking back on her time in NXT, Perez explained how deeply intertwined her career was with Black’s.

“I feel like, when I look back at my NXT career—I just see Cora and how much she helped me, how much she helped me with my character work, and to be comfortable with who I am,” she continued.

The emotional connection went beyond the ring. Perez said their backstage work together shaped who she became as a performer.

“So being able to do all of these promos with her and these backstages really brought out a different side of me and a more comfortable side, and a side that I had never really shown to the world or the crowd before,” Perez admitted.

The goodbye has clearly left a void.

“So yeah, I absolutely love Cora, and it’s hard to do it without her now, but I know she’s gonna absolutely kill it in whatever she decides to do,” she added. “I think everybody should definitely keep an eye on Elayna Black because she’s gonna do some really cool things.”

Now officially on the Raw roster, Perez said she’s not one to overthink or question creative direction—but her Royal Rumble record and key matches across Raw and SmackDown made her believe WWE had long-term plans for her.

As for Elayna Black, she’s clearly preparing for her next chapter. Her recent hype video made it clear she’s dropped the Cora Jade persona and is ready to forge her own identity, saying, “This was never your story. It was always mine.”

The split may be official, but the friendship and mutual respect between the two remain intact—and fans should expect fireworks from both women in the months ahead.