Returning WWE Star Discusses Reigniting Their Passion After Release

WWE

A returning WWE star has discussed reigniting their passion after their release.

In November 2021, Mia Yim was released from WWE after three years with the promotion.

After taking time away from the ring, Yim returned to action on the independent scene and came back to IMPACT Wrestling. She spent several months with the company before her departure in October.

The H.B.I.C. made her way back to WWE on the November 7 edition of Raw when she aligned with AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows of The O.C.

Speaking with CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri on SHAK Wrestling, Yim reflected on her WWE release and discussed how focusing on her personal life helped her get through it.

She said:

“When that happened, it was very discouraging and disheartening.”

“But it helped that me and my husband, we supported each other, and we had other things to focus on, like the wedding, and we just bought a house, so we were planning on moving right after the wedding.”

“We were very occupied with real-life stuff. It kind of helped me through, and along with just focusing on that aspect, like wrestling kind of took a backseat.”

“It made me realize wrestling isn’t everything. Life still goes on, and to focus on the people you love. I had to really evaluate if I wanted to continue to wrestle because I wasn’t sure if I did.”

Yim continued on to praise her friends in IMPACT Wrestling who helped reignite her love for the business, saying:

“So thankfully I was able to reignite my love for wrestling with the friends of Gail [Kim], Scott [D’Amore], Gisele, being surrounded by great people and being able to go out and kill it, and have that support.”

“At that moment, it was very much like, not only was I not sure if I wanted to do it, but I felt like maybe my time was up, like I’m not as good as I was five, ten years ago. So maybe it’s just time to hang it up.”

The former IMPACT Knockouts Champion stated that she was excited for the opportunity that returning to WWE offered.

Yim said:

“So I just needed to find myself in wrestling and see if I could still go with all these new talent, but also the talent that are killing it now, like can I keep up with them?”

“I was able to, and coming back, it was like, ‘Let’s go.’ I have such high respect for Triple H and what he’s done for NXT that I was like I’m ready to go.”

Finally, Yim concluded that the chance to align with The O.C. felt like a nice way to make her return, saying:

“When I was told, ‘Hey, the boys want you, think they think you could help them out,’ and the fact that I knew them months prior, and AJ years prior, it’s like hell yeah, let’s go. So it was nice to come back to everybody just welcoming.”

Mia Yim returned as The O.C.’s solution for their Rhea Ripley problem in their ongoing feud with The Judgment Day on Monday Night Raw.

Yim will team with Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Asuka, Alexa Bliss and a mystery partner to face Rhea Ripley, Nikki Cross, Bayley, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai and IYO SKY in the Women’s War Games Match at this Saturday’s Survivor Series event.

For the full lineup for the show, click here.

Transcription via Fightful

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