It has just been confirmed on the WWE website that Layla, who first appeared after winning the 2006 WWE Diva Search competition will be retiring from the company.
During her career in the WWE she managed to win the WWE Women’s Championship in 2010 making her the final champion before the title was retired that year.
In April 2012 she went on to win the WWE Divas Championship after returning from injury and she would go on to hold onto the title until September of that year.
She has given an exclusive interview to WWE.com which can be read in full by clicking on this link, below are some highlights.
Why walking away is going to be such a challenge:
“I feel like deciding to retire from the ring has been a hard decision to make because I’m passionate and I love performing. I’ve known everybody in that company now for nine years. They’re family. I spend more time with crew and Superstars and Divas on the roster than I did with anybody else. It becomes part of your life. And not only that, it’s hard walking away from the fans. Part of me feels a little bit guilty for walking away because [WWE fans] are 100 percent loyal and have supported me since 2006. I wouldn’t even have this job if the fans didn’t vote in the Diva Search. I was able to win that competition because of them and I was blessed. But sometimes you just need to step out and take a risk and move onto the next phase in life.”
The key factors that led to her decision to leave the WWE:
“I’ve been traveling the world for nine years now and sometimes it’s just time to start the next chapter of your life. Traveling on the road was fun, but the older you get, it takes more time for recovery. I just got tired of the travel part.”
What’s next for Layla? Where does she go from here:
“What’s next for Layla? To be perfectly honest, the first two weeks, I’m doing absolutelynothing. [laughs] No, I have stuff that I would like to do. I would maybe like to do some TV stuff, whether it’s in the States or in the U.K. I’ve talked a little bit about maybe going back into my dance background. I’m going to start choreographing and might even go back to the Heat to start choreographing with them.
And then, of course, I’m engaged now to my fiancé Richard. We’re going to get married and then later on, in a few years, I want to have some kids and start my family life.”
You can read the full interview and her final message to the WWE Universe at this link.
