How Naomi Walking Away From WWE Made Her Stronger
Naomi has opened up about how walking away from WWE made her appreciate what she had.
In May 2022, the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Naomi and Sasha Banks had had enough of how things were going in the company, so they decided to walk away. It was a shocking exit for two women who had been in the company for a long time, yet they were no longer satisfied.
For Naomi, it was a unique situation, especially since her husband Jimmy Uso was a significant part of The Bloodline story that was the biggest thing happening in the company at the time.
At the time of the walkout, Vince McMahon was still running WWE creatively. That changed two months later when Vince “retired” for the first time and Triple H took over as the Chief Content Officer.
Following a stint in TNA in the second half of 2023, Naomi was back in WWE full-time by the Royal Rumble 2024. In 2025, she had an incredible heel turn, leading to a Money in the Bank win and capturing the Women’s World Title.
While speaking to WWE legend Stephanie McMahon on What’s Your Story? in an interview with Jimmy Uso, Naomi talked about how she was at a point in life where she didn’t want to wrestle anymore.
“When the walkout happened, I think that was the first time in my adult life where I had the chance to stop, rethink, redefine, and figure out what I really wanted next and how I wanted my life to move forward.
In the beginning, I really struggled to process that. I thought I didn’t want to wrestle anymore and that I was done. [Jimmy Uso] was also in a different place in his career. He was in the thick of Bloodline.”
Leaving WWE Re-Lit A Fire Under Naomi To Come Back Better Than Ever
While talking about her time away from WWE, Naomi spoke about how moving on from the company that she was part of for more than a decade made her stronger.
“It was such a crazy time. He did such a great job. I also had to go through a lot emotionally and mentally on my own because he had his own stuff going on. That was the first time where I had to do the work on myself. It was great. It made me stronger. It re-lit a fire in me.
I became a lot more confident in myself because I didn’t have him to reassure me on things about work. I thought I grew so much through that and the time period when I was gone. When I came back, I was ready, I was refreshed, and I was intentional on what I wanted this time to be like. I focused, I locked in, and I worked hard. It paid off.”
As she continued, Naomi also made the point that her time away made her realize there was more that she wanted to do in pro wrestling.
“It gave me a whole new appreciation. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Me, being home, I went through a shoulder surgery. Just physically, I feel like it was taken away from me.
I thought maybe I was ready to transition into a different part of life, but in that moment, I realized, ‘Oh no. I ain’t done yet. There is still more in me. There is still more I want to do. There is still more I have to do. I don’t want it to end this way.’
Even through all the messiness of that, the beautiful part of it was me fighting through that, pushing through that, and wanting to prove that there is more for me to do and accomplish. Not just in wrestling, but as a woman and someone going through a difficult time.”
There was supposed to be a Women’s World Championship match on Raw this past Monday with Naomi defending the gold against Iyo Sky. However, the match was cancelled, and it was announced that Naomi wasn’t cleared to compete. The champion is expected to address whatever is going on with her on the August 18th episode of Raw.
As far as rumors go, some people believe Naomi could be pregnant with husband Jimmy Uso’s baby. They have been married since 2014, and Jimmy has two children from a previous relationship. If true, Naomi would have to give up the Women’s World Title, have the baby, and then come back whenever she’s ready, like many other women on the current roster have done.