Carmella Confirms WWE In-Ring Retirement in Video, 'I Can't Wrestle Anymore'

Former WWE Superstar Carmella announced Tuesday that she has retired from professional wrestling.

During a discussion on her Hot Mom S--t podcast (beginning at the 25:30 mark) , Carmella said, "I was a professional wrestler. So, it's like, I can't wrestle anymore. I'm a mom. I have kids. So that's kind of like, I'm retired."

Carmella did appear to use air quotes when saying she was "retired," so while that could potentially leave the door open for something in the future, it doesn't sound like she intends on stepping back inside the ring any time soon.

The 38-year-old Carmella, whose real name is Leah Van Dale, was an active performer in WWE for about a decade from 2013 to 2023.

She enjoyed a decorated WWE career, holding the SmackDown Women's Championship and WWE Women's Tag Team Championships one time each. She was also the winner of the first women's Money in the Bank ladder match in 2017.

Carmella took a hiatus from WWE in 2023 when she became pregnant with her first child with husband and WWE commentator Corey Graves.

After being absent from WWE programming for nearly two years, TRNBCKL's Masked J reported that Carmella's WWE contract had expired.

Shortly thereafter, Carmella announced she was pregnant with her second child, and she gave birth in October 2025.

For now, Carmella is focusing on her family and other projects such as her podcast, leaving little room or time for an in-ring return.