On the most recent edition of her “Wilde On” podcast, Taylor Wilde revealed why she has decided to take a step back from wrestling these days.
Wilde, who previously worked for TNA Wrestling, was last seen in the ring back in August 2023. Wilde says she’s stepped away for now due to a number of personal issues.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On why she’s stepped back from wrestling: “Wrestling is put on the shelf for me, again. I went through a ton of sh*t. I haven’t even publicly spoken about this. I went through a lot in my personal life. I touched on the custody battle and the divorce. My dad had a heart attack and first responders did CPR on him for almost an hour. He made it, but it was eight months in the hospital. He was in the ICU, he almost died a couple of times, he got COVID, he had to have a tracheotomy, but he’s home and independently living. That was beautiful. The custody battle and divorce got nastier at that time and affected my work life, both wrestling and as a firefighter. I moved in with my sister and now late brother-in-law during that time. Almost a year to the day that my dad had a heart attack, my brother-in-law had a freak accident happen and passed at 37. That left my 32-year-old sister and my then-two-year-old niece without a dad.
“With everything I had already been through, I thought, I better take a break. I was going to take a leave from firefighting, just do my podcast and be on the road full-time. What people don’t know is that when I came back to wrestling, I was bringing my son on the road with me full-time. That’s two 12-hour TV days with TNA, and then I was still doing my podcast, working full-time as a firefighter. I think, when I walked away from everything and was just going to focus on wrestling, my body pooped out on me. I had a neurological emergency that scared me enough to where I thought, ‘If this is any correlation to wrestling, then that’s it for me.’ I was going to give wrestling my all this past year and after everything I had been through, whether it was stress, the COVID vaccine, or it was going to happen to me anyway. My body gave out on me and so wrestling is on the shelf for me right now.”
On whether she may return in the future: “What happened to me was so scary and so forever changing, that I’m still not … I’ve been medically cleared if I ever change my mind, but my life is not 100 percent yet; they take certain privileges away from you if these things happen. Being a mom and recovering from all the emotional things that went on for two years, my life focus has changed. My self-worth was always wrapped up in producing: Wrestling, being a firefighter, being the best mom, doing, doing, doing, and maybe not dealing with emotional pain that, now that that all got wiped from me, my happiness stems from having a family. I met the love of my life during this and I just love family life.
“I would have loved to stay involved with IMPACT. Just because it may have been wrestling on the shelf, I would have loved to stay in a manager role. The Coven was my baby. I wrote that sh*t. Being a witch on screen was everything I dreamed of in the 90s. All that sh*t is really who I am. Producing backstage, participating creatively, commentary, I would have loved to stayed. I guess, the way the company goes, right time and right place, it didn’t end up staying that way. I’m living in the world that I always am, which is, I don’t know. I retired at 25 and then I came back ten years later. I don’t know.”
In a recent episode of her podcast, “Wilde On,” former TNA wrestler Taylor Wilde opened up about her decision to step back from the wrestling industry. Wilde, who was last seen in the ring in August 2023, cited a variety of personal issues as the reason for her hiatus.
During the podcast, Wilde revealed that she had gone through a series of challenging experiences in her personal life. She mentioned a custody battle and divorce, as well as her father’s heart attack, which resulted in an eight-month hospital stay. Her father’s health scare was followed by her brother-in-law’s tragic passing at the age of 37, leaving her sister and niece without a father figure.
Given the emotional toll of these events, Wilde decided it was necessary to take a break from wrestling. She had initially planned to leave her job as a firefighter and focus on her podcast while being on the road full-time for wrestling. However, she experienced a neurological emergency that frightened her enough to reconsider her plans. Although she was medically cleared to return to wrestling if she changed her mind, she acknowledged that her life was not yet fully back on track.
Wilde discussed how her priorities had shifted since these life-altering events. Previously, she had found her self-worth in being productive and excelling in various roles, such as wrestling, firefighting, and motherhood. However, after losing those aspects of her life, she realized that her happiness now stemmed from having a family and being in a loving relationship.
While Wilde expressed a desire to stay involved with IMPACT Wrestling, she acknowledged that the company’s direction did not align with her aspirations. She had hoped to continue in a managerial role and be involved in creative aspects such as producing backstage, participating in commentary, and contributing to storylines. However, circumstances did not allow for this to happen.
Wilde’s story serves as a reminder of the challenges individuals face both inside and outside the wrestling ring. It highlights the importance of prioritizing one’s mental and emotional well-being and making decisions that align with personal happiness and fulfillment.
As of now, Wilde remains uncertain about her future in wrestling. She retired at the age of 25 and made a comeback ten years later, so it is unclear what lies ahead for her. However, her focus on family and personal happiness suggests that she may continue to prioritize those aspects of her life moving forward.
In conclusion, Taylor Wilde’s decision to step back from wrestling is rooted in a series of personal challenges she has faced in recent years. Her story serves as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing mental and emotional well-being and making decisions that align with personal happiness. While her future in wrestling remains uncertain, Wilde’s focus on family and personal fulfillment suggests that she will continue to prioritize those aspects of her life moving forward.