The Performance Center recruit speaks about her future.
In early January 2023, it was reported by PWInsider that Alexis Gray signed with WWE and would be joining the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Gray’s signing was formally confirmed by the company when they revealed their spring 2023 rookie class in June.
On 9/21, Gray along with WWE talents from the main roster and NXT were let go. In her first post-release interview, Gray told Steve Fall of WrestlingNewsCo about her visa situation seeing as how she’s from the Bahamas. Coming into WWE, there was visa issues but once she got into the company, it was smooth sailing. She added that now it’s a matter of staying on top of everything because she’s no longer employed by WWE.
So it (my visa) only held me back when it came to actually getting to the company. Once I got to the company, everything went smoothly, it was all going great and it only became an issue again after the fact that now I’m released, I have to inform people, I have to inform the authorities, I have to make sure I’m staying up current with my visas and stuff like that so that I can get myself sorted out, so it’s a process, you know? It’s a process but, I guess it gotta be done (she smiled).
When the merger of WWE and UFC was completed to form TKO Group Holdings, Alexis said a lot of people in NXT had the thought in mind that layoffs could be happening. She stated that it was in the back of her mind, but because she was still new, she did not think she would be a part of those cuts.
Gray was ‘baffled’ when she got the call about being released. She felt things were just starting to click.
I honestly think a lot of us had that mindset (that because of the merger, there will be layoffs). I personally did have that thought in the back of my mind but because I was so new, I kind of didn’t accept that maybe I was a part of the people that were gonna get laid off. So when I did get the call, it was baffling to me because when I tell you I was — I had a plan, you know? I felt like things were finally making sense in the company. I felt like I understood what they were requesting of us, to just be cut off, right? Immediately as I understood it so, it was a lot, it was crazy.
Following up on that, Gray does not believe being with WWE would have made her successful. She feels what she had to offer would have made the company successful.
I genuinely don’t believe that being with WWE would have made me successful. I believe that what I was bringing would have made the company successful.
As far as the future goes, Gray plans on continuing her wrestling career and says she’s looking to find a good school to train at.
Currently, I’m gonna try to find a wrestling school because I’m definitely not gonna stop. I definitely have to show you guys what I look like in that ring and that is probably the main thing that is so heavy on my heart. The fact that I had so much planned and now it’s even more postponed. But, I mean the wait is gonna be worth it. I’m more excited. The more I wait, the more ideas I get, the more anxious I get, the more excited I get, the more passionate I get about the sport and it’s like, I’m just ready, I’m so ready. Looking forward to the future, trying to find me a great school. Just reaching out to a lot of the ladies in wrestling. That tweet was so beneficial to me in the fact that it connected me with so many people. So many women have reached out, so many companies have reached out and I am so grateful and it made me even more passionate because I’m like, out of this situation came good and I’m gonna accept that. It feels right.
The group of releases were discussed by POST Wrestling’s John Pollock and Wai Ting and to hear their reactions, head over to our YouTube channel.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit WrestlingNewsCo with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
