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A current WWE Superstar recently confirmed contemplating retirement in the past year due to physical struggles. Raquel Rodriguez opened up about her battle with an autoimmune disease that caused her skin to swell up, forcing her to think about life after wrestling.
Rodriguez revealed on Instagram in January 2024 that she was suffering from mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). It was a disease that affected her skin, resulting in itchiness, redness, and swelling. It flared up in February, leading to a hiatus from the squared circle.
In an interview with Steven Muehlhausen on The Takedown on SI, the 33-year-old WWE Superstar revealed that she thought about retirement during her battle with her disease. The former Women's Tag Team Champion said that while she loved wrestling, the hiatus made her realize that she needed to start thinking about what's next, as her body wouldn't allow her to do it forever.
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After a seven-month hiatus, Raquel Rodriguez made her triumphant return at WWE Bad Blood. Big Mami Cool helped Liv Morgan retain the Women's World Championship, as she attacked Rhea Ripley to cause a disqualification.
"This has been my dream, and now, it's just gone. What do I do? What's next? And I think that's the hard part for a lot of us. That we struggle with what's next, and I had to think about it for almost a year; just keep that in mind. I was like, 'Okay, I'm not going to tell myself that it's completely over because I feel like I can get over this, and I can get through this, but I do need to have an idea of what I am going to do if this doesn't work out,''' she said.
The Judgment Day member added:
"It really put a big perspective into my mind when it came to wrestling and my real life and what I'm going to do outside of wrestling because wrestling is the best thing ever. I love it. It's been my dream since I was a little girl, since I was watching my dad do it, but I know I can't do it forever. My body won't allow me to do it forever." [10:38-11:20]
Raquel Rodriguez moved back to Texas during her WWE hiatus
Following the flare-up at WWE Elimination Chamber: Perth, Raquel Rodriguez returned to Texas to spend time with her family. During the same interaction, the RAW Superstar revealed that she received much-needed support, which helped her emotionally and physically.
"I was home; I was with family. I had my parents here to support me. They were helping me non-stop, but there's still something about being a grown-up and having your dream job and then having all of that just taken away from you," Rodriguez said. [7:29-7:39 in the video above]
Rodriguez featured in the Women's WarGames Match this past Saturday in Canada. However, her team failed to emerge victorious, as Rhea Ripley pinned Liv Morgan to pick up a win for the babyfaces.
Please credit The Takedown on SI and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for using any quotes from the article.
