Former champion felt freedom after getting released by WWE

For all the credit Triple H and WWE's creative department get for vastly improving the product, some talents were still underutilized, with many of them eventually released. One such star is Dana Brooke.

Appearing on Busted Open Radio recently, Brooke, who goes by the name Ash by Elegance and is now in TNA, candidly spoke about her release in September last year.

She claimed that WWE did not believe in her even when producers like TJ Wilson advocated for her push. She then revealed that it was relieving to find out about her release, albeit a tad confusing at first because she was booked for an NXT show:

"The moment I got the call (that I was being released was when the feeling of freedom hit me). I’m not going to lie to you. It was the moment I got the phone call and I will never forget, it was Thursday that I received the phone call and previously, I’d say that Monday or Tuesday, I had gotten a call that I was going to be booked for a pay-per-view for NXT."

The 35-year-old continued:

"So when I had got that phone call, it was a bit of confusion at first. I’m like, ‘Wait a second, I was just told I’m working Sunday.’ But you know what? It’s fine, because I felt a sigh of relief and freedom. I can’t describe this feeling of a weight lifted off of my shoulders," she elaborated. [H/T: POST Wrestling]

Ash by Elegance made her TNA debut at the company's Hard To Kill pay-per-view on January 13, 2024. Along with her, former WWE Superstars Dolph Ziggler and Top Dolla also made appearances, as Nic Nemeth and AJ Francis, respectively.

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Ash is looking forward to her wrestling career now that WWE is in the rearview mirror

Ash also spoke about her future in the wrestling business. She began by stating that most people would get demoralized when they get the axe, but the self-proclaimed "hustler" and "go-getter" did not waste any time:

"I wanted to keep going and I knew that this was as one door closes, another opens and I truly believe that TNA is the perfect fit for me and going forward, when I am watching TNA Wrestling, I believe that the Knockouts division is a group of such bada** wrestling."

The former WWE Superstar feels that social media may have impacted her negatively, especially with her time in the Stamford-based promotion not amounting to much. Ash further went on to promise that she will "bring to the Knockouts division" in TNA.