Beth Phoenix done with WWE

In news that might be considered shocking to some, no surprise to others, it appears as though “The Glamazon” Beth Phoenix and WWE have severed ties.

Phoenix has apparently given notice to WWE, and is expected to finish up with the company next month, with a RAW taping at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey being her last appearance with the company. While situations like this many times are strictly rumors, this appears to be 100% true, as Phoenix is not booked for any TV tapings or house shows following October 22nd, which is always a strong indicator that a performer has indeed parted ways with the company.

Although there have been rumors that this is Beth’s retirement from pro wrestling, these have been neither confirmed nor denied. For the moment, it appears as though she is simply done with WWE, rather than wrestling on a whole.

Honestly, the departure from WWE is not surprising. For about the past year-plus, Phoenix has more or less been used as fodder to get other female talent over, despite being the most experienced and best all-around female performer in the company. There was a planned Phoenix/Kharma feud set for this year, but after Kharma went on maternity leave last year, that feud was put on hold. When Kharma asked for her release this year due to emotional stress from her miscarriage, the feud was completely canceled, leaving Phoenix with nothing to do.

Phoenix has not been seen on WWE for several weeks now, asking for time off from the company, with many of her peers citing “burnout” as the cause. Considering that she has not been used in any meaningful way in quite some time, it’s no surprise.

At this point, I would expect Phoenix to take the next few months off, at which point showing up in Ring of Honor, SHIMMER, Women’s Superstars Uncensored (WSU) or Femme Fatales. While a TNA run is certainly not out of the question (especially since Dixie Carter loves picking up WWE cast-offs), for some reason, I just don’t see it happening. Phoenix is leaving WWE on her own terms and leaving peacefully, so going to TNA doesn’t seem, at least to me, to be the next move for her.

Regardless of where she wrestles (if she continues to do so), you can expect her to keep the “Beth Phoenix” name. She was using the name prior to signing with WWE, meaning she likely owns the trademark on it. Often times, wrestlers are forced to change names when working for other companies due to trademark or copyright issues, but that is not the case here.