"It's a blessing" - released WWE star reflects on her departure

A former WWE star is looking at their recent release as a blessing and has revealed why things got so emotional.

McKenzie Mitchell previously worked as an on-air talent and interviewer for IMPACT Wrestling from May 2016 to January 2019 before joining WWE in September 2019. She worked as a backstage interviewer on NXT and hosted WWE Now and The Bump on YouTube.

Mitchell also worked with Fox Sports West and Fan Girl Sports. Mitchell also did some main roster work until announcing her departure on December 1, 2023.

The 29-year-old recently spoke with Chris Van Vliet and stated that her release feels like a blessing. Mitchell also revealed how the post-release feedback has been. She was asked how she's been doing since the departure.

"I'm good, I think once the dust has settled, it's a blessing. I know that there are so many new beginnings and I'm excited to see what's to come in the future. The outreach and the support that I've gotten from friends, family, co-workers, colleagues, production, staff executives in WWE, the fans most importantly... it's been insane," she said.

Mitchell met her husband while working for World Wrestling Entertainment. She and NXT's Vic Joseph announced their engagement in November 2021, then traveled to Italy in October 2022 for their wedding.

McKenzie Mitchell on getting so emotional after WWE release

It's believed that McKenzie Mitchell will continue her career in pro wrestling now that she's no longer with the Stamford-based company. She just announced her first post-release booking.

Speaking with Chris Van Vliet in the aforementioned interview, the 29-year-old backstage interviewer reflected on why she became so emotional when her release was confirmed earlier this month.

"That's what made me so emotional, when I got released, was being able to hear from everyone on how much I impacted, you know, their opinion when watching WWE, and when watching NXT. Hearing from all of the people, their favorite moment in my career and their favorite interviews that I've done... this made such a big impact on me, to see what it made on them," she said.

Mitchell stays busy with non-wrestling projects as she launched her own "Headline by MM" jewelry brand this past summer.

What did you think of McKenzie Mitchell's wrestling work? Where does she rank on your list of all-time great on-air talents? Sound off in the comments below!