Why did Kelly Kelly refuse to return to WWE at Evolution despite being invited?

WWE's all-women premium live event, Evolution, has returned after a hiatus of seven years. The mega show kicked off at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Several legendary women associated with WWE over the years were seen sitting in the crowd.

However, former WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly was nowhere to be seen. It has come to light that she refused to appear at the event. On her X account, Kelly Kelly replied to a fan, stating that WWE had invited her to appear at Evolution, but she chose not to attend.

The 38-year-old former WWE Superstar said that she didn't feel it was the right way to come back to WWE. However, she also said that she would return when the time is right.

"Thank you love, I was So honored to be invited to Evolution II, to sit in the crowd it just didn’t feel like the right way to come back. I’ll always be proud to have been part of the first, my heart is with every woman in that ring tomorrow. I’ll be back when the time’s right," she wrote.

Kelly's refusal to sit in the crowd is understandable, as she had earlier expressed her desire to participate in the Battle Royal match at Evolution. Replying to her X post, to a fan asking her to take part in the Battle Royal, she said that she would wish to do so. However, it seems that WWE didn't want her to compete inside the squared circle, but rather be seated in the crowd.

Although Kelly retired from WWE in 2012, she made sporadic appearances and participated in three Royal Rumble matches after her departure. Her last in-ring performance came in 2022 at the Royal Rumble, where she entered the match at number four and was eliminated by Sasha Banks.

It now remains to be seen when the former Divas Champion will be seen in action in WWE in the future.

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WWE Hall of Famer Michelle McCool also wanted to return in action at Evolution

Apart from Kelly Kelly, former WWE Women's Champion Michelle McCool had also expressed her desire to appear in the Battle Royal match at the PLE. Replying to a fan's request on X to grab her spot in the match, Michelle replied, "I wish."

However, when WWE announced all 20 women participants for the Battle Royal at Evolution, Michelle didn't feature in the list.

The Hall of Famer had also retired from in-ring competition in 2012, but has appeared in three women's Royal Rumble matches in WWE since then. It remains to be seen if she will be seen in some other capacity at the mega event.