Professional wrestler Trinity Fatu is finally sharing the reason why she walked out on the WWE a year ago. As a recent guest on the Busted Open podcast, Fatu opened up about what led up to her breaking point after reaching the pinnacle of her career.
“Because of the way I was talked to and handled, and everything kind of just broke me that day,” the 35-year-old told hosts Dave LaGreca and former wrestling champions Mickie James and Tommy Dreamer. “[It] had nothing to do with anything else, anybody else. But that was it. I had to.”
On May 16, 2022, wrestling fans will recall the surprising moment Tatu abruptly walked out during a live broadcast of WWE’s Monday Night Raw. According to TV Line, Fatu and her tag team partner Mercedes Varnado’s issue pertained to a planned main event, though exact details are still unknown. When Varnado met with then-CEO Vince McMahon, who allegedly refused to make the change, Varnado and Fatu exited the event, reported the outlet.
Naturally, Fatu’s decision to walk out caused the “WWE Universe” to speculate what was behind the dramatic moment, but she and Varnado remained silent on the matter. Following the exit, the WWE released a statement garnering mixed reviews from fans.
“When Sasha Banks and Naomi arrived at the arena this afternoon, they were informed of their participation in the main event of tonight’s Monday Night Raw,” the statement began. “During the broadcast, they walked into WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis office with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk and walked out.”
It continued: “They claimed they weren’t respected enough as tag team champions. And even though they had eight hours to rehearse and construct their match, they claimed they were uncomfortable in the ring with two of their opponents even though they’d had matches with those individuals in the past with no consequence. Monday Night Raw is a scripted live TV show, whose characters are expected to perform the requirements of their contract.”
“We regret we were unable to deliver, as advertised, tonight’s main event,” the statement concluded.
WWE's statement on Sasha Banks and Naomi pic.twitter.com/DrNS84QfxX
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) May 17, 2022
Still, Fatu did not officially announce her WWE departure until nearly a year later. On Instagram, she responded “no frien'” to a fan who asked if she was still part of the brand. When Busted Open podcast hosts asked Fatu how her time away from wrestling affected her, she admitted all the backlash she faced and rumors swirling around the exit “broke” her and made her feel “lost.”
“It was probably the lowest I’ve ever felt in my life. But going through that, it made me reset and face it head on and figure out how to learn from this experience, grow from it and find myself again in all of it,” she elaborated. “I’m extremely happy now and really thankful for this opportunity to show that you haven’t seen me at my best yet.”
Reflecting on her journey, Fatu says she now recognizes that the WWE situation was a “blessing in disguise.” She recently signed with Impact Wrestling and has plans to shake up the women’s division, making her debut in late April, which is expected to air on Thursday’s episode of IMPACT! at 8/7c on AXS TV. “The doors are open for me everywhere, literally everywhere, but I truly feel like Impact is the best choice for me at this point in my in my life right now with what I want to do,” Fatu said during the podcast. “Just to be able to work with the talent there, I feel that it’s where I’ll be happiest and most utilized and really get to grow in the ways that I feel that I need to right now on this wrestling journey.”
