Bea Priestley is embracing her freedom following her WWE exit.
The former NXT and SmackDown talent, who performed under the name Blair Davenport, officially became a free agent on May 8, with her non-compete clause expiring just three months after her WWE release. Her return to the open market has sparked plenty of interest, with many touting her as a valuable asset for any women’s division around the world.
Speaking with Tom Campbell of Cultaholic, Priestley opened up about the emotional shift she experienced after receiving the release call from WWE — a call that, surprisingly, brought her a sense of relief.
“As soon as I got the call, I was like, ‘Oh, I can go back to being Bea again,’” she said with a laugh. “You don’t realize how unhappy you are until you feel relieved that you don’t have a job anymore. That kind of says a lot. I thought, ‘Okay, maybe this is actually a good thing for me.’”
Priestley also shared how much support she received in the aftermath of her release — particularly from within WWE itself.
“The amount of people who reached out from WWE was overwhelming,” she recalled. “It’s nothing personal — it’s business — but I think a lot of people felt bad for me, especially since I’d just been called up. I didn’t even make it a full year on SmackDown or Raw. But hearing from so many talents who said they were sorry and wished me the best… it reminded me that a lot of people really do care.”
With her future wide open, fans and insiders alike are eager to see where Bea Priestley lands next.
(H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above quotes.)
