"I was really frustrated"- Beth Phoenix reveals events that led to her retirement (Exclusive)
WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix discussed her WWE return in a recent interview with Sportskeeda's own, Rick Ucchino.
Beth Phoenix retired from pro-wrestling way back in 2012. Six years later, Phoenix made her return to the ring in the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble match. Here's what Beth Phoenix had to say about her retirement and surprise return at the annual free-for-all:
"At the time I left, I was entering a different kind of stage in my life. I wanted a family with someone who wanted the same things, and we're ready for it. The big thing was, when I was with WWE, I felt that I had done everything I could do, and I didn't see any change in front of me. I was like, "I put this time, and I poured my heart into this, but it's still kind of like the same thing." We're having short matches and we want these opportunities, and I was really frustrated. And I felt like, my career, I felt like I didn't move the needle. I was so frustrated that time."
"Over the years, having my daughters, and doing other things, I was still watching the product change right before my eyes. Seeing all these women moving the product in the right direction, and so when we had the chance to do the Royal Rumble, it was like a high school reunion, we're all celebrating this work that everybody had put in, everybody standing on the shoulders of prior generations. It was such a cool moment, that I was like, dude, I was super nervous, I just had a baby like the previous year, but I was like, "you know what, this is a once in a lifetime thing and I definitely want to be a part of it," said Beth Phoenix.
Beth Phoenix went on to wrestle many more matches over the next two years or so
Beth Phoenix's Royal Rumble 2018 return was followed by an eight-Woman Tag Team match the next year, in which she teamed up with Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Natalya, in a winning effort against The IIconics, and Nia Jax & Tamina.
The Glamazon was featured in a monumental WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania 35. She teamed up with Natalya in a Fatal Four-Way match for the titles that were on the shoulders of Banks and Bayley at the time. Phoenix and Natalya failed to win the match, with The IIconics coming out victorious in the end.