Carmella has a simple explanation for why she is struggling with her knees. The former SmackDown Women’s Champion revealed 12 years of extreme work in WWE had taken its toll. In an Instagram post, the former women’s champion said that is why they are in terrible shape, and her signature finish might explain the wear.
Carmella posted the following caption on Instagram:
Thanks for the submission!
“Me wondering why my knees hurt”
The video then cuts to her in-ring work with a lot of focus on her finisher, the Code of Silence. Carmella ended the video by adding this:
“Me for 12 years in a row”
Check out Carmella’s post below:
The 38-year-old signed with WWE in 2013 and won the first women’s Money in the Bank ladder match in 2017, cashing in the following year to take the SmackDown Women’s Championship. She later held the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with Zelina Vega.
Her finisher put mileage on her legs. The Code of Silence is a head-scissor style submission in which Carmella traps her opponent’s neck between her legs and leans back, using her knees and thighs rather than her arms.
She has not wrestled since March 12, 2023, when she teamed with Bayley, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY and Piper Niven at a Road to WrestleMania live event at Madison Square Garden.
Her knees are only part of the story. Carmella has spent the past 18 months explaining and re-explaining where her career stands.
Carmella’s departure from WWE and her retirement from wrestling
Carmella’s WWE contract expired in February 2025 and was not renewed.
Then came the retirement question. Speaking with Laura Clery on the Hot Mom Sh** podcast, Carmella said:
“I was a professional wrestler. I can’t wrestle anymore. I’m a mom. I have kids. I’m retired.”
In a YouTube video published on November 3, she tied her hesitation to return to the ring to postpartum anxiety (h/t Cageside Seats):
“I was in the ring wrestling, and I could at any point get a serious injury, but I didn’t really think about it. I didn’t really care. And I’m wondering if maybe now that’s why I’m not really that open to wanting to go back into the ring because I do have kids.”
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Edited by Saiyed Adeem Karim
