Kayla Braxton Turned Down Offer to Join WWE Commentary Team

Kayla Braxton had been part of the WWE family since 2016, but her run with the company came to an end after the June 28th edition of Friday Night SmackDown. Interestingly enough, Braxton has now revealed she rejected a commentary role in WWE.

Cody Rhodes gave an emotional farewell to Kayla Braxton following the June 28th episode of Friday Night SmackDown, marking the end of her remarkable eight-year career with WWE. With her departure from the company, Braxton is now free to explore new opportunities and pursue her career outside of WWE.

During her time with WWE, Kayla Braxton held various roles, including backstage interviewer, host of shows like The Bump and SmackDown Lowdown, and host of many premium live event pre-shows.

While speaking in a recent interview with The Ring Generals, Braxton talked about her decision to leave WWE in June and revealed that WWE had offered her the opportunity to do commentary. She admitted that the decision to leave wasn’t easy but had been on her mind for a long time. Although she had grown to love wrestling and appreciated her time with WWE, she felt she lacked the same deep connection to the industry as those who had dreamt of it their entire lives.

“It wasn’t an easy decision but it was something that I was thinking about for a long time. It’s no secret that I didn’t come from the wrestling world, I was introduced to it and I’m so glad I was, I came to love it and it will be one of the best parts of my entire life. I think I just didn’t have that same connection as others who’ve dreamt of being here their entire lives. I recognize that I have done everything. I didn’t want to be on commentary, they asked me a few times if I wanted to do commentary and I said, ‘Hell no.’ [laughs] I don’t know how they do that.”

Braxton mentioned that she didn’t want to pursue commentary, despite WWE’s offers, and found the idea unappealing. She also felt that staying in her current position might prevent others, like Megan Morant, from advancing. Braxton noted Morant’s potential and promise and was actively involved in training her. She believed that by leaving, she was making way for others who were more passionate and deserving of the opportunity.

Braxton also explained that her move to LA and her desire to explore new opportunities influenced her decision. She recognized the limited turnover in WWE’s roles and felt it was time for her to step back to allow others to grow and for her to pursue new challenges.

“I was like, what else can I do here? I’m keeping myself from advancing in other things I want to do. I’m not a spring chicken anymore, I know how women are viewed in the entertainment industry and television. I’m also keeping other people who want this spot away from it [and they] might love it and appreciate it more. Even when I left The Bump, I did that for a couple of reasons. One, I moved to LA, and they wanted me to stay on, they put a studio in my apartment. But, there was another girl, Megan Morant, who came into WWE. I saw so much potential and promise in her, I started training her and having her come into The Bump as a co-host. I was like, this needs to be your show. You’ve done the work, you love it. I felt like if I stayed on that show, I’m doing a disservice to her and that whole department by not letting — you know how WWE is, there is not a lot of turnover in certain positions. They would let me be there until I’m 55 probably, but then that’s not doing a favor for anybody. I’m just taking a step back and going, I wanna move on and do bigger things in my life, I want other people to do the same thing.”

We have also reported that WWE has left the door open for Braxton to return to the company one day. Only time will tell if Braxton returns to WWE one day but until then, Braxton will continue to flourish in whatever she sets her mind to next.

What do you think of Kayla Braxton rejecting the opportunity to be part of the WWE commentary team? Do you believe she would have done well in the role? Sound off in the comments section below!