NXT Recruit Addresses WWE Release, Didn't Feel Wrestling Was For Her

NXT recruit Alexis Lete addresses her release from WWE and discusses issues with injuries and realizing wrestling wasn't for her

By Matthew Aguilar

Earlier this year several NXT talents were released by WWE, including Alexis Lete. Lete was part of the August 2022 recruiting class and hadn't debuted on television yet before her release in September of this year. Lete described her time in NXT in a new video on her YouTube channel, a video titled "The Tea Ya'll Have Been Waiting for: Why I'm Not in the WWE Anymore". In the video, Lete reveals that she found herself realizing that wrestling might not be for her, and while she tried to go the extra mile and dedicate herself to the craft, the potential for injuries, an experience with a concussion, and waning enthusiasm for wrestling, in general, ended up making the release more like a confirmation (H/T Fightful).

"I had a great time. I feel like WWE is a place of misfits. We're all a little weird and janky, so I fit in kind of perfect there. With that being said, I didn't always feel like I was meant to be in WWE, or, at least a wrestler. I didn't always think I was supposed to be a wrestler. It was early on, I didn't pick it up really fast, I was kind of hesitant, I saw a lot of injuries, and by seeing a lot of injuries, I didn't know if it was for me or not," Lete said. "I'm not going to lie, I'm a wimp. People in WWE are some badass people. They're putting their life on the line, breaking their bones, finishing matches, getting staples in their head and they keep going. That's so hardcore. That's not me. I'm not hardcore. I wish I was, but I'm not. I'm a fragile little bean."

"I actually loved WWE. Had so much fun, loved my friends, but I didn't love wrestling," Lete said. "I remember when I came back with my mom and dad for the New Year. I was like, 'I have different ideas for different shows. Maybe I could pitch this show similar to The Bump, but different, a Bump version at NXT.' I was trying to pitch different show ideas I could do. Pretty much, I was like, 'I'm in the WWE, I don't necessarily want to wrestle, but maybe I can do this whole hosting thing since I love it so much.' I remember talking to people on cameras and in the social media department, and they shut it down. 'You're really supposed to wrestle, you're not supposed to tamper outside of what you're doing. If they know you're not passionate and into wrestling, they'll fire you.' I'll keep showing up, I'll keep going to promo classes, I'll keep working on my mic skills, maybe they'll see me on the mic and be like, 'You know what, head to the mic. That's all you're going to do. You're going to be a valet and someone who is a talker. It's okay if you don't wrestle very often.' That's what I was hoping for."

At one point it looked as if that might happen, as the head of NXT at the time approached her and said they noticed her skills on the microphone. They even said she would be on TV without having to wrestle, and Lete was thrilled. Unfortunately, that didn't end up happening, and she was devastated.

"One day, the guy who was the head of NXT pulled me aside and was like, 'You did a great job on the mic today. We're really impressed. We're going to put you on TV without having to wrestle.' I left that day so elated. A week passed and this person was like, 'We changed our mind. We want you really to wrestle. We don't want to put you on TV until you're ready to wrestle.' I just remember being so devasted," Lete said.

Lete then revealed she asked for signs from God if she should continue, and in an effort to do her part, started a 60-day challenge where she dedicated herself to getting better as a wrestler and doing everything she could to make a difference and an impression, and it appeared to be working.

"I went on a 60-day challenge. For these 60 days, if I was not on Level Up, I was going to quit or decide something to do, talk to somebody, something was going to happen. For these 60 days, I was going to vlog, make a short video, and try my absolute best. I was going to go to all the extra rings, the last one in the gym, ask all the questions, listen in and hear people prepare and get ready. I was going to be a sponge and soak everything up. It started working. People started noticing me. I started getting better. I got compliments from people telling me that it was so great that I was so interested and that I was asking so many questions. People wanted to help me, I got eyes on me. Coaches kept saying, 'I think you're going to be on TV in three months. I think it's going to happen for you.' I was starting to get hopeful," Lete said.

"At the same time, I would go home, watch wrestling, watch different matches to get different move ideas, different character ideas, and it felt like a chore. It wasn't fun for me. I dreaded it. It was like my soul was slowly being sucked out of my body the more I tried to get myself to like this. I did like wrestling, but I didn't love it. I didn't feel it was for me. I think the main thing was injuries," Lete said.

In the video Lete talks about reading "One At A Time: The Unexpected Way God Wants to Use You to Change the World, and then says that during a trip one of the girls said she was thankful for Lete and the fact that God put her in her life. She also says another girl apologized for doing her wrong in the past, so she was having an impact. The injuries would start to become a factor at this point, and Lete reveals someone encouraged her not to tell the medical team about a concussion unless it was really bad.

"Another show happens and during this live match, a girl knees me in the face pretty much. My head hit something behind me. In that moment, I was like, 'Something is wrong.' It wasn't a bad wrong, just 'Oh, I rung my bell.' Ringing your bell is a concussion. 'I think something happened. I don't know if it's bad or not.' I took a few days to figure out if I actually had something wrong or not. A few days went by and I could tell I was a little off. I've had some concussions before I knew something was not right. I go into work. I don't say anything," Lete said.

"Then next time, I'm heading to medical. 'I'm going to tell them something is weird. I think I run my bell.' As I'm walking in someone is like, "Letty, what's up, how are you doing?' 'I'm doing really good, but I'm about to head to medical. I feel like something happened and I feel I rang my bell.' He's like, 'Oh, you rang your bell?' 'Yeah, ringing your bell is still a concussion. It's still not the best.' He told me, 'Hey, that's kind of part of the job. You get injuries all the time. You deal with them and you move on and get ready for the next thing.' 'Oh, okay.' 'Don't go and tell them. Spend another night, think about it, but unless you're bad and black out, I wouldn't tell them about it.' 'Oh, okay,' In that moment. I was like, 'F this.' I went home, did my night routine, took my vlog video and was like, 'I don't know if this is for me.' I love entertaining, but I don't want to entertain at the risk of my body and mental health. I said, 'I don't think this is for me.' The next day, I called in sick to work," Lete said.

Lete is still grateful for her time in WWE despite some of the problems, saying, "With all that said. I'm so grateful for my time in WWE. I'm so grateful for God. God is real. Pray."

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