Elayna Black, known to WWE fans as Cora Jade until her release last month, has shared details of a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy she suffered in January 2023 while part of the NXT roster. The former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion opened up about the traumatic experience during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show this week.
Black, who WWE released on May 2, 2025, recalled how the medical emergency unfolded. It was the night before a scheduled match against Lyra Valkyria.
“In January of 2023, I was supposed to wrestle Lyra Valkyria on Tuesday, and long story short, I ended up in emergency surgery in the hospital the night before, literally almost dying and bleeding out because I had an ectopic pregnancy that had failed and exploded,” she revealed.
Despite sensing something was seriously wrong, Black’s initial instinct was to try and compete. She explained she was “thinking I just have to get through the match tomorrow.”
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The situation was critical, and she was rushed into surgery where doctors had “to remove my left fallopian tube.” The ordeal meant Black missed that year’s NXT Stand & Deliver.
She described the period following her return to NXT as deeply challenging: “After I came back those few months I was just the most mentally depressed I have ever been in my life.”
Before signing with WWE in 2021 and becoming Cora Jade, Black made a brief appearance on AEW Dark in 2020 and had also appeared for TNA. Since her WWE release, Black has been actively signaling her next chapter.
She recently posted a video to social media captioned “Dear Cora 6/14/25 ⏳,” referencing her old WWE ring name.
Upon her release, she shared a reflective social media post which drew supportive comments. This included a post from WWE star CM Punk, who replied, “Dream chaser. Turn it to gold.”
In her Helwani interview, Black also stated that she would be interested in joining AEW, citing their creative freedom.
AEW may be the right landing spot for her, considering that she is still so young and could use the rival promotion as a launching pad for her career on a short-term basis. A one or two-year deal would be something she could use greatly to her benefit and perhaps make her way to WWE one day if she impresses enough.
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