It has been recently reported that WWE star Lacey Evans apparently decided to part ways with the company earlier this week. Her contract with WWE reportedly expired after August 15 and she decided against renewing it.
The 33-year-old superstar signed with the company in 2016 when she started out in NXT. She later participated in the 2017 Mae Young Classic. She was later called up to the main roster at the beginning of 2019 and entered first at the Women’s Royal Rumble that year. Her last big match was with Bayley in 2020 for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
What caused Lacey Evans to leave the WWE? Explained
Macey Estrella, also known as Lacey Evans in WWE was a huge deal when she was first called up to the main roster from NXT. Also known as the Sassy Southern Belle, she has very few accolades in WWE. According to Dave Meltzer, former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was apparently her only proponent in WWE Management and was the sole reason behind her giant push. After McMahon stepped away from being the Chairman last year, Evans has gotten less and less screen time.
🙏♥️thank you all!!!! https://t.co/88AQEEaxF9
— Macey Estrella (@LimitlessMacey) August 15, 2023
Lacey Evans then underwent a change in gimmicks, with her being repackaged into a military gimmick, that closely resembled Sgt. Slaughter. This apparently angered the Hall of Famer, who was not informed of the creative decision ahead of time. However, the change in gimmicks only led to her winning a few squash matches. She then lost all of her matches in 2023, with the final one being on SmackDown in June.
It is strongly believed that Vince McMahon was her only supporter in WWE and that, if he were to step away from his position, she would naturally be utilized less. Which ended up being the case. She was also absent for the majority of the time from WWE Television from July to November 2022. Her lack of exposure, coupled with poor creative decisions and no sense of what to do with her character eventually led to her quietly parting ways with the company.
Lacey Evans planning to open her café after her departure from WWE
After her quiet departure from WWE, the 33-year-old superstar has an unexpected plan for her future. In an interview with The Island News, the former WWE superstar talked about holding a grand opening for “The Sunny Summers CafĂ©” on the following Monday at Beaufort, South Carolina.
The former Lacey Evans is set to open a cafe following her exit from WWE, and talked about her decision to leave in a new interview. #LaceyEvans #WWE https://t.co/FKp0b558GP
— 411 Wrestling (@411wrestling) August 19, 2023
Lacey Evans went on to say that she was thankful for her time in WWE and how all of the travelling made it difficult for her to be with her family. “I thought I could be of more assistance fighting a different fight than in the WWE ring. I want to focus on helping my community to fight against addiction and fight on the mental health side to normalize mental health issues”, said Evans.
Apparently, she named the cafĂ© after her two daughters, Sunny and Summer. According to Evans, she plans on making her shop available to organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous and would provide free donuts and coffee to those who came to the meeting. She also went on to talk about how her cafe would be a place where people could “unplug from their devices and their minds as well”.
WWE fans wish Macey Estrella, aka Lacey Evans all the best for her future endeavors and hope that she succeeds in doing whatever she wants to following her departure.