Candice LeRae made her return to WWE on the September 26 episode of WWE Raw when she was a surprise opponent for Nikki ASH.
LeRae had not wrestled since NXT Great American Bash in July 2021, stepping away from the ring after the event as she was pregnant. LeRae, who is married to Johnny Gargano, delivered her son in February 2022.
Speaking to Ryan Satin on Out of Character, LeRae revealed when she was cleared to return to competition.
"Johnny, obviously, he took time off to be with me and the baby, we wanted to make sure there was a guarantee we would have time off. His contract expired and he just took the time off. I don't think people give him enough credit for what he really sacrificed and put on hold for me as well. He saw me and was like, 'She's putting everything on pause, I can do the same.' We were there together and I think he was appreciating for his body to have the time off. I want to say about a week or two after I gave birth and we had a not planned C-section, but my body bounced back pretty quickly, and I didn't have so many issues after. I was very very lucky. About two or three weeks after, I was like, 'I wonder how soon the doctors will clear me,' to just get back in the ring and let me roll a little and see if I want to do this again. By my six-week check-up, I was cleared for any physicality and by week eight I was already back in the ring and rolling around to see if I wanted to do it again," she said.
LeRae noted that it was the longest she had been out of the ring and joked that she had been training for her return longer than Gargano, who had not wrestled since December 2021 before his return to WWE on the August 22 episode of WWE Raw.
In a separate interview, LeRae revealed when she knew she would be returning to WWE. Fans can read her full comments by clicking here.
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