Both Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae have been linked with returns to NXT 2.0 after leaving the company but in Candice’s words, she’s past the age limit.
Following Johnny Gargano leaving WWE last December, Candice LeRae officially left the sports entertainment giant on 6 May. ‘The Poison Pixie’ had been absent from programming for months at that point, as she and Johnny care for their son Quill.
Now almost five months post-pregnancy, a return to the squared circle may be on the mind of LeRae – it just won’t be taking place in WWE.
During a virtual signing with the Highspots Superstore, Candice LeRae jokingly noted that she was “too old” to rejoin NXT 2.0. The former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion is due to turn 37-years-old this September.
Candice’s joking remark is in reference to WWE focusing on recruiting non-wrestling athletes and moulding them into WWE Superstars. James Kimball, WWE’s Senior Vice President for Global Talent Strategy and Development, admitted to ESPN that WWE is attempting to lower its roster age:
“We would like that [age] number to come down, especially on the developmental standpoint. The second you enter our developmental program and then potentially end up on NXT TV and then onto Smackdown or RAW, you want that number to be 25, not 30 or 35.”
Candice LeRae officially signed with WWE in January 2018, enjoying acclaimed matches and rivalries against Io Shirai, Mia Yim, and Shayna Baszler. Her latter NXT career saw her partnered with Johnny Gargano, Indi Hartwell, and Austin Theory in The Way.
LeRae’s final WWE match came at the Great American Bash NXT special in July 2021, as she and Hartwell dropped the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships to Io Shirai and Zoey Stark. They held the championships for 63 days.
Where, exactly, Candice LeRae wrestles next remains unknown, though both she and Johnny Gargano have been linked with an AEW debut since their respective WWE departures.