Speaking with Women’s Wrestling Weekly, Naomi went into detail about her recent return to WWE and why she took time off. She discussed that she initially just felt burnt out before leaving, but it turned out to be much more serious than that.
When I asked for that time off to bury my cousin and to go back home and be there with my family and her kids that are left here. I ended going to the doctor to see what was wrong with me because it was, it was, very hard for me to get through matches, I was extremely fatigued all the time. I was literally chugging energy drinks just to get through the days of traveling and matches, like, I was just, just didn’t know what was wrong with me. I found out I was severely anemic and I never knew that…So bad to the point where the doctors told me had I came in later, whatever count was at a 9.4, if it would have got under a 9 then I would have probably been threatening a blood transfusion, which that just blew my mind…because I always thought I’m like fine, I’m healthy, I eating good, you know, It was that and I found out I had a stomach ulcer, I was completely vitamin D deficient.
Traveling on the road can be difficult, but Naomi even found the act of returning to the ring difficult to think about. “I am my own worst critic and I get in my head alot because I am so passionate, this is my art…I was scared, the worst thing is being gone that long and coming back to no one caring, or to no reaction, or you know I just didn’t know what to expect…by the time I did come out I was just like man I just hope they with me and I hope that I deliver and perform like everything goes well.”
For more, including how Naomi deals with racism on social media and what she hopes for the future of her career, check out the full episode of the podcast embedded below:
RELATED: Sasha Banks Reportedly Scheduled To Be At Tonight’s SmackDown Taping
