Kelly Kelly Signs WWE Legends Deal, Explains Evolution Absence

Kelly spoke to Chris Vliet on his podcast, Insight with Chris Van Vliet, about why fans see her on occasion, mentioning that she signed a Legends deal. Kelly didn’t provide a specific date when she signed the contract, but according to Fightful Select, it occurred around April 8 of this year. She said:

“So, at the end of the day, I have to thank WWE for my career. They’re who made me. I wouldn’t have the career that I have if it weren’t for them. I am so appreciative of them. That’s why I signed a Legends deal, and that’s why I still come back all the time. But yeah, I think, hopefully, a few years down the line when my kids will be able to sit next to me if I’m in the crowd and cheer me on…”(h/t: Fightful)

As mentioned, the news about the deal came up because Kelly wanted to clear up misconceptions about why she declined to come to the recent Evolution PLE. Rumors circulated that it was because she didn’t have a match, but that was not the case. It was all about child care! It also didn’t help that the call was last-minute. She said:

“I wanted to talk about this because it was a thing so, when I got the call — it was in Atlanta, obviously… again, it was one of the weekends, the only weekend I had off… and my kids, I think they had something going on, and I feel like when I come back, I want my kids to see me there and they wouldn’t have been able to make it. I don’t know. There were just a lot of different things that were kind of keeping me from going. Of course, you read the dirt sheets and every — this is another thing. Somebody on the dirt sheets was like, ‘Oh, it’s somebody in the higher ups said that she only wants to come back if she has a match,’ which could not have been farther from the truth. I didn’t need a match to come back. If it was in L.A., I would have been there, no questions asked. But to fly across the country to do that, like I said in the beginning, with my kids, I’m very picky about what I say yes and no to right now. Maybe when they’re six or seven and they’re grown or bigger and stuff like that, then, I probably would have done it but it’s just, like I said, that was the one weekend I had off. I didn’t wanna get them on a plane and do this. There was just a bunch of different things… It was a last-minute call.”

A Brief Look At Kelly Kelly’s Career

Not being critical, but when Kelly signed with WWE, it wasn’t because of wrestling being her strong point. Her career began at age 19 in 2006 on the ECW brand. She had a weekly segment titled Kelly’s Exposé and even had a group, Extreme Exposé. Skip ahead two years, and Kelly was named by The Baltimore Sun as the “Most Improved Wrestler of 2008.” Three years later, in 2011, Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked Kelly at the No. 15 spot in the PWI Female 50.

During her career, which lasted from 2006 to 2012, she was a one-time Divas Champion. Her title reign lasted from June 2011 to October 2011. During most of her career, she was a face, and some of her feuds were against LayCool (Michelle McCool and Layla), Beth Phoenix, and Jillian Hall. It’s also worth mentioning that she was a mentor to Naomi when Naomi was in NXT.

Since being released from WWE in 2012, she has made several appearances for the company. One of her first major appearances was when she competed in the first Women’s Royal Rumble match on January 28, 2018, and that same year, she was part of the first all-women's PLE, WWE Evolution. A year later, during RAW Reunion, she pinned Gerald Brisco for the 24/7 Champion and became the first woman 24/7 Champion. Her last WWE match was the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble match. So, for someone who started their WWE career doing the whole "exposé" thing, Kelly does get props for pushing her career further in the ring.