Leah Van Dale talks exit from WWE, launching her new venture Snatch

Leah Van Dale, also who was known as Carmella during her time in WWE, opened up about no longer working for the professional wrestling promotion. In an interview with On3, Van Dale explained why WWE didn’t renew her contract.

“I guess that’s something that only they know, but if I had to guess, I would assume it’s because I’m unable to wrestle, and that was my job, right?” Van Dale told On3. “It was my job to wrestle and be an athlete. It’s unfortunate that it happened, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, business is business, but that’s something I can’t speak on. That’s only something that they know.”

Leah Van Dale moves on from WWE and focuses on Snatch

Van Dale was dealing with an injury, recovering from a complication called drop foot, which occurred while she was giving birth to her son in November 2023. She last appeared in a WWE ring in February of that year. Leah Van Dale was part of WWE for over a decade and won multiple titles, including the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship, and she was the first Women’s Money in the Bank winner.

While Van Dale won’t be in a WWE ring anytime soon, that doesn’t mean she’s not staying busy. The 37-year-old recently founded Snatch, which is a place where women can “normalize what no one is talking about, to learn more about ourselves and our bodies, and to connect with other women. It’s a place where we can have serious conversations, lighthearted ones, and everything in between,” Van Dale said on the official website.

How Snatch became a reality for Leah Van Dale

But what made her want to launch Snatch? “I actually had a miscarriage and then I had an ectopic pregnancy, and I had no idea what that even was until it started happening to me,” Van Dale said to On3. “And then it was super isolating and devastating to go through something like that, especially when you’re unaware of what it even is. So I felt compelled to share my story because I do have a huge platform that I’m so grateful for, and I have felt like if I am going through this, then I know other women have to be going through it as well.”

Van Dale went on to say Snatch became a reality once her son was born. “Throughout my pregnancy, the ideas kept coming to me,” she stated. “And then shortly after I gave birth to him is when I realized, ‘This is what Snatch will be.’ Basically, it’s a platform for women to talk about all things, fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, motherhood. We have a private forum where women can interact with each other and ask questions. We also have a lot of guest speakers to talk on amazing topics like fertility, whether they’re doing IVF or they’re dealing with postpartum depression, anxiety, all things related to what I’m talking about like I said, motherhood and pregnancy and postpartum. And just kind of educating women on all of these things and making them feel less alone.”