Former WWE star Cora Jade claims body shaming by bosses & co-workers; Gigi Dolin responds to 'not working hard' comments

Cora Jade & Gigi Dolin were part of the recent layoffs last week!

WWE last week shook the fandom with major layoffs as multiple talents were released ahead of the May 2 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, a move that shocked fans and caught talents off guard who had to perform as scheduled on the SmackDown show in Iowa.

The layoffs included multiple established names along with many rising talents including established names, including Braun Strowman, Shayna Baszler, and Dakota Kai. While Kai and Baszler were assigned to the Monday Night Raw brand, Strowman competed on SmackDown.

Rising stars from the developmental brand, NXT, as Cora Jade, Eddy Thorpe, and Jakara Jackson, were among the talents who were released as part of the layoff.

Both Jade and Dolin signed with the promotion in January 2021 and were featured regularly on NXT television. The two stars were part of the most recent NXT Stand & Deliver 2025, which was part of WrestleMania 41 week.

Also Read: All WWE superstars released on 2 May, 2025

Many of the WWE releases were perceived as a result of not working hard enough in training

Commenting on the layoffs, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer said that the cuts were perceived by many as not working hard in training or being lazy.

“Many of those cut were perceived as not working hard in training. And if you don’t work hard in training, there’s so many people who do.

And at this point, if the feeling is you’re not working hard in training – I saw the term ‘lazy’ – the ones who are lazy are gonna be gone, and the ones who didn’t stand out are gonna be gone.”

Dolin responded to the report, defending herself against criticism that she wasn’t working hard enough. Dolin revealed that she was training intensely 3-4 days a week, even while managing live events every other weekend.

“When I wasn’t traveling to work for either of the two companies I was working for, I trained very hard 3-4 days a week, bumping my ass off and doing cardio drills with one of the best/toughest coaches I’ve worked with.

And worked out every single day. With live events every other weekend. So yeah I don’t wanna hear this lol. The way my body feels says otherwise.”

Cora Jade, who changed her X (formerly Twitter) profile name to Elayna Black, the name she used before signing with WWE, also responded to reports claiming that, in addition to working hard, she was being body-shamed by her bosses, coworkers, and fans.

“This, plus can’t forget having to go to my own gym outside of work after “strength and conditioning” that wasn’t doing anything for me other than get me body shamed by my bosses, coworkers, and fans 🙂 crazy!” Jade tweeted.

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