Taynara Conti's First Post-WWE Comments (Video)

Former NXT star Taynara Conti was among the wrestlers who were cut from WWE last week as the company made sweeping business changes due to the cornavirus pandemic. Conti has since posted a video to her YouTube channel to talk about her exit from the company for the first time.

"First of all, I wanted to say, I'm okay," Conti began. "I'm happy, I'm healthy, and most important I'm so excited for the future, for real."

Conti had been with WWE for about three and a half years working her way up to NXT TV. The Brazilian wrestler was also involved in both Mae Young Classics in 2017 and 2018.

"Honestly that was the most crazy and amazing opportunity of my whole life," Conti said. "I will always be grateful because WWE changed my life and for the better. I came here to the US and I [didn't speak] English, I had no idea what wrestling was before, and after two years I was in a WrestleMania ring, you guys. Do you have any idea! I had just two years of experience and I was in WrestleMania."

Conti said her excitement dwindled over the last couple months because she didn't feel like WWE was utilizing her and she wasn't able to grow as a performer. The 24-year old confirmed she asked for her release three months ago, but WWE didn't grant her request ? until last week.

"In the last couple months I wasn't feeling like that anymore, I was not happy," Conti said. "As you guys know, I have a background in judo, I mean, I was competing with myself and I need to feel that I'm growing, that I have space to grow and I'm useful. I was not feeling like that anymore. I talked to them, we tried to figure it out and I was just not happy. When I'm not happy, I try to change. If I can change, let's go, move on!

"I asked for my release about three months ago and they were not able to give it to me then. I had no option but to try again. Then in the middle of the pandemic I was home, and I got a call, 'Hey, Tay! Bye!' They released me. Of course, it was a shock, I was upset, I was nervous. But now that I figured everything out, I'm happy, I want to have good feelings about WWE in my heart and I will always have it."

Conti said she plans on staying in the US and will continue her wrestling career, noting she'd like to expand her knowledge outside of the WWE bubble.

"We had great coaches in WWE and I learned a lot from them," Conti stated. "I always wanted to learn more. I want to know more about wrestling because I just know WWE and wrestling is much bigger than that. ... I really want to achieve a couple dreams like go to Japan and wrestling in other places, so I'm really excited for the future."

You can check out Conti's full comments in the video above.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Tay Conti and give Wrestling Inc. a h/t for the transcription.