You remember the walkout. It was 2022, and the wrestling world essentially melted down when Naomi and Sasha Banks (now Mercedes Moné) handed over their tag team titles and left the building. For a long time, it felt like the "Glow" had been permanently extinguished in a WWE ring. People were taking sides, rumors were flying, and it looked like one of the most athletic performers of her generation was just... done.
Fast forward to right now. It’s early 2026, and the landscape is unrecognizable. Honestly, Naomi’s journey back to the top of the mountain wasn't just a comeback; it was a total reinvention of what it means to be a "WWE Superstar." If you’ve been following her since the Funkadactyl days, you know this isn't the same woman who used to dance her way to the ring with Cameron. There’s a certain edge now. A confidence that says she doesn’t just belong in the main event—she owns it.
The Walkout That Changed Everything
We have to talk about that 2022 exit because it defines everything she is doing today. Most wrestlers who leave under a cloud of "creative differences" either fade away or stay bitter. Naomi didn't do that. She went to TNA, wrestled as Trinity, and absolutely cleaned up. She won the Knockouts World Championship, sure, but more importantly, she proved she could carry a whole division on her back without the WWE machine behind her.
When she finally popped up as the number two entrant in the 2024 Royal Rumble, the roof nearly came off the building. It wasn't just nostalgia. It was respect. She had done the "work on herself," as she later told Stephanie McMahon on the What’s Your Story? podcast. She admitted she almost quit for good because the emotional toll was so heavy while her husband, Jimmy Uso, was deep in the Bloodline drama. But she chose to bet on herself instead.
Why 2025 Was the Year of Naomi
If 2024 was the "welcome back" year, 2025 was when Naomi decided she was tired of being the "underrated" favorite. She stopped being the person happy just to have a spot on the poster.
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The turning point was undoubtedly Money in the Bank 2025.
I remember watching her climb that ladder. There’s always that fear with Naomi that the office will get "cold" on her at the last second, but when she unhooked that briefcase, it felt like a long-overdue apology from the booking team. She didn't wait long to use it, either. At the Evolution 2025 event in July, she pulled off one of the gutsiest moves in recent memory. IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley had just absolutely decimated each other in a match that looked like a car crash. Naomi walked out, cashed in, and pinned IYO to become the Women’s World Champion for the third time.
That win moved her to Raw and set the stage for the drama we’ve been seeing lately.
The Medical Mystery and the Current Status
As of right now, things are a bit... complicated. In August 2025, right before she was supposed to defend her title against IYO SKY on Raw, WWE dropped a bombshell: Naomi wasn't medically cleared.
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It felt weird. She had been promoting the match heavily. She was backstage in Quebec. Then, suddenly, she’s pulled. The internet went into its typical tailspin with pregnancy rumors and injury theories, but the locker room has stayed surprisingly tight-lipped. Natalya even went on Busted Open Radio and basically told everyone to back off, saying it was a "personal matter" and that Naomi needed space.
What we do know is that she’s been missing from the ring for a significant stretch. Bryan Alvarez and other insiders have hinted that if the rumors are true, she might be out for a "long, long time." It’s a massive blow to the Raw women’s division, especially since she was finally being treated like the centerpiece she is.
Major Career Milestones (A Quick Look)
- FCW Era: She was the first-ever FCW Divas Champion back in 2010.
- The Titles: 3-time Women's World Champion (including her SmackDown runs) and 2-time Tag Team Champion.
- TNA Impact: Held the Knockouts World Championship for 182 days.
- The Money in the Bank: 2025 winner, leading to her current high-profile status.
What People Get Wrong About Her
People love to categorize Naomi as just an "athletic" wrestler. That’s a polite way of saying they think she’s all spots and no substance. But look at her work since 2024. Her promo game has leveled up significantly—likely a byproduct of her time in TNA where she had to talk people into the building every week.
There’s also this weird misconception that she’s only successful because of her ties to the Bloodline and the Anoa'i family. Let’s be real: for most of her career, being married to Jimmy Uso didn't actually help her creative standing. If anything, she was often left on the sidelines while the Bloodline story took up all the oxygen on SmackDown. Her success in 2025 and 2026 is entirely self-made. She went away, got better, and forced them to see her value.
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What’s Next for the Glow?
If you're looking for where Naomi goes from here, it all depends on this medical clearance. If she returns before the 2026 WrestleMania season, expect a massive collision with someone like Bianca Belair or a returning Rhea Ripley. The fans are still firmly behind her, but in the fast-paced world of WWE, "out of sight" can sometimes mean "out of mind" for the writers.
However, Naomi has proven she’s the queen of the pivot. Whether she’s leading a faction or hunting for the title she never technically lost, the "Glow" isn't going anywhere.
Actionable Insights for Fans
- Watch the TNA Run: If you only know her WWE work, go back and watch her Trinity matches in TNA (2023). It explains why she’s so much more aggressive now.
- Keep an eye on Raw highlights: WWE has been using her absence to build up IYO SKY and Roxanne Perez, but the "Naomi is not cleared" updates are where the real story is hidden.
- Follow her socials: Naomi is one of the few stars who actually drops breadcrumbs about her training and recovery on Instagram and TikTok without waitng for an official WWE press release.
She’s already a Hall of Fame lock. At this point, everything she does is just adding more weight to a legacy that started on a dance floor and ended up in the history books.