Victoria Issues Statement On Her Retirement

Victoria issued the following on her retirement from professional wrestling on her Myspace blog:

"t's been announced on WWE.com, so I guess I should address it," she wrote. "This Friday's Smackdown is my last match with WWE. I started with the company in 2000. I have had so many once in a lifetime experiences. It's been incredible. I was part of an era in Women's Professional Wrestling that will never be duplicated again.?

"Choosing to leave was a very difficult decision. I think many of my colleagues considered me a 'lifer.' That is, they thought I'd be with WWE until I was old and grey. But I was not happy with the opportunities that were available to me within WWE. And at the end of the day, there are thousands and thousands of women who would kill or die for the chance to be a WWE Diva. It isn't right for me to fill that spot if my heart weren't in it.

"And I didn't make a rash decision to walk away. On many occasions I pushed for the Victoria that I'd want to watch. But we were on different pages. I respect their decisions, and they are their decisions to make. Being with WWE is very time consuming. And again, with where we were at, I would rather spend more time at home."