Kaitlyn Says Mae Young Classic Was Her 'Redemption' Following WWE Exit In 2014

During her time on WWE's main roster throughout the early 2010s, Kaitlyn became a top star of the company's women's division, holding the Divas Championship once in early 2013 for over 100 days. However, after falling down the card following her title run, Kaitlyn abruptly left WWE in early 2014.

Kaitlyn, who now goes by her real name Celeste Bonin, eventually returned to WWE to take part in the 2018 Mae Young Classic. Bonin spoke about her brief return to WWE and its importance in an interview with Muscle Memory. "I felt like it was this opportunity for redemption," Kaitlyn explained.

The former Divas Champion elaborated on her time away from wrestling, saying, "I left WWE in 2014 and then I didn't do anything with wrestling for four years... I started getting back in the ring at a local school in South Florida [in 2018]." After some training locally, Kaitlyn was then invited to work out at the WWE Performance Center by then-Vice President of Talent Development Canyon Ceman ahead of that year's Mae Young Classic. "I hated my last match when I left and I didn't like the way that I left... I was looking at the Mae Young as an opportunity to come back as a different version of myself that I essentially rebuilt."

Bonin was then offered a full-time contract following her exit from the Mae Young Classic in the second round, but she inevitably declined the offer. "It just didn't align with my business... It didn't work for me to move to Orlando and it just wasn't the right timing," Kaitlyn recalled.