Ivelisse Talks The Most Disappointing Aspect Of Her AEW Release

Former AEW star Ivelisse sat down to speak with Chris Van Vliet about being released from AEW earlier this year. She candidly opened up about her feelings of being misunderstood, explaining that there are "many components" going against her in pro wrestling.

"Yes, definitely, [I feel misunderstood] because I am the type of person who has come from nothing, and I have so many components against me. It doesn't even give me the time to explain myself. My whole life I have been in hustle mode, so I have never had a chance to fix the misunderstandings," Ivelisse explained. "Also, I am a female, and there is a lot of progress in the world and in general when it comes to sexism. That is one of the issues that is very far behind. Being a female in a male dominated business, I feel there is so much left to go.

"Also being a minority, there's a lot of things about who I am and my identity that people won't understand. That is what helps me to not take it as personally. I just keep pushing to fight for all that I stand for."

Ivelisse had a rough match against Thunder Rosa on an episode of AEW Dynamite, and was released shortly thereafter. She claims that there wasn't proper communication, and a misunderstanding is what led to her departure.

"To me, the blame of who [is at fault] is irrelevant. It's business. The way I see things is that communication is the solution to anything and everything," Ivelisse explained. "I feel like that was the most disappointing part. I know in my mind that it was a misunderstanding between a group of individuals.

"The only way to move forward from that is to talk. If you don't talk, then nothing get resolved. That was the most disappointing part. There was a lot of reasons why it didn't happen, but hopefully it gets to happen eventually. To me, it's a matter of resolving the misunderstandings."

With the way things played out, it's not a surprise the social media was harsh on Ivelisse following her release. Nevertheless, she tries to remain focused and not give the fans any added reasons to insult her.

"Honestly, I feel like the only way I can handle that, how I always handle it, is to not give them ammunition," she said. "No matter what I do or don't do, they will do it regardless. I can only control me. I will be careful not to give them that ammunition, but at the same time, they will not impact my goals, and my purpose, and who I am in general. I am going to keep fighting for it regardless."

Ivelisse believes that despite a "Women's Revolution" recently happening in WWE and other major companies, veteran woman are still not given proper credit for what they do. She claims there is something missing in the way these women and in-ring veterans are treated.

"Of course it is inevitable to say that there has been a lot of progression. The only thing is that some parts are still far behind. The treatment towards female veterans who are such an important part towards propelling all those changes, the changes are giving more time and more opportunities and more chances to shine," Ivelisse explained. "The exposure is where the changes are happening. But there is only so much that will do if the other changes are so far behind. Everything, like how you treat females, how you value the veterans and perceive the women in general – that is what's missing. The important part is the structure to propel them and move them forward."

Ivelisse also mentioned how she uses psychology techniques she's learning outside the ring to manage traumatic experiences. She hopes these help her manage stress in the future.

"A big part is wanting to see those changes in women's wrestling. When I saw Lita and Trish main event RAW, I was like, 'Wow, I want to see more of this. I want to see them get the respect for the work that they put in, regardless of gender.' That is a massive motivator for me," Ivelisse explained. "But wrestling is an escape from this personal world. But I have also tried to educate myself in psychology and managing traumatic experiences. I have tried as much as possible to use as many psychology techniques as possible. There's a lot about me that no one knows as a person."