Mia Yim Names Current WWE Stars That Helped Her Overcome Her Release

Mia Yim went on an emotional rollercoaster when she returned to the ring after WWE.

Mia Yim has made her mark on the independent scene as well as her old home of IMPACT Wrestling ever since being released by WWE this past February. The former IMPACT Knockouts World Champion recently spoke with Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture and discussed her 'emotional' return to the ring at this year's WrestleCon during WrestleMania 38 weekend.

"So, my first match back was with Athena, and it was so emotional at the end. I just needed to have that match, not to do a bunch of crazy stuff or whatever but just to have a match to get over that mental block," Yim explained. "I didn't even go train inside of a ring, my anxiety wouldn't let me. It was slow progress where, okay, I got through my first match, now let me focus and see if I can still lead somebody. So then I had my match with Janai Kai, which went great. Just talking to Keith [Lee] and Gail [Kim], it was like I am getting older, I don't move like I used to anymore but I just need to get over it.

"And either I continue or I don't, and if I continue, I have to go balls to the wall. I don't like doing things half-ass, so if there's an opportunity that comes, I am gonna take it and make something of it. So it wasn't until like ... I know I bust Shelton's [Benjamin] balls all the time, but he and Keith, and even [Mustafa] Ali, I had a lot of support. Shelton was like, 'Don't let them define you. Go do what you're known to do. So it was just having the support of others kinda pushing me, because if it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't even be back. Even every one that is still there like Ali, saying, 'Yo, you're badass, you're an f'n badass?'"

Yim made her IMPACT Wrestling return at the company's Under Siege pay-per-view, earlier this month.