Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer has provided some potential financial context for the recent announcement that Elayna Black (formerly known as Cora Jade in WWE) is taking a break from professional wrestling. Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer reported that Black is having massive success on the content subscription platform, OnlyFans.
Meltzer stated that he had spoken with someone who has direct knowledge of the situation and that the numbers are staggering. “I know she was talking to somebody who I know, and… she has probably made more money last month than any woman pro wrestler in the world, probably by a lot, because of OnlyFans,” Meltzer said.
“Mandy Rose Set The Template”
Meltzer compared Black’s situation to that of former NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose, who also found incredible financial success on the platform following her WWE release. He sees it as a new, viable, and highly lucrative career path for certain performers after they leave the company.
“Mandy Rose set the template,” Meltzer explained. “And you know, if you’ve got the right look, you can do OnlyFans coming off of a WWE run. And not everyone can do it, obviously, but some can. I mean, Mandy Rose is incredibly rich from that… and it’s the new thing, and more people are going to do it.”
The Financial Reality of Independent Wrestling
Meltzer contrasted the income potential of the platform with the grind of the independent wrestling circuit, which is the path most wrestlers take after a WWE release. He argued that from a business perspective, the decision is a logical one.
“Think about this. You want to do these indie dates for $1,000 when you’re making the kind of money that she’s making?” he asked. “It basically makes no sense at all.” He continued, “It’s like, you know, going to do indie shows, you know, flying in, the stress, and it’s indie shows and things like that, taking bumps and everything, or sitting around and the money rolls in.”
Meltzer concluded that while the initial surge in popularity and income may not last forever, the current financial reality makes her decision understandable. “She may come back, but… right now for her, I mean, she’s just making an incredible, incredible amount of money. I mean, it’s ridiculous, so good for her.”
The report comes after Elayna Black, 24, announced she would be “taking a break from wrestling for the foreseeable future” to focus on her mental health. She was released from her WWE contract in May 2025 and stated she would be taking the rest of the year off to “take care of me and go from there.”
