NXT wrestler Brinley Reece has announced she is leaving WWE following a ten-month absence due to injury.
The 25-year-old, real name Breanna Ruggiero, posted a statement to social media on Sunday confirming that she is “closing my chapter” with the company. Reece noted that the decision was necessary to prioritize her long-term health.
Reece has not wrestled since March 2025 and underwent shoulder surgery in May of that year.
In her statement, she wrote:
After three years, I am officially closing my chapter Wrestling at WWE. This decision came after navigating personal health challenges and a serious injury that required surgery last year. It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was a necessary one — choosing my health, my body, and my future first. That choice alone has been one of the most powerful lessons this journey gave me.
She added that while this is the end of her time in WWE, she views it as a “redirection” rather than an ending.
Ruggiero was signed by WWE following the SummerSlam tryouts in Nashville in July 2022. A former cheer captain at Sacramento State with a background in tumbling, she made her in-ring debut in September 2023.
During her tenure, she became a regular on NXT Level Up and was notably part of the NXT crossover with TNA Wrestling in late 2024, where she competed against Ash By Elegance on TNA Impact and at the Bound For Glory pre-show.
Her final match took place on March 2, 2025, at a WWE Evolve taping.
Ruggiero’s full statement, posted to Instagram, can be read below:
After three years, I am officially closing my chapter Wrestling at WWE. This decision came after navigating personal health challenges and a serious injury that required surgery last year. It wasn’t an easy choice, but it was a necessary one — choosing my health, my body, and my future first. That choice alone has been one of the most powerful lessons this journey gave me.
The last three years have been truly life-changing. WWE pushed me in ways I never imagined, taught me resilience, discipline, and belief, and allowed me to grow not only as a wrestler, but as a person. Every setback, every win, every long day and hard moment shaped who I am today, and for that I am so grateful.
To my supporters — you are the reason I kept going on the hardest days. Your messages, encouragement, love, and belief in me never went unnoticed. You stood by me through injuries, healing, growth, and transformation, and I carry that support with me forever. I love you more than words can say.
This isn’t an ending — it’s a redirection. I’m proud of everything I gave to this chapter, and even more excited for what’s ahead. Thank you for being part of my journey. The best is still to come. 🤍✨
With Love,
Brinley Reece
