Emma Discusses Her Return To WWE Following Triple H's Rise To Power

After 5 years away from the company, Emma made a return to WWE just a few months back in October. Since coming back, Emma has been involved in a relationship storyline with her real-life boyfriend Madcap Moss on "WWE SmackDown," and most recently found herself competing in a No. 1 Contender's Gauntlet match for the "SmackDown" Women's Championship. Making an appearance on "Out of Character with Ryan Satin," Emma discussed how her long-awaited return to WWE came together.

"I actually was working with Impact, and my contract was coming up," Emma said. "I guess maybe even without really realizing it, I had this idea in my mind that maybe I'm done with Impact, and maybe there are other options that I should explore and to kind of see what's possible." Emma stated that she had been watching WWE closely since Triple H became the head of creative, and was enjoying what she saw, creating some excitement at the prospect of going back.

"A short time after that, probably a month or two, we ended up in touch," Emma continued. "He actually said to me that he's been meaning to reach out even sooner, that I've been on his list and he's been swamped basically, as you can imagine."

Following her conversation with Paul "Triple H" Levesque, it wasn't long before the star formerly known as Emmalina was brought back into the fold, with her previous "NXT" character largely intact. Emma was initially brought in as a surprise challenger for Ronda Rousey, and though she came up short in the battle for the "SmackDown" Women's Championship, she excited a lot of longtime WWE fans in the process.

"I found out very last minute. ... I think I got my flight [information] the day before I was flying out," Emma shared. Unlike many other returns under Triple H's leadership, Emma was told she didn't have to work to keep her appearance a secret. Perhaps by design, the news of Emma's open challenge appearance leaked ahead of time, building up excitement for the return of the beloved "NXT" star who, by the estimation of many fans, never got her full due on the company's main roster.

"It was weird because it felt kind of normal, but at the same time I'm like, 'I haven't done this in 5 years,'" Emma said. "And there [are] so many new faces too, and old faces. People were just shocked to see me. ... There was definitely a lot of reminiscing and catching up. It was a very exciting and fun day."