Beth Phoenix Explains The Difficulties Of Returning To WWE For Occasional Matches

Beth Phoenix competed in her first match in over a year at WWE Elimination Chamber, and she hadn't missed a beat as she and Edge defeated Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley. However, after such a long period without competing, Phoenix explained at the post-show press conference that her preparation was all about "reflecting what our current division is," as she wants to provide a worthy performance. 

The women's division has been a focal point of WWE in the years since Phoenix retired from full-time competition, and wrestlers who are bigger and stronger like her are now more commonplace, with the likes of Ripley and Bianca Belair dominating, which pushed Phoenix to work even harder for this one. "I knew I had to put in the extra hours, the consistency in the gym to be able to stand toe to toe and bring it because it's difficult," she said. "At home, I am a mom, I spend a lot of my time raising our children, taking them to school, being soccer mom, and it's kind of compartmentalizing the killer instinct that you need to get in the ring and do what we do."

With such a long break since she competed at the 2022 Royal Rumble against The Miz and Maryse, she admitted that getting prepared again is "challenging and it's difficult," but she is able to tap into the fact she lives with Edge to ensure she brushes off any ring rust ahead of time. "We take some time to go to the ring and train on off days and put in a special effort for that," Phoenix said. "Because, again, the women's division now is incredible and I definitely wanted to be able to hang."

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