Blake Monroe, the superstar formerly known as Mariah May, recently offered insight into the emotional journey that led to her signing with WWE, revealing a period of significant self-doubt that occurred just before achieving her lifelong goal.
In a vlog posted to her YouTube channel, an emotional Monroe shared that joining the company was the fulfillment of a childhood dream. She explained that despite her success, she had privately struggled with uncertainty about her career path at the end of 2024.
“If you’ve followed my channel and followed me, you’ll know that WWE was a huge goal of mine,” Monroe said. “Since I was a little kid, all I wanted to do was be a WWE superstar, be a wrestler, that’s why I started training, to be in WWE. To be able to sit here and say at 26 years old that I am a WWE superstar is the greatest achievement of my life.”
This sense of accomplishment came after a difficult period. Monroe admitted she questioned whether a WWE career was a realistic option for her.
“I felt a little dejected at the end of last year and I didn’t know it was an option for me,” she revealed. The turning point came when she dedicated herself to training again at Flatbacks, which helped her reconnect with her passion for the business. “I started training again… and I feel in love with wrestling again. I felt like I was back in the game and I want to do so much more.”
Her feelings of uncertainty stand in sharp contrast to her high-profile run in AEW. As Mariah May, she captured the AEW Women’s World Championship by defeating her former mentor, Toni Storm, at All In in August 2024. After a 174-day reign, her final appearance for the promotion was at the Revolution pay-per-view on March 9, 2025.
Now in WWE, Monroe has been immediately featured in a prominent storyline on NXT. After making her first appearance on the June 3 episode by confronting NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne, she was put through a table during her official contract signing segment two weeks later.
This series of events has built anticipation for her official in-ring debut, which is scheduled for the July 1 episode of NXT.
“I didn’t think I was going to be in WWE and it still doesn’t really feel real to me,” Monroe concluded in her vlog. “This is maybe, thus far, the greatest achievement of my life, to be a part of WWE.”