Priscilla Kelly Talks Depression During WWE Run, Reality of WWE Pay

Priscilla Kelly Talks Depression During WWE Run, Reality of WWE Pay – Former WWE star Priscilla Kelly, best known to fans as Gigi Dolin during her NXT tenure, has spoken candidly about her time in WWE, revealing that she experienced severe depression while working with the company. In an interview with Denise Salcedo, Kelly reflected on her run as part of Toxic Attraction, describing how she struggled with her identity and faced difficult personal and professional challenges.

Depression During Toxic Attraction
Kelly explained that while her time with Toxic Attraction helped raise her profile, it also led her to feel disconnected from her true self.

“I did feel like with Toxic Attraction, I felt like, at a certain point, I lost myself as a character. I felt like I became what they wanted me to be,” Kelly said. “I definitely felt like I became more of that kind of, like sexy glam character, rather than the more gritty, grungy, a little bit unnerving, like character that I’ve always been. So sometimes, from time to time, there was, like, a disconnect with myself and the character I was portraying.”

She went on to reveal that her mental health declined toward the end of her WWE run. “I went through a lot of stuff in WWE that kind of shot me into, like, this horrible depression, and that tail end of toxic. I was severely depressed. I put on a bunch of weight. I started, like, not caring about my ring work. I kind of, like, gave up because I was just so depressed because of things that were happening behind the scenes.”

Personal and Professional Struggles
Kelly shared that personal issues, including her father being in prison and family struggles, compounded the pressure she faced in WWE. She said that certain backstage interactions made matters worse.

“There was just stuff going on behind the scenes. I don’t want to bring it up, because, like, I know it’ll blow up and then, like, it’ll become a whole thing. But let’s just say some people were very, very not nice to me to the point that I was suicidal for a little bit, because I was really going through it.”

When asked whether others in WWE knew about her condition, Kelly confirmed that her fiancé, close friends, and some higher-ups were aware but didn’t fully understand how deeply affected she was.

Reality of WWE Pay
Kelly also addressed what she called a “common misconception” about WWE salaries, particularly in NXT.

“Like a lot of fans, for some reason, think that if you work in WWE and you’re under that umbrella, you’re a millionaire, you live in a mansion, you’re driving a Benz, like you’ve got it made. That’s not the case,” Kelly explained. “In NXT, there’s contracts as low as $30,000 a year, and they do not go as high as you think. When you have to live in Florida, which is very expensive, it all adds up. And because you can’t make money outside of WWE, you don’t make a lot.”

She added that even main roster stars face heavy financial burdens: “A lot of people up there make good money, but they’re paying for hotels, travel, food, gear, and taking care of their bodies and sanity.”

Earning More on the Independent Scene
Since her WWE release, Kelly has kept a busy independent schedule — and says she’s now in a stronger financial position.

“With all of my work, all of the bookings that I’ve been taking and everything, I arguably think that I actually make more than I made in NXT now, which is wild for people to comprehend. But yeah, I think I actually make more now.”

Kelly’s honesty sheds light on the personal toll that WWE’s demanding environment can take, while also highlighting the freedom and opportunity she’s found since leaving the company.