Darci Khan Explains Her Sudden Decision to Leave WWE Amid Struggles
For decades, there have been people who've spent years dreaming of simply getting to try out for a WWE contract. As a result, it is always heartbreaking when it is announced that the world-famous wrestling company has released performers from their contracts. On the other hand, it is much more shocking when someone decides to suddenly quit WWE, as a female wrestler just did before revealing why she chose to walk away.
A Wrestler's Sudden Departure From the Active WWE Roster
With a social media post, a female WWE wrestler has confirmed that she quit the company. After making her debut on WWE Evolve under the ring name Masyn Holiday, Darci Khan recently reverted her Instagram account to reflect her real first and middle names.
Originally signed under WWE's Next In Line (NIL) program, Darci Khan's deal was announced by the company in December 2023. The initiative is one in which the wrestling company signs standout college and university athletes to developmental contracts. To date, the standout success of the initiative is Oba Femi, who has become one of WWE's biggest stars after signing his NIL contract in December 2021.
As was noted in an April 2025 HBCU Gameday article, Darci Khan was a track athlete at Howard who set school records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Given her amazing athleticism, it makes perfect sense that WWE saw massive potential in her. If that wasn't enough, the outlet also noted that Khan was Howard's valedictorian and an artist who excelled in "visual storytelling and design." Since storytelling is a pivotal part of wrestling, having an artistic eye could also have been a huge asset. Sadly, wrestling for WWE ultimately wasn't a good fit for her.
Breaking Her Silence on Why She Left WWE
In the same Instagram post in which Darci Khan announced she'd quit WWE, she revealed that it truly was a sudden decision she didn't know she would make hours earlier. Additionally, she explained that she gave up her contract after being unhappy for months.
"I was very, very, very, very, very, extremely unhappy at that job. My depression and anxiety at an all-time high. Lost myself like I would look at myself mirror and didn't even know who I was anymore. It was that bad. I cried for months straight. And what kept me there is me telling myself, 'You don't know what you're gonna do next. Well, what if you leave the job and you're still depressed and you're still miserable?' Those things kept me where I wasn't supposed to be for way too long. And literally the day that I left, it felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders."
Khan continued, "The day I quit, I did not plan to quit at all. It was all God, I'm telling you. Before I walked in the building, I prayed to God. I wrote in my journal at 1:20pm I said, 'God, I need you to guide me through this practice. I need you to give me this practice.' Because I was on the verge of the whole day. I knew I didn't have the strength to make it through practice by myself because I just did not want to do that. I did not want to wrestle anymore. It was an unbearable weight that I couldn't hold myself."
She went on to explain that one of her WWE coaches sensed something was wrong. After they approached Khan on the day she quit, a brief conversation helped her realize it was time to go. "I went and spoke to him, and I said, 'I quit. I can't do it anymore. My heart is not in it. And I don't want to waste your time. I don't want to waste my coach's time, I don't want to waste other athletes' time. And I, most importantly, I don't want to waste my time.'"
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This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 7:45 AM.