Did Zoey Stark retire from WWE? The truth revealed after video goes viral
Zoey Stark has been away from WWE since suffering a knee injury on an episode of RAW last month. Amid her absence, rumors have started to catch fire that the 31-year-old has quietly retired from pro wrestling. Since then, the wrestling world has been abuzz with fans wondering whether the news circulating on the internet is true.
The answer to this question is 'No.' Zoey Stark has not retired from professional wrestling. Her retirement ruse started to trend after a video went viral, in which she seemingly claimed that her knee injury had forced her to retire from WWE. However, it was later revealed that it was a Deepfake AI-generated video and that the RAW Superstar has no plans to withdraw from in-ring competition.
Zoey Stark even posted a response to these viral claims recently on social media. She clearly denied the rumors of her retirement. The 31-year-old revealed that she was training at the UFC Performance Institute. She added that she was working very hard to get back to the ring and requested her fans not to believe any such fake news.
Stark's fans have been waiting to see her back on WWE television. Despite her ongoing recovery, she is expected to stay out for a good amount of time. As per Fightful Select, internal belief among WWE is that the former NXT star is likely to be off WWE TV for the remainder of the year.
When can Zoey Stark make her WWE return?
Since Zoey Stark has debunked the rumors of her retirement from professional wrestling, fans have been wondering about her return timeline. While she seems to be recovering quickly from her knee injury, Stark recently underwent surgery for her ACL and MCL. Hence, she is likely to miss the rest of 2025.
Fans may see her return to WWE in 2026. The Royal Rumble is considered the top spot for any return during the year. There is a high possibility that the 31-year-old could make her comeback during the Women's Royal Rumble Match next year.
Such a return would help Zoey Stark regain momentum after an unfortunate hiatus. Besides, the Triple H-led creative team would have an opportunity to insert the RAW star in any potential storylines on the Road to WrestleMania 42 following a Royal Rumble return.
A return at the Rumble would allow WWE to easily shift Stark's character based on the direction of the storyline at that time. That said, it will be interesting to see what WWE will have in store for the 31-year-old upon her much-awaited comeback.
