In the world of sports, viewers of wrestling matches have formed a separate fanbase. From WWE’s trump cards to collecting iconic championship belts, this combat sport has thrilled the audience for generations. When all the opponents in a ring are built to fight, it all comes down to using clever tactics and finding a way to entertain in the process. One such established professional wrestler, valet and referee known best for being associated with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) is Taryn Tarell, who announced her retirement from professional wrestling in November 2022.
Why Did Taryn Leave Wrestling?
Taryn Nicole Terrell, who was also known by her ring name Tiffany in WWE, is also an actress, stunt woman and model. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 28, 1985. She had always been an athlete and cheerleader since the beginning and hadn’t given wrestling much thought. It was only when her friend took her to the ring that she realized that fighting while looking and feeling glamorous in a ring like that is something she wants to do for the rest of her life.
Taryn started her wrestling career in 2007 by trying out for WWE Diva Search. While she didn’t win, WWE signed her for Florida Championship Wrestling, where she got to compete with a lot of FCW Divas. She soon became Assistant General Manager in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and started competing in tag team matches. After making her debut in SmackDown, she formed an alliance with Kelly Kelly in 2010, where they were called “The Blondetourage.” Taryn has also majored in marketing, led a volunteer group and made an appearance in several issues of Playboy.
Following this, Taryn had to take a step back for a while as her personal life started taking a hit. After breaking up with Alfonso Ribeiro, she got married to WWE star Drew McIntyre (Drew Galloway) in 2010, but the pair divorced a year later among allegations of her assaulting Drew and getting arrested in San Jose for it. She was later even cleared of these charges. But this spat also affected her professionally, and she bounced back eventually.
After sorting out her domestic issues, Taryn made her debut in TNA. Here, she held the record of being a TNA Knockouts Champion for 279 days, the longest record till 2019. She has even worked with Drew after their split. She continued working while being a mother of two and finally retired from National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) in late 2022 to focus on her work as a stunt woman and spend more time with her family.
Taryn is Thriving as a Stunt Woman Today
After retirement, just as she had planned, Taryn is now working as a stunt woman and focusing on her life at home. While pursuing her wrestling career, Taryn also worked as a stunt double in significant films like ‘Now You See Me’ and ‘The Demented.’ She married a stunt coordinator, Joseph Dryden, in 2015 and is currently enjoying her life with him and her two children from this marriage.
She has also been participating in several marathons and is specifically fascinated by obstacle course races. Amidst trying her hand at ice skating, she is simply loving that she can spend so much time with her family. After retirement, she feels grateful for the time she has with her family and the adventures they can all take together. In an interview with The Wrassingh Show in June 2022, Taryn spoke about motherhood being a blessing and the importance of learning to balance one’s personal life with professional.
Taryn said, “I can’t imagine what life would be if I didn’t have kids. I feel like I would be so bored! Sometimes, people ask what if your kids want to be a wrestler, how would you feel about that? And honest to God, the answer is that my kids are going to do whatever it is that they want to do, whether it’s wrestling, stunt work, motorcycles, and no matter what, I’m going to support them and support them equally.” She also expressed how fun it was to wear matching outfits with her daughter and have a fulfilling day.
Apart from stunt work and fun adventures with her family, Taryn has also decided to shift the focus to her health now. In a recent post on Instagram, she admitted that apart from her frequent runs during the day and the night, she has started consuming fresh, organic and unprocessed food and loves to take weekly red light therapy, cryotherapy and an IV. She also admitted that she feels the need to get Botox done once in a while to feel better about herself.
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