Backstage News On WWE Trying To Keep Candice LaRae's Return A Surprise

This past Monday night on "Raw," WWE fans were delighted to the return and call-up of former "NXT" star and wife of Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae. The surprise energy continued when LeRae went on to wrestle on the show, defeating Nikki A.S.H. in her first match back.

According to Fightful Select, WWE wanted to keep the return under wraps and was successful in doing so, listing Doudrop internally as the opponent for A.S.H. on the show. The shocking return was a surprise to many, with it being her first match since July of 2021, where she and her partner Indi Hartwell lost the "NXT" Women's Tag Team Titles to Zoey Stark and Io Shirai. 

LeRae reportedly let her WWE contract expire in the summer, joining her husband on the outside of WWE as they dealt with the birth of their first child, Quill. The former "NXT" Women's Tag Champion was working with the company while pregnant in a non-wrestling role prior to her release.

Gargano reacted to his wife's return later on social media, stating that his son wasn't the only person who's helped him train for his own WWE comeback, which took place in Canada a few weeks back. Adding to that reaction was a slew of WWE and AEW talents including Teagan Nox, Wendy Choo, Beth Pheonix, Bayley, and Tay Melo who were pleasantly surprised to see LaRae back in a pro wrestling ring.

Next up for LeRae is a match-up against former fellow "NXT" talent Dakota Kai, who she'll face on next week's episode of "Monday Night Raw" after LeRae confronted Damage CTRL after her debut.