Cora Jade Bids Farewell To WWE NXT Rival Dana Brooke Following Mass Talent Cuts

On TV, WWE stars might be fierce rivals, but in actuality, they are a tight-knit community. As if to drive this truth home, Cora Jade took to Instagram Thursday to pay tribute to her on-screen rival and off-screen friend Dana Brooke after news broke that Brooke was one of many talents that had been released from WWE.

"I wish I could've got to beat you up a few more times. Until next time," Jade wrote on her Instagram story.

Jade and Brooke feuded on "NXT" TV over the summer when Brooke returned to "NXT" after going undrafted on the main roster back in May. The two wrestlers are technically 1-1-1 across their three matches together; each holds a singles victory over the other, and neither won their first encounter, an "NXT" women's title No. 1 contender's battle royal that ended with Jade and Brooke being simultaneously eliminated by the winner, Thea Hail. Their final encounter, a Kendo Stick match that Brooke won, was Jade's last match on WWE programming before disappearing from TV, posting a cryptic tweet in the wake of the defeat.

Brooke had been with WWE for more than 10 years, initially signing in 2013. While she never held any of WWE's women's titles, she was a 15-time 24/7 Champion — Brooke was immensely proud of her runs with the title belt, saying that winning the title instantly defined her. The final 24/7 champion, Nikki Cross, threw the belt in the trash after winning it, signifying the end of the lineage. Brooke was disheartened but said in an interview earlier this year that she felt she could accomplish very little by wallowing in grief for the title, instead looking to the future and her other opportunities.