- Tuft came out as a transgender woman in 2021 and is teasing a return to wrestling
- The social media influencer hasn’t wrestled an official match since 2014
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
After a decade away from professional wrestling, transgender former WWE star Gabbi Tuft arrived in Florida this week to prepare for a return to the squared circle.
Tuft carried her luggage around Tampa International Airport in black skinny jeans and a leopard print belt.
Tuft, known as Tyler Reks during her first four-year run with WWE, was fired from the company in 2012 and retired from competing in 2014.
Three years after coming out as a transgender woman in February 2021, Tuft, 45, publicly expressed her desire to return to the ring on social media.
Tuft has nearly a million followers on TikTok, and a recent video shows her in the ring performing her previous finishing move, the “Burning Hammer,” side-by-side with when she performed the slam as Reks.
Tuft arrived in Florida to train with WWE superstar Natalya with an eye on returning to the ring
Tuft has not wrestled in a match for the WWE since August 2012, when she was released
Tuft has been talking about a return to the ring on her social media for several months
A return to the WWE would make Tuft the first transgender superstar in the company’s history
On Wednesday, she posted a photo to Instagram with the caption “Mother is Coming,” showing herself in a wrestling ring with current WWE superstar Natalya.
Tuft has trained at “The Dungeon 2.0,” run by Natalya and her husband TJ Wilson, who was known in WWE as Tyson Kidd before retiring in 2017 due to injury.
Natalya posted a photo to her Instagram on Thursday at her training facility with Tuft along with a dozen others, including current WWE superstars Angelo Dawkins, Carlito and Ashante Adonis.
WWE’s recent ‘Royal Rumble’ event was held in Florida and the WWE Performance Center is located in Orlando.
Tuft has lost about 50 pounds since performing as Reks by changing her diet and fitness routine. Reks was billed at 6 feet 1 inch and around 250 pounds for her entire WWE run.
Tuft’s last official match took place at a Pro Wrestling Syndicate event, where he teamed with former WWE wrestler Curt Hawkins against Lance Hoyt and Kevin Matthews of All Elite Wrestling.
Tuft wrestled future WWE Hall of Famers like Kofi Kingston and Rey Mysterio a decade ago
At 45 years old, Tuft would be one of the older members of the active WWE roster when she returned
Tuft’s social media teases make it seem like it’s only a matter of time before her next competition
Should Tuft re-sign with WWE, she would be the company’s first transgender wrestler.
Tuft would follow in the footsteps of AEW’s Nyla Rose, who in 2019 became the first transgender wrestler to sign a full-time contract with an American promotion. Rose is a former AEW Women’s World Champion.
Tuft did not win a major title during her run in WWE, but did hold three championships with the company’s former developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling.
As Reks, Tuft won the FCW Heavyweight Championship and was a two-time FCW Tag Team Champion.
Tuft’s championship tag team partners were Johnny Curtis, better known to wrestling fans as Fandango, and Joe Henning, who worked for WWE under the ring name Curtis Axel.