BUDDING WWE stars the Cavinder twins have revealed the real reason they left the world of college basketball.
Hanna and Haley, 22, left the University of Miami earlier this year following their senior years.
At the time, this raised eyebrows given that they had just enjoyed a successful season that culminated in them reaching the Elite Eight at the NCAA Women’s National Championship.
After graduating, the twins made the move to the WWE‘s Next In Line program which recently led them to their NXT Series debut.
Now, they have opened up on their decision to leave the Hurricanes and the fights that led up to it.
Speaking on the first episode of their rebooted Twin Talk podcast, Haley explained: “We made it to the Elite Eight, that was Hanna and I’s goal.
“And then obviously Hanna didn’t want to play, so she made me quit basketball.”
Said in a joking tone, she added that they while making their decision, they had gotten “in a fight, if you really want to know the tea, and I was like ‘Hanna, I’m going back,’ and she was like, ‘I’m not going back, I’m not doing it anymore.'”
Haley added how the life of a student-athlete can be all-consuming, meaning “you miss so much of your family, your life.”
She went on to add how “We wanted to just play four years and we’ve always dreamed of starting our businesses and starting a company and taking this route, so it was like ok whatever people gotta say, whatever they gotta say, do what you want to do.”
Then there was the “burnout,” which Hanna explained was a culmination not only of their college careers but also the years in the build-up.
And this left her to a point where she decided: “I’m not gonna do something that I’m not going to 100-percent of my all to.
“If I chose to go back that wouldn’t be right, I wouldn’t be fully satisfied with who I am.”
And it seems Haley had also had enough of the haters.
She noted how: “Everyone’s going to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, you should’ve taken your fifth year,’ but when we were playing basketball you were hating on us.
“You can’t please everyone and the opinions of others — we’re not going to ever rely a decision on….it was the biggest fight we’ve been in.”
But not someone who excels at making decisions, it seems Haley needed to take her time to come to the eventual conclusion that it was time to change things up.
She joked: “The deciding factor, I went on so many ‘hot girl walks’ and I was like, someone make this decision for me because it’s giving me so much anxiety.”
And while her competitive spirit was driving her to potentially return, ultimately, it seems the prospect of playing without Hanna wasn’t worth it.
Now out of college, Hanna admitted to enjoying the freedom to work out on their own schedule and travel as and when they want.
As for their next step, they regularly post shots and clips from their workouts down at the WWE’s Performance Center in Florida as they prepare for a future in wrestling.
They recently also made a surprise appearance at SmackDown, posing for shots with host Grayson Waller and WWE Hall of Famer Triple H.
Their ultimate goal, according to an appearance on Jake Paul‘s YouTube channel in May, is to become “the next Bella Twins for sure.”
