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#Post#: 33604--------------------------------------------------
Chat with Paige. Talks Total Divas, Tough Enough, Fans & Mor
e
By: ChrissiCalvert Date: January 20, 2016, 3:21 pm
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What can we expect from Total Divas this season? I see there’s a
new girl on the show...
There is a new girl called Amanda, which is strange for myself
because I did a show called Tough Enough for WWE, which is
basically the American Idol of wrestling. She didn’t win but I
was her judge and had to play a meaner role on there. Having her
on the show is a big surprise, which you’ll see in this season
when she gets introduced. None of us are expecting it. But
there’s going to be drama, like always. There’s a lot of really,
really nice stuff in there this season which I’m really looking
forward to. Myself and Foxy have a lot of good episodes, which
you’re going to see, and there’s going to be some new characters
in it. I’m really excited for it this time around and I’m really
excited for you guys to watch it.
WWE has a huge following, but there are also has some people who
don't watch RAW or SmackDown and really first came to know you
from from Total Divas. Have there been times when you're talking
to a fan and realize that’s their frame of reference?
I knew that happened because last time I was at WrestleMania, I
was walking down the street and this girl walked up to me and
was like “Oh my god, Paige, what are you doing here!?” And if
you look around there’s WrestleMania signs everywhere and I was
like “I’m here for WrestleMania.” And she was so confused and
she was like “Are you filming?” and I was like, “Oh, okay you’re
a Total Divas fan! Yes, I’m filming, but this is our biggest
show of the year,” and she doesn’t care. [Laughs] And how they
recognize me too from like a snapback and blue hair and pale
skin. You can always tell the difference - who is a wrestling
fan and who is a Total Divas fan.
I can’t imagine it’s an easy decision to be on Total Divas
initially, because you are exposing a different, private side of
yourself, but it seems like you've come to enjoy it.
:I think I made it pretty clear when I signed on that this
wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do at first, because I’m a very
private person and I don’t like my personal stuff out there. But
once we started, it’s an awesome show and you can definitely use
it as a platform to give out a lot of positive messages too. I
have a message about how you should completely be yourself and
not give a damn what everyone thinks about you. Look how you
like; you’re amazing how you are. I definitely think Total Divas
is positive like that. I’m happy I’m on the show now. I also got
to know the girls a little more. The first year I was on the
road. so I didn’t get to know everyone yet. So yeah this was
definitely a great time to get to know everyone too. I’m very
happy now that I did it.
It’s an interesting time with WWE. You’re able to show these
different sides of yourselves and show what the non in-ring
persona is. Last summer, you were appearing on WWE’s regular
weekly programming and Total Divas and Tough Enough, all as very
different facets of yourself.
It’s really cool because Tough Enough, I had to stay in
character but could show a little bit of myself as well. WWE,
I’m just full-on Paige, my in-ring character. Total Divas is
where I can completely be myself and be my lunatic, weird
person. It’s cool but you have to switch on and off to all the
different things. because Total Divas could be filming at Tough
Enough. We went from RAW, where I was completely my character
all the way, to Tough Enough, where I can be half character,
half me, and then Total Divas is filming, so I have to be
completely Paige, my outside self. It was very random but I
learned quickly how to switch between the different characters.
It’s kind of wild.
Do you like that they have that faith in the audience now? Last
year, you faced the Bellas at WrestleMania, but we can see you
on Total Divas being pals with them and people kind of
understand the two worlds - people can still feel what they feel
about your character vs. what they’re watching on Total Divas.
Yeah, I like the fact that Total Divas give you a behind the
scenes look at what really happens. We even tell people when we
go do the Be a Star Campaign and stuff like that. We tell the
kids like what we are in the ring is different than how we are
outside the ring. We don’t want them to take that home and do a
power bomb when you're mad. This is entertainment and
predetermined, but outside the ring, we’re the best of friends
and are nice to each other. I like that we show that.
It’s been quite a year for your alma mater, NXT. As someone who
has been a great success story from that, do you feel pride
seeing them get more and more praise?
I’m so happy for NXT because obviously I was there before it
was NXT. It was FCW and I kind of saw it build up from the
bottom. I’m so proud to see them going around doing a bunch of
tours now - tours in England, which blew my mind. They’re
selling out big arenas of 15,000 people. I couldn’t be prouder,
especially with the girls division right now really, really
killing it. I couldn’t be happier.
Obviously the PCB era is over for now but was that fun for you
as those people (Becky Lynch and Charlotte) came up from NXT -
that you got to align with them for a while?
I loved it. I love all the girls that came up and they all
deserved it and are amazing athletes. It was fun. Our team had
to break up at some point and you needed someone a little bit
edgier to shake things up. I definitely pitched to shake things
up and break the group up a little bit. [Laughs] My character is
one that doesn’t really play well with others anyway when we’re
inside the WWE ring, so what better way to do it then have me
screw them over again? It was definitely fun and now I get to
work with them on opposite corners.
I was actually at your WWE debut, the night after WrestleMania a
couple of years ago. To go from that and then the next year you
had a WrestleMania match, was it just insane how quickly things
move once you’re actually on the main roster?
Yeah that was wild. I remember that WrestleMania, the day before
my debut, I said to Bayley, “Can you imagine this time next year
one of us could be in a WrestleMania match? How cool would that
be?” Then literally I debuted the next day - had no idea. It was
the craziest experience of my life; a huge rollercoaster. It’s
been insane. They’ve trusted me with so much and given me so
much. To be in WrestleMania and to have that many people in
there... Which is insane, but the funny thing is, you can’t hear
anyone once you’re in there even though there’s more people than
there is usually. I was like, “Do they hate us?” and I remember
Dean Malenko was like, “No, there’s just no roof so the sound
goes up, instead of toward the ring.” I was like, “Okay, that
makes sense.” Even if you hear a pin drop, they’re there! I was
like “Okay,” but that was a crazy experience.
We’re on the road to WrestleMania now and it’s a little too
early to know how everything will fall into place but are you
excited just for the possibilities for yourself and the Divas in
general, as we head toward WrestleMania?
Yeah, obviously we don’t know what’s going on right now but
hopefully all of us get to be involved in some sense. Because
WrestleMania is such a big deal for our company and for the
world, really. It’s one of the biggest shows of the year. I hope
we get to be a part of it. I’d be sad if we didn’t.
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