I can identify with Riho because I was the talent that didn't speak the language in Japan. I'm very excited for the fans to kind of build a relationship with her because it's going to take work from both sides to understand one another.

The 'AEW' women's championship will be the cornerstone of the women's division. The championship will be treated with the utmost respect and prestige. We hope to inspire future female wrestlers to dream of holding such a meaningful title.

I spent a lot of time wrestling at NXT. That was not seen because I was also an announcer. When you're an announcer, they try to protect you and make sure you don't get hurt or injured, or anything that would hinder you from your TV work.

It's kind of frustrating when you're watching something and you know what's real and then people are telling you no. Fans are very into the idea of good old-fashioned marriage. They don't like pretending when you're married that you're not.

So making the choice to be involved in the pro wrestling industry is always looked at as a short-lived choice, and there are very few and far in between opportunities to continue a career in wrestling if your time is up as a wrestler, as a female.

When Cody won the Ring of Honor title, I rushed out of my seats, tripped on the steps, and bruised my leg in front of a couple fans. I just didn't want to miss a moment with him. That is how much I care about my husband, I care so much I get clumsy.

Impact has always had a focus on their Knockouts. Back when WWE was not so focused on their Divas, Impact was still focused on their Knockouts. They were actually the stronger women's division for a long time, and that was the place to watch a match more than a couple of minutes.

It's interesting to see how a lot of people don't see the other side of the coin. Since they haven't been there. Someone might suggest your character say something that they'd never say. It doesn't occur to them that there are people who think differently about something, from another perspective.

What I did sign was a tentative contract with Impact Wrestling when they were still Impact. That contract had a clause for me, because I was already working on some stuff in other areas of television. That clause basically said that if something else in television were to happen for me, they can't be uncooperative.

I remember my agent calling and saying 'this may be really weird, but would you have any interest in WWE?' I was like, 'isn't that wrestling? And the last time I saw a WWE match was in my women's studies class at the University of Michigan, and they picked it apart. But she implored me to watch, and instantly I was interested.

Many times, I would be on live television and have no idea what the next match is, and I'd have no clue who was coming out next. The last person to know is always the announcer, and it's always your fault if you make a mistake - even if you didn't know. I was always on top of everything and never said the wrong name or the wrong town.

It is a lot to learn, and unique, but it is commonplace here in Atlanta where the man takes care of things and the woman becomes a homemaker, and later on in the relationship, a mother, which isn't the things that I ever considered. I think Cody thought that I would want that for my life since he grew up in that, but that is just not me.

Cody and I had a connection pretty quickly. We were engaged pretty quickly, but my moment where I knew this was definitely the person for me was when Cody asked me on a date to Halloween Horror Night at Universal Studios. Nobody had ever asked me on a date to Halloween Horror Night, and I had never been even though I am a horror fanatic.

Share This Page