Lacey Evans wants to lift others up by telling her story.
The former “Sassy Southern Belle” returned to WWE TV in May after she took over a year off due to her pregnancy and the subsequent birth of her daughter. Upon her return, her character has been based around her real-life story in which she has dealt with a number of difficult losses and setbacks.
In an interview with Rick Ucchino of Bleav in Pro Wrestling, Evans discussed her new character and made it clear that she aims to tell her story of perseverance in the hopes that others will be inspired by it.
“Since NXT, I have always wanted to use this platform and use this microphone to show the world what they’re capable of, regardless of where they come from,” said Evans. “And I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I literally came from the trailer park straight into WWE and I’m surrounded by the Charlotte Flairs, by the Becky Lynchs, by the Nattie Harts, that have so much time and names invested in and family ties that make them so strong. And I look around and there was a voice that tells me like, what are you doing here? Like you belong… and I say no. And I relate, like there are people that can relate to that. So you know what I did, I said no, screw this. I am Lacey Evans, I am gonna come in here, I’m gonna stand toe to toe with these women, and I’m gonna win. And I’m gonna make it, and I’m going to pave my path and be a name that will always be remembered, regardless of who I am.
“So why not tell the story of like you know, yeah, she was the sassy southern Belle but she’s also Lacey Evans and she does come from this, to show the world what they’re capable of. And so when I pitched the idea like can I come back like the real me and show the world this hard-working, dedicated, motivated, mother, marine, wife, woman, superstar, that is just not gonna give up but also cry on TV if she has to and tell her story, which was so hard to do. Can I do that? Can I be here? I’m still a sassy southern Belle, I can still bake a pie just as good as I can fire a weapon, honey. I just took the high heels off and dug my boots back out.”
Evans also noted that WWE higher-ups “loved” the idea, and she expressed her gratitude for the way that the company is letting her open up about the struggles she has faced.
“Yeah, they loved the idea,” said Evans. “And it’s different, and I’m blessed that they’re letting me because addiction, speaking about addiction and depression and mental health, that’s hard. And it’s hard as a company to even like tip-toe around that, but they’ve really let me tell the hell I’ve been through.
The WWE SmackDown star also emphasized that she wants her character to inspire others in a variety of ways.
“They’re watching this and they’re saying, ‘Wow,'” said Evans. “The babies are saying, ‘I need to keep climbing,’ and the parents are saying, ‘I need to fix myself because it shows that I may be a superstar, I may be a beautiful, strong mother but I am hurting. I have been through so much, that it’s not fair. It’s not fair as a daughter, as a kid to go through what I’ve been through, and then be thrown out there in the world with Charlotte Flair and Nattie Hart, and looking around and questioning if I have what it takes. Why did I deserve that?
“So telling my story is exciting because you are a kid that’s going through it, keep your head up and keep going and know that it doesn’t matter where you come from, you become what you wanna become. If you’re a parent that is destroying your baby’s heart and grit, stop, get the help. It’s out there, please.”
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