WWE’s Carmella guested on AfterBuzz TV’s Lilian Garcia: Making Their Way to the Ring and squashed rumors as to why she started dating Cass, revealed her biggest struggle in NXT, that Byron Saxton helped create the Carmella character, why Triple H didn’t think she was a hype girl, how she made a name for herself in the WWE, she would meet with Dusty Rhodes weekly about character development, she had a stalker she hopes never contacts her again, why she never thought she would be wrestling at Wrestlemania this year and much more!
On Triple H not pairing her up with Enzo & Cass on the main roster:
“When Hunter told me he said the reason why you’re not going with them is because you have the ability to make it on your own, you’re not just a hype girl for Cass and Enzo you’re not, I see more in you, you have more potential and you’re gonna be fine on your own.”
On the inspiration for her character:
“Actually Byron Saxton helped me so much with Carmella yes he helped me so much…so I knew when I got the name Carmella I wanted to do like a mafia like mob wife feel because I come from an Italian family and I wanted to like bring that into it um so I started like coming up with all these ideas and I went to him and I was like ok I have this idea like Carmella like Staten Island or actually I didn’t say Staten Island I just said Carmella like mafia whatever and then he’s the one who came up with Staten Island because Sasha was already from Boston so they couldn’t we couldn’t really do it that way so I said ok well I guess I have to learn a New York accent now which um was really fun um but he was like he started like looking at his nails like he just transformed himself into this character and I’m like this this is exactly how I picture her he’s looking at his nails and he’s like ah Paige was the NXT Women’s Champion at the time and we were talking about this promo that I was gonna do in promo class, and he was like “Paige like what is that like a book or something Paige?” and I’m like “Byron yes!” this is this is it just works and like from that point on from that meeting with him I’m like okay I know what I’m doing I know who Carmella is I wrote this whole back story and you know everything about her and now I just like I know who she is and she’s freakin’ fabulous.”
On not being called up with Enzo & Cass:
“I was devastated I really was, um it was right around this time last year it was right after TakeOver and I had been on the road with them we were going and doing loops for you know um the main roster, and I was with them every single time they even did a Pay Per View they did Roadblock um on the main roster and I was always with them so to me I was just thinking oh this is a package deal and everyone was telling us this was a package deal package deal, and ah so I’m thinking ok this is cool like I’m excited. And then the night of um TakeOver last year Hunter had pulled the boys aside to tell them that they were going up and then I had already gone on the bus to leave and then someone came on the bus and was like oh um Hunter wants to talk to you and I’m thinking oh my God this is it, like we’re going up like I was so excited, so I got pulled up and it was just me and the boys weren’t there so I’m thinking ok this is weird..and Cass, I had seen him like I walked past him to go and he was just kinda look and I just knew at that moment the way he was looking at me so I got into the room with um Hunter and Matt Bloom and he said okay so I just ah wanna let you know ah Cass and Enzo are they’re going up on Monday and you will not be going with them and I did everything I could not to cry for so many different reasons a.) because this is my boyfriend and I spent the last almost like two and half years with him um and now I’m losing him was like my first thought and then second I’m thinking well then what am I gonna do like this is all I’ve known being in wrestling was being with them my whole gimmick was around them they said bada boom realest guys in the room I said bada bing hottest chick in the ring that was like our thing.”
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
