Between The Ropes Wednesday, October 31, 2007 WQTM 740 The Team – Orlando, Florida Archived online at BetweenTheRopes.com

WWE Diva Maria appeared as a guest on the October 31st edition of Between the Ropes to discuss WrestleMania 24 next year, working with Santino Marella, her relationship with C.M. Punk, and more.

Maria is looking forward to returning to Orlando for WrestleMania 24 on March 30th. “I’m definitely excited. It’s my third one (WrestleMania), so I’ve been there, I’ve seen it before. This year, we’re going to have seventy-five thousand people - if not more. So, it’s huge. Every year it gets bigger and bigger, and I’m excited for it.”

Maria recalled her memories of last year’s WrestleMania. “What’s strange is when we performed up in Detroit, I never even went out to see how many people there were - and I think there were ninety-three thousand that year. And that was just this past April. I did not go and look how many people there were. And when I got out there, it was actually not that loud - it was so loud that you really couldn’t hear the people. But then afterwards - after I had already went out - I went upstairs and looked down on the arena, and oh, my gosh, I got more nervous standing there and looking down on the arena than I did standing around the ring. So, it was insane. Performing in front of that many people is such an adrenaline rush.”

Santino Marella’s promos on Raw have become a weekly highlight for many fans, and Maria spoke about her on-air relationship with the former Intercontinental Champion, including the time when Marella interrupted a live singing performance by Lilian Garcia. “That boy can sing! Well, at least he thinks he can sing. It’s almost like Jillian in the sense that you watch it, and it’s like watching a car accident - you keep watching it, and it’s like, ‘Oh my goodness, what else is he going to say?’”

When asked how she prevents herself from laughing when alongside Santino on camera, Maria admitted that she actually has broken out a few times. “But that’s the fun in it,” she adds. “That’s what’s supposed to happen. I mean, you react to what’s going on. You react to what that person’s saying. And if someone’s speaking baby-talk to you like he (Marella) did this past Monday, you talk baby-talk right back to him. So, it’s fun - it’s probably the most fun I’ve had so far. Other than a few interviews I’ve had with Cena, I’d have to say that this time right now is so much fun.”