Maria spoke about the divas she most admired prior to entering WWE. “I loved Lita. I thought she was incredible. Such a performer. Amazing. Fearless - very fearless. Trish Stratus - she’s amazing. Great wrester. And watching those girls out there was inspiring. It’s like, these beautiful women are out there kicking some ass.”

Most WWE divas are required to make at least sporadic appearances in the ring, and Maria discussed how she has progressed as a wrestler. “I spent some time in Tampa - there is a wrestling school there. So, I’m starting to get in the ring more and really focusing, because what I want and what I have my eye on is the Women’s Championship. So, hopefully I will get a shot at that and actually have that belt around my waist.”

Maria had nothing but kind words for ex-boyfriend C.M. Punk and addressed her feelings regarding relationships within the wrestling business. “I think it’s very difficult … I’m very happy for him (Punk) and what he’s doing. He’s an incredible guy, he really is. Me and C.M. Punk, we had a great relationship. Sometimes when two people are working so hard to excel in their career, they can’t always focus on the relationship. I still care for him a lot, he still cares for me a lot. But, at this point, it just doesn’t work the best. We still talk, we have a great relationship. I wish him the best.”

You can hear this interview in its entirety, as well as the complete archived October 31st edition of Between the Ropes - including Maria’s thoughts on being a woman in a business dominated by men, what prompted her to pursue a career in wrestling, further discussion about relationships within the industry and more - at www.BetweentheRopes.com. Between the Ropes can be heard Wednesday nights from 10:00pm to 12:00am ET on WQTM 740 The Team in Orlando, Florida and streaming worldwide on BetweenTheRopes.com.