Joy Giovanni Describes 'Strange Way' WWE Handled Divas Search Contestants
All things considered, Joy Giovanni's tenure in wrestling was quite brief. The former WWE star joined the promotion shortly after finishing third in the 2004 Divas Search contest, only lasting a year before she was eventually released. She would make one more appearance for WWE in the 25-Diva Battle Royal at WrestleMania 25, her first and, thus far, only match in wrestling.
In an interview with "The A2theK Wrestling Show", Giovanni discussed her time on the Divas Search and revealed how the contestants had limited interactions with WWE talent all the way through the process, something that caused a riff in the locker room.
"When they moved us over for the weekly televised competition segment, as a regular part of the show, we were there in the arena with them, but we were kept totally segregated from them, and only brought out of our own locker room," Giovanni said. "They wanted to keep us almost sequestered, so we didn't know what was going on, we didn't know a lot about the show. And I think the problem, if you can even call it a problem, came when they didn't explain to the existing talent roster that that's what they were doing."
Joy Giovanni Says Diva Search Contestants Were Sequestered From WWE Roster
According to Giovanni, the handling of the situation may have given some people the wrong idea about her and the other contestants. "So it appeared to other people that we all just didn't want to interact with anyone. And as you know, there are kind of rules backstage where you're supposed to do things in a certain way. So we just came off as really rude. But it wasn't our intention."
Giovanni also gave some insight into the mindset of herself and her fellow contestants, who she claimed dressed in a locker room that was "as big as a decently sized bedroom," despite there being 10 women in the competition. Ultimately, she just wants to give fans a better idea of what they went through, feeling the portrayal of their time in WWE was misleading.
"We were all just kind of nervous," Giovanni said. "You're still on an audition, and you're getting told to stay in this room and 'Don't come out unless we come get you' kind of a thing. We had a bathroom and everything in there that we would need. It was set up in a strange way, and I think a lot of people don't know that part."
If you use quotes in this article, please credit "The A2theK Wrestling Show" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription