Paige Talks New Project She's Working On, Why She Was Removed From "Total Divas"
Recently on Chasing Glory With Lilian Garcia, WWE personality and retired professional wrestler Paige was on the show for the second instalment of her two-part interview with host and executive producer Lilian Garcia. Among many other things, Paige talked about whether she is fulfilled appearing only on WWE Backstage.
Paige, who recently explained her issues with Triple H's improper joke, said that she loves the FOX gig, but is not fulfilled only doing that for WWE. As such, the inaugural NXT [Women's] Champion stated that she wants to get into acting or do something else outside of professional wrestling.
"I love being a part of the FOX family," Paige acknowledged. "Like, they're amazing and I love doing the show. I do miss being in the ring and doing something though, so I started doing dance classes and stuff like that, which has been really fun for me, but I don't know, I just feel like I need to be in front of a camera and do something other than just to talk about [pro] wrestling. I want to be able to get into acting and stuff like that. I feel like would really fulfill me because I love it. I love what I do whether it was managing The Kabuki Warriors, being the SmackDown GM, being part of the FOX family, but I'm like, 'damn, I want to elevate my career even more though and do something that's completely out of my comfort zone, something that has nothing to do with wrestling just to see how it goes."
Paige then talked about her foray into dance to improve her self-confidence.
"Right now, I'm still trying to build up my confidence because I still feel very insecure all the time, so that's why I started taking up dancing," Paige explained. "I'll go there every Monday and [the dance instructor] just makes you feel so confident, so sexy, and you just feel so good. And so, like, I'm just trying to build everything up then."
According to Paige, she is looking into doing a reality show with her boyfriend, Ronnie, so she can be remembered for things other than pro wrestling.
"I'm just thinking me [about] and Ronnie having a reality show together too, so I've been doing, throwing, like, bits and pieces here and there, and all these producers have been hitting me up about it, so I've been trying to, like, focus on, maybe getting mine and Ronnie's brand out there a little bit more. And then, people can see more inside my life and remember me for something different. Maybe change their minds a little bit, but they get to see more our day-to-day lives too, so I want to start doing that. And then, I just need to get my name back out there." Paige added, "I feel like I've gone a little bit quiet for a little bit now."
Additionally, Paige stated that she would like creative control over her supposed reality TV show.
"Well, this time around, instead of, like, Total Divas, like, we want to be, like, more involved in it if we had a show. Do you know what I mean?" Paige continued, "I'd want to be a producer and part of creative and stuff like that just so we can have like final say on stuff instead of anything getting cut in a way that we don't like or make us look bad."
Apparently, Paige was told that she would not be a main cast member on Total Divas anymore because she is no longer performing inside the squared circle.
"No [it was not Paige's decision to stop doing Total Divas]. Yeah, yeah [Total Divas is just changing casts]. Like, I think the Bellas kind of focus more on Total Bellas. And then, I wasn't wrestling anymore, so I understood their point. Like, when I got the call, they were just like, 'we want you to be somewhat part of the show, but not a main cast member because you're not wrestling, so, like, it's about female wrestlers.' And I was like, 'yeah, I totally get that, but then I would rather not be part of the show at all. Not even a little glimpse of me. I'd rather not be a part of it unless it's something super important.'" Paige continued, "I'm kind of happy that I kind of took a step back from that because I feel that with Total Divas, there [are] a lot of just like memories that I would like to forget too because I've had ex-boyfriends on there, and I was a party animal."
In Paige's own words, she simply wants a "fresh start".
"I just want to have a new show where they can see, like, the new me," Paige admitted. "Like, the adult me. And the more focused I am, the more sober I am, that's what I want to do, just like, just build something completely new, like a fresh start kind of thing."
Check out the podcast here or via the embedded player below. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Chasing Glory With Lilian Garcia with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.