Cameron Talks Joining WWE, Melina Vs. Alicia Fox Remark, First WWE Match, Triple H, Vince McMahon

As noted, I recently interviewed former WWE Diva Ariane Andrew, i.e. Cameron. In part one of the interview below, Cameron talks about getting her start in WWE, receiving no notice before her first WWE match, her comment about Melina vs. Alicia Fox being her favorite match, Vince McMahon, Total Divas, Triple H and more.

Make sure to check back next week for the second and final part of the interview, where Andrew discussed her response to Ryback’s post, how WWE creative can hurt a person’s career, if there has really been a Women’s revolution in WWE, if the releases would have happened if the brand split came earlier, her favorite opponents, favorite matches and more.

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Thanks Ariane for joining us. I feel like you’ve been involved with WWE for a long time, but it [has] really only been five years since Tough Enough. How [has] the journey been?

“I would definitely say I was definitely blessed to have an opportunity to be with the WWE considering I wasn’t a [professional] wrestling fan growing up. And to get an opportunity to be with such a big company with such amazing people, to travel the world, and to have some of the most loyal fans in the world, die hard, it was definitely a great opportunity, definitely a roller coaster ride, but I wouldn’t take it back for the world.”

Absolutely, and how did you get the Tough Enough audition?

“So a lot of people don’t know that originally I did a Diva Search out here in Los Angeles [California].”

That was the same year, right?

“That was the same year. Then, after that, they were like, ‘you know what? We want you to join Tough Enough.’ So I was like, ‘okay,’ deep breath, I didn’t know how to feel about it. I was like, ‘it’s reality TV’ and back then I was a little bit younger, so I was kind of like, ‘oh my gosh. This could either go so left or go very right.’ But we all know the moment that no one will ever forget when ‘Stone Cold’ [Steve Austin] asked me what my favorite match was. I was like, ‘Melina versus Alicia Fox’ and, you know, I’m going to own it. I feel when you do things in life you should just own it. And at that time, because I’m very honest, I didn’t watch [professional] wrestling growing up. That was a match that I like, but being a part of WWE and learning so much about it, I did my research, I got to learn the history, and I got to learn why people were so upset about why I said that was my favorite match.

“But I’ve learned so much from that. It pushed me to kind of just sit down and learn the history behind everything and if you’re going to do something, I feel like you have to do it right. It’s not necessarily how you get into it and how you get into the [professional wrestling] business, I feel it’s like once you get it, what do you do with it to succeed?”

Wrestling fans can just sometimes be a judgmental bunch. Like, myself, I liked Hulk Hogan versus Andre the Giant when I was a kid. It just brought back so many memories, it was a big story, they were these two icons. And athletically, it’s not a great match. That’s just something that stuck with me since my childhood. It’s something I can still watch whenever it comes on. Were you surprised that one line really stuck with people for that long?

“Yes, I was! I was like, ‘oh my gosh!’ At first it would bother me a lot because at the end of the day, I am human. And to be criticized like that, I’m like, ‘if it was somebody else, they probably would have been okay, someone who’s more respected’ and I feel like if [professional] wrestling fans knew I came from a [professional] wrestling background and I said that, it would have been I guess you could say, more warranted. ‘Okay, I can see where she’s coming from.’ I think it’s because of my lack of knowledge. I mean, sometimes I still don’t understand, but I do get it. I absolutely get it. I get it because [professional] wrestling fans are very passionate and loyal, so I understand it, but all I can do is take it and own it. There’s nothing else I can really do.

“Let’s talk about me pinning Trin [Naomi] on her stomach. I’m human. We’re all human. Imagine being on Wrestling Inc. and fans were told, ‘oh, you can’t comment. You can’t have an opinion’, how they would feel about that. You’re being at work and you’re told not to do something. It’s just kind of like, we all make mistakes and there [have] been some top Superstars and Divas that have made mistakes and they’ve been criticized for it. It’s just I was caught in the moment. Things happened and it was too late before I [noticed], like, ‘oh s–t! Let me fix this!’ But at that time, it was live and it happened. I own it. I own it. But stuff happens.”

You haven’t been wrestling that long. You’ve got guys in NXT that have been wrestling for over a decade that still aren’t on the main roster, so it’s definitely, you know, like I said, wrestling fans can definitely be a judgmental bunch. Now, with the Melina/Alicia Fox thing, did you ever talk with them about it because I know you’ve worked with Alicia? And I can’t remember, have you worked with Melina?

“No, actually, she was released before I made it to the main roster, so I never got to meet her.”

How long into the Tough Enough experience were you like, ‘this is something that I want to do for a living’?

“I mean, I was the first one kicked off, so I didn’t really get a huge taste of things. But it’s so much harder than what it looks like. People think, ‘oh my gosh, it’s so easy.’ It’s like, really, taking a bump on the mat, you feel like you got into a mini car accident the next day. But it’s like your body just gets used to it. And it’s a different world and I just got really excited to do something new. And I wanted to try it and I want to be great at it. I’m the person that’s kind of resilient. When I want something, you can’t …

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