Candice Michelle Says Losing Out On Diva Search Hurt, Talks Getting Contract Soon After

Candice Michelle was one of the competitors in the initial WWE Diva Search, and she noted in a recent interview that it hurt when she didn’t win it. During her conversation with Steve Fall for Wrestling News.co, Michelle talked about how she had learned not to take rejection personally due to her experience in Hollywood but that she felt she was qualified for WWE so it stung when she ended up not being selected as one of the 10 finalists. Michelle was ultimately offered a contract soon after for the company. You can see some highlights below:

On not making the finals of the Diva Search: “I came from Hollywood, so this was my job. Every day I went out for an audition, you know? Sometimes I don’t get it because they want a redhead or a blonde and I’m brunette. Sometimes I didn’t nail the lines for something, sometimes they want somebody taller, skinnier, or fatter. I had come to terms in my life and being in that business, you got to be okay with rejection, and it’s not personal. But this one was personable for me, because I grew up watching wrestling. I mean, I watched it every Monday night with my stepdad Ken, and I had a Hulk Hogan doll instead of a Barbie doll. And I went to the show, and I high-fived the Bushwackers. So I was like, ‘Oh, this is coming full circle!’ When I watched it, they were like — I didn’t know you could become them. I thought they were just like cartoon characters, they’re superstars. Nobody can do that!

“So now I have this opportunity to to be that, and I thought, ‘I’m perfect for this! I’m athletic, I played basketball varsity [for] four years. I did, you know, boxing and mixed martial arts.’ I’m like, ‘I got this.’ And then I didn’t get it, and I was like, ‘Oh that one hurt!’ It stung.”

On getting the call later and getting a contract: “When I got that call a month later and got offered a three-year contract, I realized, ‘Oh, I was not perfect to be the winner of the Diva Search, but I was perfect for this job.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Wrestling News.co with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.