wrestling / News

Lilian Garcia Recalls Singing The National Anthem For Smackdown After 9/11

October 26, 2020 | Posted by Joseph Lee
Lilian Garcia 2001

In an interview with PWInsider, Lilian Garcia spoke about what it was like to have to sing the national anthem on the episode of Smackdown that aired two days after 9/11. Here are highlights:

On bringing her podcast to the WWE Network: “I am extremely excited, first of all, I have to say that. You said it – it’s going to be seen by more people and I’m just, I’m thrilled for that because the stories that are being shared on the podcast are so incredible and I really do feel that they need to be heard by as many people as possible because there’s lessons. There’s lesson in there that people can apply to their own lives and there’s really in-depth stories of struggles that have, hey – people told me have saved their lives. So, just to let you know…yeah, I took a hiatus over the summer, because I started the podcast back in 2016 and this summer just seemed like the perfect time to take a pause, and I’m glad I did. I listened to my intuition, and I think that’s a lesson too, is to listen to your intuition more in life. So my intuition was like, “Just pause girl, you gotta refresh yourself, you’ve gotta take care of your own mental health,” and right when we were deciding to come back for the Fall, is when I got the email from the WWE saying, “Hey, you know how much we love your show and we would love to put it on the free version of the WWE Network,” and it was incredible and I got on a phone call with them and it just instantly…I knew it was the right thing to do.”

On singing the national anthem after 9/11: “Well it’s very special that I got the opportunity to sing the National Anthem that night after 9/11. I will never forget that moment. It was a ‘gulp’ moment when Vince asked me if I would be OK in doing it and I also knew that I was just going to be the vehicle to try to get people together but it wasn’t about me, I was just the vehicle for that and Paul Heyman saw me right beforehand and he looked and he saw how nervous I was, you know, I was goning to sing acapella in the middle of the ring, and he just looked at me and he said, “You know you got this, it’s OK and years of you doing this have prepared you for this moment, and look, if you break down afterwards, you break down afterwards, it’s OK, whatever you’re feeling, go out there and do,” and that’s what I did. I just put my heart and soul into trying to connect everybody in that moment and to watch it back every year I tear up, I receive letters all the time from people saying that as well and then to be able to go on and do it at four Wrestlemanias because this Wrestlemania I did it virtually from the living room on The Bump, I kicked off Wrestlemania in a different way which was really wild, but to be able to do that and be able to perform it in Iraq and then live in the arena before we went on the air – I’ve performed it so many times throughout my career there in WWE, and then go on and perform it for like the New York Jets thirteen times, Miami Dolphins, and other games. That song is so special to me, especially as an Army brat. My dad was a lieutenant colonel, my dad fought in Vietnam, I saw the PTSD that he suffered, and he still suffered all the way to when he passed away in 2016, so yeah, I don’t like to compare it to who else is going to try and do it. I think everyone’s got their own flair but that was me and why it meant a lot to me and still does.”

On her dream guest: “You know? I’d like to get her on..and I love all my guests because I always learn something from every single one of my guests, it’s not like I like to put one over the other, I never like to measure who, you know, was the best guest for me or anything like that. Every individual story is that – it’s individual but someone I didn’t really get to work with a lot and just, what a powerhouse when she came in was Ronda Rousey. I’d love to sit down with Ronda and I do hear that she’s got quite a story and I would love to get that story and know what she experienced in WWE versus the MMA world. “

article topics :

Lilian Garcia, Joseph Lee