Lilian Garcia Would Love to See Evolution Come Back, But Doesn’t Think It Needs To

– During an interview with Daily DDT, Lilian Garcia weighed in on whether Evolution should come back as a PPV for WWE this year among other topics. You can see some highlights below:

On what’s stood out to her about her PFL experience: “The whole thing! I’m so amazed at this organization. Very, very professional. They have welcomed me with open arms. Anything I need, any kind of information, they say, ‘We’re here to help.’ And they have. They’ve completely helped me because I thought it was going to be very similar yet I find that it’s kind of own entity as to the announcements and how I do the announcements there. I’ve had to learn a lot of their different format because it is a different format. You got to remember, WWE is definitely more entertainment, which is why there wasn’t so much focus on the person’s weight fluctuating from one pound to the other from one week to the other. Here, it’s all about the exact weight and the stats and how high they are and what their professional record is. In WWE, we didn’t say any of that. It’s more about the town, what kind of title is it, do they hold a title, so the announcements are pretty much completely different.”

On if there’s been any adjustment period going from ring announcing in WWE to announcing in the cage at PFL: “Look, there was an adjustment period for 15 years in WWE. I never, never got cocky. I never went, ‘Oh, I got this!’ No, that’s why I’d still have nerves because I always want to do a great job and you never know what can happen on live TV. I’ve felt very good at PFL in the fact that they’ve set me up to win where they’ve really helped me with a lot of information that I hadn’t, I think I would’ve fallen flat on my face on Day 1. The way they set me up with so much guidance and help and teaching me as to, ‘Okay, this is how we do things over here,’ that literally set me on the right foot from Day 1. I could not have done it without them. So, when you ask me about the organization, it’s just been everybody from the top. Another thing I love is the format. The regular season, the playoffs, and the championship. Who can’t get excited about that? They know how many fights they’re going to have, they know that they’re going for a million dollars in each division. Six million dollars awarded to all of these fighters is incredible and it’s life-changing for them and their families. Another thing that’s surprised me is how nice and humble all of these fighters are. They love the sport and when they’re in the cage they’re very aggressive and they’re there for a purpose and they’re there for a reason and they’re in their sport. Away from the cage, they’re so really down to earth and so nice, and that’s why I love getting to know their personalities. The MMA fans have been so receiving of me and I can’t thank them enough for that.”

On if she was ever limited in her announcing in WWE: “I never had that issue but you have to remember, with ring announcements, there’s definitely a certain way to do them. With WWE, there was a certain way to do them and I learned them. Now, did I get wiggle room? Absolutely. Because I’d say, ‘I feel like the nickname needs to be ahead’ or ‘The nickname needs to be in the middle.’ Same thing with PFL. I’ve been able to talk to Josh Fowler who’s been helping me tremendously and I’ll look at him and go, ‘Hey, what if we did it this way?’ And he’s the same way with me. He’ll say, ‘Hey, you know this craft, whatever you think works, go for it, but there are certain things that have to stay the way they are.’ I have to learn their format. It’s been a give and take and that’s what I love.”

On the differences between WWE’s ring announcing since she was full-time: “I just noticed that they have a lot more people. Whether it’s ring announcing, the broadcast team, backstage interviewers, it’s definitely expanding. I remember the days when it was just Tony Chimel, Howard Finkel and myself. That was it. And of course, you had King [Jerry Lawler], and Michael Cole, and J.R. [Jim Ross], but that has immensely grown from the six of us to what it is now and I’m like now, ‘Wow, this is its own entity.’ That’s pretty amazing.”

On whether she thinks it’s likely that WWE brings back Evolution: “I would love to see it come back. I think the women proved that they can hold a pay-per-view on their own, but if not, I don’t think that’s a bad thing either in the fact that the women are now present in every single pay-per-view. It’s almost not even needed if it doesn’t come back. Either way, I think it’s going to be okay. I just think it was beautiful to do it and establish it that very first year just to make a statement and from there the company has continued to… I mean, think about it, the women main evented WrestleMania this year. That’s the way you continue that. They’ve continued with the Money in the Bank matches, the Ladder matches, Elimination Chamber, all those kind of matches that keep showing off the women’s capabilities. I think it’s great, and like I said, whether they have another one or not, I don’t think that’s a big deal.”

On comparing her experiences at Evolution and WrestleManias: “Well, that was incredible. Obviously, I have been at WrestleMania for so many years and Evolution, but Evolution definitely did something to just put a stamp of approval. That’s what I think felt so good to see that every match I was announcing, we were all like, ‘Woah, this is really happening!’ I never imagined an all-women’s pay-per-view and I look back and go, ‘Wow, how small-minded.’ I don’t know why I never imagined it, so when it got announced, I was blown away. When it happened, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, this is so natural.’ But that’s our culture and I don’t mean just America. I’m talking the world, but we’re coming little by little where it’s happening and now it’s becoming a habit to see women competing or an all-women’s pay-per-view. There would be times at ringside that I was the only one woman to come out the entire show. To see the evolution of that where no women were represented at all except for me to see the evolution of an all-women’s pay-per-view, it hit me really hard like, ‘Wow, this is incredible.'”

On how Rousey has helped the women’s division: “I think the women are working so hard and doing so, so good. I can’t tell you whether she’s helping or not, I have no idea. I think it’s cool that she came. I love that she came. I respect the fact that she now wants to raise a family and I know that the women that are there now are just focused on their absolute best and are killing it. Becky Lynch, Charlotte, all of them. So proud of them.”

On her Chasing Glory podcast: “Chasing Glory has taken off in such a big way and in a bigger way than I knew it was going to be. What I mean by that, I’m not just taking about the six million downloads that it’s had, I’m just getting ready to approach 100 episodes, so it’s pretty fascinating to have that kind of number in less than 100 episodes. It’s the stories being told. It’s the impact the stories are having and the lives that they’re saving. I mean, literally, I get letters from fans who have said, ‘I was at my wit’s end’ or ‘I was contemplating suicide’ or there were literally some letters that said, ‘I had my suicide planned when I listened to this episode’ and they listed the certain episode that touched them and the story of the Superstar who talked about their own struggles that they endured and they got through that struggle. They said, ‘Hearing that struggle made me realize that I can get through this and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and there is something beautiful and I can still become somebody.’ That to me has meant everything. That’s why Chasing Glory is so important to me because it is way bigger than me. It is just a vehicle to get these stories out there and to put hope in people’s lives that you don’t have to live with struggle. Whether you’ve been depressed or you’ve been bullied or been sexually assaulted or you’ve had an eating disorder. Whatever the situation is, you can get through it, and here’s an example. And that’s usually all somebody needs is an example. Then they’re been able to identity with that Superstar even more and that’s why I’ve expanded it beyond WWE. Obviously, I started there and I wanted to get the stories of the Superstars, but I also saw that there were other people reaching out to me from other celebrities and other athletes. The more I looked into this, I realized, ‘Woah, this is incredible, let’s do that!’ I get all these different stories, even from wellness coaches, I’ve had my mentors on this, so they can help the people listening to this. I want to say, ‘Look, this person helped me, let me share what their journey is and what their teachings are so they can help you.’ They’ve really resonated with the fans. It’s just been a beautiful thing.”