Red Velvet On Trying Out For WWE Tough Enough In 2015, Preparing For AEW Dynamite Match Against Shaq & Jade Cargill

In a recent interview on AEW Unrestricted, Red Velvet discussed teaming with Cody Rhodes to take on Shaquille O’Neal and Jade Cargill, trying out for WWE Tough Enough, and much more. You can read her comments below.

Red Velvet on her training for the upcoming tag team match with Cody Rhodes to take on Shaquille O’Neal and Jade Cargill: “Well, of course in-ring training just to keep my cardio going and stuff like that. Mentally, I’m trying to get myself ready because it was a big thing to not let myself get caught up in how big this match is gonna be or who’s in the match or how much attention the match is gonna get. So, I’m trying to mentally disconnect from all of that and just focus on the task at hand.”

On how she found out about replacing Brandi Rhodes in the match: “I was definitely stoked because this is the biggest match to date of my career. So, that was an excitement. I was definitely grateful for the opportunity. They say when one door closes, one door opens. With Brandi stepping into the beautiful journey of motherhood, I think it was only right for me to step in and have her back. I’m excited to finally shut Jade [Cargill] up because all I’ve seen her do is run her mouth. So, I’m excited to see if she’s really gonna throw down in the ring and see what she’s about.”

Red Velvet on trying out for WWE Tough Enough in 2015: “I stepped away from wrestling before that because I was training to become a professional dancer. So, dance took over my life, and I had stopped watching wrestling. Then I flipped the channel, and you have Triple H making the announcement that they are doing Tough Enough. Anybody can do it, you don’t have to be a professional wrestler, you just have to show that you’re tough enough. So, I went on and did the YouTube video, and it took off. They showed it twice on SmackDown. I remember somebody woke me up to the video footage of my video. And then I had a follow-up Skype interview with a producer. So, I had made it through round one, and then she asked me to send over some professional photos. At the time, I didn’t have any professional photos. I had like selfies. I had selfie-type, which were horrible.

“So, I didn’t make it on the show, but I think I’m a big believer of everything happens for a reason. That was I think the bullet point that stuck for me to start wrestling. Then after, it just took off, and people were like ‘Why don’t you do it? You should do it.’ I said, ‘Yeah, you know, you’re right.’ So, I started looking up schools. I didn’t even know wrestling schools existed. I had never thought about how people became wrestlers. When you see these celebrities, it almost feels like something that is so far that you don’t even know how to get there. Yeah, it’s unobtainable…..I think not making it on the show was the best thing that happened because it opened up my eyes to how much potential I had to become a wrestler. And then I joined the school and started wrestling.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit AEW Unrestricted with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.