WWE Superstar Naomi is the guest this week on “Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia.” Naomi talks about Total Divas, WWE in Saudi Arabia, AJ Lee, her return and much more. Visit www.ChasingGlory.com to watch or listen the full episode.

Here are the transcribed highlights, courtesy of Chasing Glory and scroll down to watch the full interview.

Naomi’s Return:

Exactly. So, it’s a way bigger statement than just me. I’m having a different look coming back to wrestling. It’s just something that I just wanted to do, symbolically to recognize the struggle and also, to come in and say, “Look, this is who I am. This is where I am.” I’m at a point. Yeah. You don’t have to accept me. I accept me. I love me. This is how I look. This is what it is. So, enjoy, watch me kill it. So, that’s what’s all about.

Naomi: (Vacating the title – This was NOT a shoot)

That’s true. And that was a tough time, because fans thought that was a work, they thought it was a part of the script and for and they don’t understand, that was real. I really had to vacate it when I didn’t want to. I cry. I was upset, because my MCL, really was torn. I had a slight tear. And that wasn’t supposed to happen in Mania, but I bust my butt off in rehab. I didn’t even know at the time if I was fully healed, but I fought for that and it was rough, and it almost didn’t happen. But I’m glad it did.

Naomi: (FCW and AJ Lee)

Naomi:

I can’t wait for the FCW documentary to come on. But, yeah. A lot of people don’t know that. I was the first FCW Women’s Champion.

Naomi:

It was me and AJ. AJ Lee holding it down at FCW. And I learned so much from her, because honestly at the time, the only one… there was only a handful of us, which is crazy, and we look at the roster now. But it was literally eight or 10 of us, that was it. That was the whole roster.

Naomi:

And at the time AJ was really the… we all came in so green and not from a wrestling background. AJ was really the only one who knew what was going on and how this thing works and really helped me a lot and taught me so much, and Serena Deeb. It was just… I learned so much from those girls in itself, because I feel you never get to hear those stories or know about this stuff

WWE Saudi Arabia

Naomi:

Just opening up my mind more and seeing just how much it meant to women to see us there. Even for the men to be accepting and to be so helpful and to be so supportive, and to see… kids crying, and the women crying and being so connected. And even going out there, before the match even started, them chanting for us, and having our signs. And I’m just, “How do they even know? How they even know who I am? What they do?”

And it’s real, Oh my God, it’s big, it’s way bigger than me and that it’s way bigger than… it’s just way bigger than just a wrestling match. It was just an incredible to have the entrance and the fire roll.

SPECIAL NOTE: First WWE Saudi Arabi Event – Lilian and Lana were the original women scheduled to go to the first Saudi Arabia event before being told, “no women can go” just days before the event.

Naomi & Jimmy Uso:

With everything that he has gone through in the last year we’re very, very good. And I think everything we went through was a challenge and it was a test, but it made us stronger and better. We appreciate life in each other and our careers and our jobs and our friends. It has been a rollercoaster, this lifestyle, and this job is not easy.

Naomi: Title Run?

I want whatever the people want, give the people what they want. That’s what I think. That’s how I feel. And if it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. I just want to… I’m good. As long as I’m involved, I’m working and doing what I love to do, I don’t care which way the cake is cut. As long as I’m doing what I love to do and that’s going out there, putting smiles on people’s faces, being able to be included and perform somehow.

Now, that leads me organically if it happens to be in a title, a championship or… like, great, but I don’t want it forced. I’m good either way, like with the fans and the people, what they want. If that isn’t me right now, great. If it is, great. I’m going to make it do what it does either way. I’m just, I’m good.











