Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Maxxine Dupri On Criticism, Alpha Academy, Royal Rumble Debut, LA Knight

Episode Date: March 7, 2024

Sydney Zmrzel aka Maxxine Dupri (@maxxinedupri) is a professional wrestler with WWE. She sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Hollywood to talk about her journey to becoming a WWE Superstar, getting signed after her tryout in Las Vegas, being a cheerleader for the LA Rams and Phoenix Suns before starting her wrestling career, her experience at Super Bowl LIII, getting called up from NXT to Smackdown and being given the Maxxine Dupri character, learning from LA Knight, teaming up with Chad Gable and Otis in Alpha Academy, continuing to improve in the ring with every match, making her Royal Rumble debut, her goals for this year and much more! Quote I'm thinking about: "You don't get results by focusing on results. You get results by focusing on the habits and behaviors that produce results." Sponsors: BABBEL: Learn a new language and get 50% off your lifetime Babbel subscription at http://babbel.com/cvv MAGIC SPOON: Get $5 off with the code CVV at http://magicspoon.com/cvv RHONE: Upgrade your closet with Rhone and use CVV to save 20% at https://www.rhone.com/CVV ROCKET MONEY: Join Rocket Money today and experience financial freedom: https://rocketmoney.com/cvv BETTERHELP: Get 10% off your first month with the code INSIGHT at http://betterhelp.com/insight MUDWTR: Get 15% off with the code CVV15 at http://mudwtr.com/cvv MYBOOKIE: Bet on WWE! Get up to $200 cash bonus when you use the code CVV and sign up at http://mybookie.ag BLUECHEW: Use the code CVV to get your first month of BlueChew for FREE at http://bluechew.com PLUNGE: Get $150 off your Plunge with the coupon code CVV150 at http://plunge.com BONCHARGE: Go to http://boncharge.com/CVV and use coupon code CVV to save 15% on your BONCHARGE Infrared Sauna Blanket! For more information about Chris and INSIGHT go to: https://podcast.chrisvanvliet.com If you enjoyed this episode, could I ask you to please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcast/iTunes? It takes less than a minute and makes a huge difference in helping to spread the word about the show and also to convince some hard-to-get guests.  Follow CVV on social media:  Instagram: instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet Twitter: twitter.com/ChrisVanVliet Facebook: facebook.com/ChrisVanVliet YouTube: youtube.com/ChrisVanVliet TikTok: tiktok.com/@Chris.VanVliet Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris. Okay, welcome back to another one here on Insight. I'm CVV, Chris Pham Fleet. Thank you for being with us. And thank you for making Insight, one of the top wrestling podcasts on the planet. How's your week been so far? Good week?

Good week so far? Well, between the John Scene episode that we had on Tuesday, Maxine Dupree today, it's been a really fun week here on the podcast and the YouTube channel. Thank you for checking out that John Scene episode. I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. And I'm assuming that since you're here right now, you're already following the show.

But there's a lot of people that don't even know that's a thing. So would it be too much to ask that wherever you're listening to this right now, that you just hit that follow button? Because as the show keeps getting bigger with people like you following the show and leaving a rating, the guests keep getting bigger. That's how we get people like John Sina for over an hour. That's how we got Maxine. Dupree for over an hour today. And for a lot of fans, you only really know her from her time on the

main roster. It hasn't even been two years. She came to Smackdown in July 22. Before that, she was in NXT under the name Sophia Cromwell. You might remember this if you watch NXT. She was doing stuff with Robert Stone. Before that, she was a cheerleader in the NFL for the L.A. Ram. She went to the Super Bowl with them. She was also an NBA cheerleader for the Phoenix Suns. Her story is incredible because she's just one of the most driven and determined people that I've ever had the chance to speak with. Just wait until you hear her story of how she got her WWE tryout. Then how she got signed from that tryout. She just approaches things with such a different mindset.

I know you're going to love this. Snap a screenshot if you're listening and tag us so we can share it out. She's at Maxine Dupree. I can't keep saying it like that. I can't say her name like that the whole time, but she's at Maxine Dupree. I'm at Chris Van Fleet. Now, please enjoy this conversation with Maxine Dupree. Did I see you were at Disneyland yesterday?

Yes, I was. You were there with the Cardona's? Yes, I got the Cardona Disney Experience, and it did not disappoint. So, I mean, where do we begin with the Cardona Disney Experience? Okay, so the Cardona Disney Experience is for the Disney adults, okay? And they have it down pat. Like, it was such a good day. We did everything.

I actually never last a whole day at Disney. Like, I just don't have that in me. I did yesterday. Well, here's the thing. You went on a day when it rained. It doesn't rain that often in Southern California? True. So, like, I think a lot of people don't want to go to Disneyland, obviously.

Yes. And, I mean, we also did, we did everything. We had the Jeannie Plus with the Lightning Lane. And I literally, it was amazing. I was like, I did nothing. Matt had all of our tickets on his phone. He ran the show. I was just there for a good time.

Did you see Mickey? Did you see Minnie? Did breakfast with Mickey. Wow. Yep. Went to Blue Bayou for lunch. Oh, Blue Bayou's fantastic. Unreal.

And you're like, you've got the view there of... And you're on Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes, Pirates of the Caribbean. But you know what's weird? Have you noticed this when you eat in there? You can't really see the people on the ride. Like, afterwards, I realized we never saw anyone go by and I don't know why. But the ride was going.

Or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. Yeah, that is interesting. I guess it's removed enough. Yeah. Right? Like, I don't know if it's how the lighting is, but yeah, you really don't even notice them. It does feel like you're in Louisiana. Louisiana, like you're somewhere in New Orleans when you're eating in that restaurant.

Yeah. Wow. Did all the rides. How long are you in town for? So I'm staying on the West Coast for another week because I'm from Sacramento. So I'm here tonight and then I go to Sacramento tomorrow and then San Jose on Monday for Raw. It's going to be amazing.

I love a hometown moment. Oh, this is great. Look, I knew I liked you and then I found out we shared the same birthday. May 19th? May 19th. Oh, my gosh. I love this for us. I love this as well.

You know this is a terrible, it's a terrible date to say in wrestling, though. It just goes way back. Don't expose me because I don't know why. It goes way back. Like, I don't know, 15, 20 years ago. Kane had a movie coming out. He had Cino Evil coming out. It was coming out on May 19th.

They had this whole storyline that if you said May 19th around Kane, he got very angry. Wow. You learned feeling every day. No one wanted to tell me this. So don't tell your birthday if you ever run into Kane. You got it. I will keep that to myself. Our birthday, not just your birthday.

It's a great birthday. There's a lot of famous people born on May 19th. Really? Me and you, for starters, the most famous. You number one, me. Close second. Somewhere down the list. Andre the Giant. Wow.

Wait, I'm learning so much on this. George St. Pierre. Wow. I had no idea. I thought it was all about me on that day. It's crazy. It is really all about you. It's your day.

But it really is. Where are you from? I'm from Toronto. Okay. So I don't know what your weather is there, but in California. I mean, you can guess. Yeah. It's Toronto.

In California. Not good. May 19th was always a really good birthday party time as a child. You know, it's like sunny. Once in a blue moon, you get a little rain, but it was never cold. Like, it's a good time. So in Canada, May 19th, that generally falls around a holiday weekend, Victoria Day. Okay. So like, they'd have Memorial Day the weekend after in the U.S., but that was our weekend. They called it the May 2-4 weekend. Because you would bring a 2-4 of beer to, you know, the cottage or camping. Oh, yeah, camping, yeah. Yeah. Wow. I'm going to do some ASMR of my, Are you ready?

Enjoy a... Oh, wow. I see people do this on TikTok. Yeah, they're very popular. I'm going to try not to break a nail. It's tropical theory. That's my favorite flavor. Oh, see that sound?

Oh. Okay. Wow. Zero calories right at my alley. And I'm going to go with the original. I don't think I can tap it as well. That's amazing. Yeah, you need some claws.

Can you tap? Oh, it's not even near than a mic, though. Nobody will hear that. Delish. I will dig into the original. after a day of Disney. You walked in here with coffee, though. I know, but I'm more of an energy drink person right now than a coffee girl.

And I just stopped at Starbucks because it was there. And I didn't feel like I had time to go into Publix and they have Publix here? No, we have Ralphs, Ralphs, Vaughns. Yes, I didn't have time to try and find one. So I was like, I'm just going to do it. And then I walked in and saw this and I was like, oh, it's going to be a good day. But I lived in Florida for five years, so I feel like I miss Pub. You miss a Pub Sub.

That's it. Yeah. The chicken tender pub sub. Oh, I actually haven't had that one. What? No. Oh, you're not a true Floridian yet. No, I'm actually not.

I'm not even going to lie. But the chicken tender pub sub. Wow. Oh, you'll see. That's awesome. Not very healthy. No, of course not, but it's amazing. But a nice little treat.

Yes. Yes. I love that. It's very good. That's awesome. Oh, you want cheers here? I do. Cheers.

Let's do that. Okay. It's so good to see you and have a real conversation with you. I know. I'm excited. We've done three. This is our third interview. you. The other ones, they were great.

They were short. Right? And those are the days when you're doing so much media. 50 interviews or something like that. Yes. Yes. So it's nice to be able to like sit and relax and have a conversation with you. And congrats on everything. Thank you. Like just, I mean, it went from like you were doing some stuff in NXT. Yeah.

And then all of a sudden, boom. Deepened, baby. Time to swim. And you've got a new name? Yeah. How did all this come about? Okay. So I'm in NXT. I get my name. I'm on TV, but I'm not wrestling. I'm paired with Mr. Stone and Von Wagner.

And you were Sophia Cromwell, right? Yes, yep, yep, Sophia with an F. I was very adamant that I wanted to be spelled in an F and not PH. I don't know why. I just thought that it sounded more like Sophia Ritchie with the Sophia F and I really like her, so I don't know. It was a weird thing. But they agreed to give it to me with an F, so that was awesome.

And I didn't have a big role. I think I talked a couple times, but very minimal. then LA night gets called up but turns into Max Dupree and they start promoting a sister Maxine for weeks no one knows who Maxine is, not me

I don't even know that creative new to be honest I think it was like we're going to do something we'll figure it out okay and I think it so the other part of this is that I had actually gotten injured while I was Sophia on TV so I was out with an ankle injury and I wasn't cleared so then I wasn't even training I just was like

on TV, but not doing much and couldn't do any physicality, nothing. Yeah. Which I think in hindsight, of course in the moment, I was like, my life is over. And then in hindsight, I'm like, that was the biggest blessing because I think I was one of the only people that they saw as TV ready in a sense in NXT that wasn't in a real story. Like, I could be plucked and it didn't change anything. It didn't matter. And my name could be changed. No one knew who I was, really.

So I think it just worked out for me in hindsight that I was able to be called up as Maxine. But it is really crazy because my boyfriend and I were at that Smackdown the week before I debuted. And because it was in Orlando. So we go and we're like up in the 300s. And they're promoting Maxine again. And we both like looked at each other and kind of giggled. And we're like, no, there's no way. But we just kept seeing like every now and then.

Everyone thought it was going to be Gunther's wife. That was all over Twitter. Everyone was guessing it was her. And I was like, oh, I could totally see it. Yeah. Because at that point she was, had done NXTUK and had this like fashionista brand. And like, that was her thing. And I was like, oh, I could totally see her doing it.

And then there was like maybe two tweets that said me, but you best believe. I was like, ooh, two people think maybe me. You never know. But really, I was like, no, there's no way. And then alas, Thursday, they tell me, and I flew out that day. So, like, 24 hours notice? Mm-hmm. Yeah.

And I actually, I don't even know if I was supposed to tell this story because this is, I'll give you the backstories. What happened was, no, I didn't hear from creative or anything. So Wednesday night, I go to sleep, and I'm like, okay, I would have known by Wednesday night. It's not me. Give it up. Thursday morning I wake up to go in to the PC, and it's like 7 a.m. And I get a text from travel saying, hey, I heard you need for SmackDown. I'm going to book your travel.

And I'm like, okay, don't get your hopes up, but it could be me. And then when I went to the PC, I pulled my coach aside because I'm like, I'm like, shaking. I'm like, wait, me going to SmackDown, like, what's going on? And he's like, don't even stress. Like, it's, they probably are bringing all three of you up. They probably just want to see you in person. Like, it's probably just you as a faction.

No big deal. Yeah. So I'm like, okay. hear nothing about my traveler, nothing. Then I go to the lead writer at like noon. And I'm like, hey, what's up? And his phone had been dead, so we didn't see the email yet. So then, alas, he's like, Sophia Cromwell being called up as Maxine Dupree.

Okay. And then because my name was Sophia, I didn't even get like my flight info, like didn't get put into my app because my names were not lined up. So then I'm like, what time is my flight? And they're like, it's at four. And I'm like, I got to run. I'm going to get out of here. But what was crazy is I told that story one time. And then I was talking to travel.

And they were like, yeah, that's why, like, now we have to really make sure that creative tells you guys first because creative was like, I think they were supposed to tell me not travel. Wow. And I accidentally like fully exposed them, which I wasn't meaning to. I just thought that's how it worked. Yeah. I was like, oh yeah, travel tells you when you go.

Duh. So how do you even figure out, like, who is this character? What's Maxine Dupree all about? Yeah, that was a toughie at first, for sure. You're meeting Maxine Dupree basically the same time that we are. Yeah. Though literally. And I really had no idea.

The benefit was that Brennan, Mase, his younger sister actually signed with my class. So I had at least met him and I was friends with her. So I had a little comfortability, at least with him, which was really, really nice because it's, first of all, it's scary going up there. And then when you don't know anyone and you have like no relation to anybody. So at least I had a little like something of like a little safety net I felt like where at least I kind of knew these guys.

And I was like, okay. And I had met Sean L.A. Knight a couple times with the PC before he got called up, but not much. Like, our paths did not really cross. So it was very interesting. But then all of a sudden, you're his sister. Yes. And he's a, you know, a veteran.

He's been there in WWA for, been in wrestling for 20 years. Does he say, all right, here's a few pointers. Oh, yeah. Okay. Yes. And so they, all three of them were awesome with me. Like, we went to the PC and, like, worked on, like, I had never done an in-ring promo. I had never really done backstage.

Like, I had done a few on NXT. But the way that NXT films is very different than main roster. Main roster is very like one and done. We've got to get the show on the road where NXT is developmental. So you're going to do multiple takes. It's more analyzing. You're learning. Everyone's learning.

So it's a different, it's a very different speed and different flow. So I'm very lucky that I had all three of them to guide me. What's kind of the piece of advice on day one? You know, you're thrown into this. Yeah. What is at the time, Max Dupree? What does he say to you? So he actually wasn't there on my first day.

So that was the day where he ended up not coming in that week. They had me there. And then the next week, he was there as my brother. So day one was just me, Mansour and Brennan. And that day was also really crazy because things were changing, like, a lot, which is how it is. Sure. It's a live show. It's entertainment.

But I just hadn't experienced that yet. So even when I walked in, well, even let me give you the back story. So I'm packing. Okay. I pack 20 outfits. I'm like, I got it all. I have like, originally they had said that they were doing like a swimsuit, um, debut thing with the models. So I was like, okay, I have like, literally, I have options of everything they could ever need me to wear.

I'm like, I got this on lock. I landed at like 10 p.m. and creative's like, hey, can you wear a black dress tomorrow? You best believe I did not pack a black dress. You packed everything, but. Yep. And I was like, you got it. Woke up, went to the mall. Found a little black dress.

And I did Monday morning. I called Natalia. I don't even know if she remembers this, but I called her. They told me not to tell anyone. So I told no one I was going. My boyfriend knew, and that was it. And I actually think I told Brennan's sister because I knew it was going to be with them.

And then I call Natalia, and I'm like, because I was hoping she was going to be there, and I had trained with her. And that was the one week probably in her entire career that she was not going to be at TV. And I was like, oh, no. But gratefully, I walked in and Liv was like the first person I saw in the locker room,

and she took me under her wing, showed me catering, brought me into the makeup room, just really helped me so much because I was shaking in my boots. But you guys did such great stuff with maximum male models. And then it kind of transitions into you doing stuff with Alpha Academy.

So like you being in these groups, I feel like helps to elevate you. Also, you helped to elevate the group. I hope so. It works really well. Thank you. I love it. And I feel very grateful.

I don't think that I would have, I think that things would have panned out very differently for me if I wasn't in that. And I think that I'm in a place right now where I know I'm so new. I'm so, so new to all of this in comparison to everyone. And I know that I have so much to learn. And so thankfully, I've been placed with these people who have been so generous with their knowledge.

Like, I can't even, I don't know what would happen if I wasn't placed with them. I'm fascinated by the idea that, like, something bad in your life happens, but it leads to something good. Yeah, yeah. Like, this is why Back to the Future is my favorite movie. I talked about this nonstop. Well, I don't know if you know something, but I don't watch movies and I have not seen back to the future. Well, it's been so nice having you here. See ya.

Wow. Well, you need to watch this as is required viewing. But the idea that, like, you got injured. I'm sure you were so bummed about that. But look how that ended up turning into something so much better for you. Yeah. And I feel the same way. And it's, I do think it was a great lesson for me in general in life of like on multiple different levels.

I feel like when I got hurt, it was obviously. I was down bad for a moment there. But it also was the first time that I, like, started really investing in my mindset. I read the four agreements. And that's when I really, like, kind of shifted my, like, okay, I really got a... I love that book. Me too. And that was the first time I read.

It was when I was hurt. And not to be, you know, whatever. Everyone has their own thoughts on it. But for me, it was like, this happened. It put me in a position where I had to adjust my mindset to survive and be happy and continue to what I'm doing and everything, you know? Yeah. And push forward in this career.

And I think that book helped me a lot. And then now it's like, okay, if obviously it would be heartbreaking, and if I got injured or something happened. However, I do think now I'm in a much stronger mental space from that experience. The four agreements are such simple agreements that you make with yourself. Yeah. But also at the same time, like, really difficult to keep them, right? No, it is.

And I think... What does it? Be impeccable with your word. Yep. Don't make assumptions. Always do your best. I don't even know the fourth one on top of my head. I'm actually so impressed that you have those memorized.

I do this every time. I always forget. Did I say don't make assumptions? Yep. Don't make assumptions. Be impeccable with your word. Always do your best. Let's just look it up.

We have all the world's information. Look it up while I clear my throat. I recommend this book to everyone because it's like, again, they're so simple. Yeah. But at the same time also like so. Okay. Be impeccable with your word. Don't take anything personal.

Don't make assumptions. Always do your best. You know what? I actually need to reread it to get that fresh of my mind. because that actual last one was the most important one, I think. Yeah, don't take anything personally. And I just read, Don't Believe Everything You Think. Oh, that's another great one.

Kathy Kelly recommended it to me, and now I'm reading The Big Leap, which she also recommended. I haven't read that one. Also so good. It's about just like unlocking that upper level, like, genius zone and like really stopping yourself from stopping yourself, essentially. And it's really good. Okay, that's next on my list. Yes, and I feel like, and I feel like everyone probably in this industry is an overthinker and wants to be the best and all those things.

that we naturally have. And it's so easy to, like, spiral over things. And I feel like those books have really helped me, like, just live in a state of gratitude and be in a place of, like, okay, you know what? Sometimes things are just what they are. And you grow from them, and you just have to do your best

to get one percent better every day and keep moving. I mean, gratitude's like the whole, I mean, it's on my shirt here. Yes. This is grateful. This is how I live my life. Same. Because if you can focus on the things that you have in your life,

rather than being focused on the things you don't have, It changes your entire mind. It does. Did you ever watch the movie The Secret? Of course. Yes. So I watched that when I was like 19, and that was my first introduction into having control of your mind

and how powerful your brain is. Yeah. And before that, this is like kind of embarrassing, but whatever. I'm just definitely the kind of person where like I'd be driving and I'd be like daydreaming, but about negative things. Like almost like daydreaming, craving negative attention in some weird way. And that movie and those books have like really helped my brain be like, nope, I actually, I don't want that to happen.

I don't want negative attention. I don't want negativity. I don't want anything bad to happen. But it's having, reading that book makes you stop and look inward and be like, why am I thinking that? Why am I not content? Which is what I'm doing right now. Why is my brain daydreaming that way?

And like, stopping and controlling it is such a powerful tool. This episode is brought to you by Magic Spoon. Growing up cereal was one of the best parts of being a kid. I wouldn't just eat it for breakfast. I would eat it for lunch or dinner or, you know, that meal before bed. But as I got older, I was being more cautious of sugar and empty carbs. Magic Spoon has all of the amazing flavors that you love in a cereal, but high protein and less sugar. Their variety pack has four flavors.

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slash CVV. B-O-N-C-H-A-R-G-E.com. slash CVV and use that coupon code CVV to say 15%. Have you read the subtle art of not giving an F? I have not, but I've heard great things about it. That one really changed my life. Yeah. And it's so simple. It's not the idea of not caring about anything.

Yeah. But it's the idea of like... That's actually why I haven't picked it up. It's the idea about like of course you have so many Fs to give in a day. It's important to make those ones count. Yes. Instead of caring about like... Every little thing.

The person who cuts you off on the... the freeway or, you know, the person who bumped into you by accident at the store. Like, you care about the things that matter. Yeah, I'm going to read that next. That's such a good one. So that and back to the future. That and back to the future on my to-do list for this weekend. Have you not seen any movies?

Okay, so it's kind of a joke, but I've watched. It's a joke, but it's not. I go to the movies now. I'm nervous here. What have you not seen? Everything. Because I like going to the movies for popcorn or Diet Coke. That's why I go with movies.

Fair enough. I have this thing where I love. I love TV shows. I love sitcoms. I love shows I've already watched and I love to re-watch them. I don't know why I'm like this, but movies low-key make me sad when they end.

So, like, if I list off some classic films, are we going to all be very disappointed here? Well, Chad Gable and Otis, they have a list of movies they would like me to watch, and I'm working on it, you know, like one time they made to watch a movie, and then I literally had to answer questions on it. What movie?

Days and Confused. Okay. Great movie. Yeah, it was really good. Did you pass the test after? I did. Okay, great. Although me and Otis are still arguing over one of the questions that he says I got wrong that I swear I got right, but we'll say that for another time.

What about Jurassic Park? It's the one with the dinosaurs? I've seen one of them in theaters, but there's like multiple, right? Yeah, I think it was like five now this point. Okay, I've seen one in theaters. So you might have seen like Jurassic World? Was Chris Pratt in it? I feel like probably was, yeah.

Okay, so that's one of the newer ones. Yeah. Star Wars? Any of the Star Wars? No. Okay. And I actually, though, this is. this will, maybe you'll like this. I did watch Harry Potter for the first time, like, in the past few years.

Like, I'd never seen it growing up. So you saw one of them? I watched, like, the first three, and then I've seen a bunch of, like, little bits of the rest. Okay. Yeah. Lord of the Rings? Never. Forest Gump?

Yeah. Okay. Run, Forrest, run. Hey. Yeah, so you've got some. I got a few. Like, any Tom Cruise movies? I don't think so.

Maybe a few. Mission Impossible. There's been seven of them. Yeah, you know. You know. Anyway. I'm sure I've seen one or two here and there. What's the TV show that you're always rewatching?

I love friends. I love New Girl. I love how I met your mother. I love sex in the city. Oh, okay. Classics. Yes, I love a good sitcom TV show that, like, you don't have to really think about.

I love sitcoms or just TV shows in general where you can dive into season four, episode six. And you're like, oh, yeah. Same. I love that. Seinfeld is perfect for that. I like Seinfeld. I haven't watched it top to bottom, so I don't really know what's going on, but I like it.

That's the thing. You could jump all the way around on that show. And you're still good. Yeah, every show's kind of self-contained. Yeah. Yeah. And then I do like, I like the Crown.

Like, I like Bridgeton. I like those kind of shows. I've never seen either of those. Okay, those are good. Now I've disappointed you. I mean, honestly, no, it's okay. I forgive you. And I forgive you for not seen the dinosaur movie.

Thank you for that. The Flying Dolorian movie. Yeah, sure. If we go back before WWA, when did your passion for dancing begin? So my mom put me in dance when I was three. And I was actually with her yesterday at Disneyland. She joined the Cardona Family Disney Day.

And we were just talking about this. She put me in dance when I was three. But at the time I was six, I was like begging my mom to put me in pageants. And she wouldn't because she wasn't into like the pageant mom thing. She was like, no. And my brother was a very good gymnast. And my dad was really in the gymnastics.

So my brother was doing gym. So then I started competing in gymnastics when I was like six. So I did like, competing in gymnastics and was dancing until I was like nine. And then nine or ten. And then I ended up quitting gymnastics and going back to dance. And when I went back to dance at like 10, I was like full throttle six days a week. I wanted to compete nonstop. Wow.

I was like, get me an agent parents. My parents were like, no. I was like, put me in a movie. They were like, no. I was like, please, no. then that led to competitive dancing. Yeah, so I competed in dance all through high school. And then when I was 16, my parents finally let me audition for an agent.

So my mom flew me out to L.A. And I signed with a dance agency. And then I signed with a modeling agency. So then my junior and senior year of high school, my mom is like such an angel. She would fly me out here like once a week. And we would go to auditions and do jobs and go to Disneyland. Was there anything that you got booked in at that time that we could find you in now? I don't know if I want to fail.

I did dance for an artist, like a really small artist for like a little bit, but it would be like on YouTube or something random if we even found it. I'm very young. Like on tour? I did when I was 18. I did go on tour when I was 18. That was when I was, so I did that when I was 16. Then I modeled, I modeled for people that you could find. Like I did like Taco Bell and Grubhub and Adidas and that kind of stuff.

Were you dancing in music videos? Could we find you in a music video? I wasn't because I, so when I was auditioning for music videos. I was like 18, 19, and then it started cheering for the Rams. And I think I got a little discouraged because, like, there was a time when I was like 19 and I made it to the final round for Jason Derulo. And then they were like, we want everyone to be over 21. And I was like, oh.

And that happens a lot with those kind of music videos. And so I kind of just got to a point where like in the dance world, I don't want to say it's oversaturated because I love how many dancers are in L.A. And like hustling and killing it. But I think for me and like what I was best at, I don't think I was like thriving in that scenario. Sure. So basically I was like, okay. I ended up going on tour when I was 18 with an artist, a smaller artist.

And this artist was opening for Emblem 3, which are from X Factor. So we went all throughout the U.S. and Canada for a month in like a Mercedes Sprinter van. Wow. And I was like, I was 18. I think it was 18 or just turned 19. And I actually, if like no one actually knows this, I started cheering first for an arena football team. Which one? L.A. Kiss.

Okay. Yeah. So I had made that team. They let me leave for a month go on tour. So I missed part of the season. And we were supposed to do two months of tour. but we ended up not because it was not a positive experience. So we ended up coming back and I finished out my season with arena football before going to Rams.

And then so you audition for the Rams? Yeah. You get it your first season? That's amazing. Thank you. It was so fun. How many people auditioned to be an NFL cheerleader? A lot.

Yeah. Yeah. Especially for Rams because they're in Los Angeles. And the thing that I think people don't realize with people who are dancers, models, actresses, all of that, it's not consistent in. unless you're like in the top 3%. So it's like you might book a job for Adidas and get paid $2,000 for one day, but then you're not booking out of the job

for three months and your rent is $2,000. Yeah. You know, so it's like it's hard to have that balance. And I think the beautiful thing about Rams is it's part-time. It's consistent pay. It's exposure. It's good for the resume. Yeah.

It was such a positive experience. I know you guys don't make a lot. No. So like the fact that you can still do other stuff, that's encouraging. And even though we don't make a lot, you do get paid for every single thing you do. You're never working for free. And they're adamant about that because there's been so many lawsuits and stuff. So that part of it's

very nice. So you're getting paid for practices. Yes. There's a lot of appearances. Appearances. And then of course games. And you're getting paid by the hours the second you show up. It's not like the old days where they give the girls a hundred bucks and are there for 15 hours. Right. So through that experience, you went to the Super Bowl.

Mm-hmm. Yes. It was crazy. And such a blessing that I got to go because, so I did two years. Rams. My first year was amazing. It was like just, I was so young and it was just so much fun. And then at the end of my first season, my brother passed away and I missed a lot of rehearsals and stuff. And then I came back for my second season, made the team. And I was just like not in a good head space. And I was in this position of like, like, if my parents were like, if my dad was like,

oh, we're going to go on a trip to Hawaii for a week. I was like, okay, I'm coming. Like I just wanted to have family time. Sure. And I skipped a lot of practices for things like that, which I'm grateful that I have those memories with my family. And I think in that moment, that's what I needed. However, I did miss more rehearsals than I was technically allowed to. So one of the trips went on, my coach was like, you can go. I want you enough time with your family.

But you're not going to be eligible to travel for future trips. And I was like, okay, this is pre-going to Super Bowl. So I'm like, no worries. Because usually I got to go to Mexico City my first year and we were promoting the game for the next season. We went to London for a game. So I was like, okay, if I go on this trip, I just won't be eligible for those. And I was okay with, like, taking that L. Yeah.

And then we make it to Super Bowl. What Super Bowl is this? Wait, where was it? 53. Is that a tattoo? Yeah. Let me, oh, it's the Roman numerals. Yes.

Okay. In Atlanta. L-I-I. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, so then we... And where was it? Atlanta.

Okay, Atlanta. So then I was like, we made this Super Bowl, and then I'm like, wow, I chose a really bad time to take a family vacation and be not eligible to try out. that was a crazy idea. However, we had the most amazing director, and I think she knew that, like, I had, you know, good intention and I wasn't trying to slack off.

I just was in a tough situation. So she hustled and got all 40 of us to go to Super Bowl. Wow. And who was your quarterback at the time? Jared Goff. That's right. Yeah. Yeah.

Rough Super Bowl, man, let me tell you. Well, you know. Yeah. Wait, if you guys won, you would have a ring. Yes, and you know what else would have happened? When all the confetti went out, I would have slid out there and made confetti angels,

like the Patriots cheerleaders got to me. The fact that you went to the Super Bowl. It was so cool. My mom came, my cousin, my aunt. It was insane. How did you decide to not cheer again the next season? I felt fulfilled. I felt really, like, content with my experience.

And I think, I've never said this out loud, but I think in my head I probably felt like I didn't have the best season because of everything I was going through from that year. Yeah. And I didn't feel like, you have to retry out every year. I think I didn't feel like I was going to be given the same grace on a third season maybe. And I don't know if that's true.

I think that's just what I put in my own head. But I also think it was time for me to get out of L.A. I was like, I was just going through a lot and I wasn't in a healthy head space. So I felt like, okay, I need to get myself, you know, just more grounded. Yeah. And I actually, I was, at the time, I wasn't planning on leaving L.A. I was just planning on going to dance for NBA. And I tried out for the Lakers and didn't make it.

And I was like, okay, now what? So I didn't tell anyone. And I flew to Arizona at 5 a.m. the day of their trial and tried out for the suns. And then, oh, this is actually the best story that I've never told. Bring it. Here we go. I fly in at 5 a.m.

I'm like, all right, whatever, Yolo. No one knows me here. I don't know anyone here. Who cares what happens. Yeah. Do the tryout. I didn't know that I thought day two was the next week. Day two was day two the next day.

So I'm in Arizona for one day. My flight's at like 9 p.m. I have to try out. I make it to the second round. And they're like, okay, be back at 9 a.m. tomorrow. I have a backpack. I have no clothes. I have my one audition outfit. And I am like, this is going to put me in a pickle. So there's this girl who's now is like one of my closest friends. I love her so much. Kayla, she was on the team. It was like her third year. And she had actually auditioned for Rams and didn't make it. And I knew she auditioned for Rams. So I felt comfortable going to have to turn. And I was like, hey, like, what's the vibe here? Like, what's going to be back tomorrow? She's like, yeah. She's like, are you saying?

were you staying? And I was like, I don't know. Like, I don't have a place to say. So I end up walking across the street and get in a hotel. I go to T.J. Max, I buy a bunch of clothes. Then the next day, I make it to finals, which is like two weeks, which starts the next day. So now I'm, now I have two more weeks there. And she's like, just stay at my house. Stay in my casita. I literally move in with this girl that I met two days prior. Wow. Yes. Then she's like, well, just have your boyfriend fly out and you guys can both stay here and he can bring you a suitcase. What? Yes. Like, no, she's literally an angel on earth. So then my boyfriend flies out with suitcases for me and I finished a trial to make the team and then we went back to

LA, got a U-Haul, packed it up, moved to Arizona. That's an amazing story. Yeah, it was awesome. And that's why I always say, like, again, everything happens for a reason. I'm so grateful I didn't make Lakers. I don't think it would have been what I needed at that time. Like, I needed a really good core group of friends. I needed to be grounded.

I needed to not be in the L.A. scene. I needed a break from that and that's exactly what I got in Arizona. But would you have been cheering for LeBron if you made the Lakers? I mean, I'm a Phoenix. son's fan. The funny thing about LA is I feel like for the people that come here chasing whatever the dream is, whether it's dancing or acting or modeling or content creation, whatever, I feel like L.A. either does the thing for them or not.

And when people leave L.A., nobody is like, I really want to get back to L.A. Yes. Everybody that I've ever known that has come here and done their thing and left, they've gone, yeah, no, that was a great chapter of my life. Yes. It was good. And, yeah, I'm on to the next thing. Yeah, I do think that in this space of life, because I'm just so much more, like,

confident in who I am and comfortable. Like, I do think I could live in L.A. now and do it much better. I shouldn't say better. Different. I'm in a different stage of life. Yeah. But I're at WWE Superstone now. But I still don't think I would enjoy it as much as I, as much as some people do, maybe.

If you have an actual career like you do now, rather than a part-time job or chasing the gigs and the freelancing, so different. Yes. Because you know how much money is coming in, every paycheck. Exactly. You can survive. Right. Rather than like going all these auditions, hoping you book one of them.

Working five random jobs. Yeah. Checking the mailbox for a residual check that might be showing up or might not be. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you couldn't do it now. Yeah, it would be fun now, I think. But I think honestly, the main reason I would it now is, one, I train at the performance

in all the time. So even if I did, we're talking way down the road. But two, I just feel like all of our shows are on the East Coast. Like everyone that Charles from the West Coast, I'm like, I don't know how you do it. Like, that's just that extra two hours on a plane, man. And then a three-hour time gain or lost. Yes, I think that would be hard for me. That's the part that would be hard.

Yeah. So how did you go from Sons to then going, I'm going to try out for the WWA? Yeah. Okay, so I love Total Divas. So it had, since high school. So I'd always been in the back of my head. I was like such a Bella twins fan. I was like, yes, love this.

Nikki or Bree? I love them both, but I'm a Nicki girl until I die. Free, I love you so much too, though. So basically, my dad's dad, my papa, is a diehard fan. Like, his whole life, he watches Monday Night Rasselin. He passed away recently, but he always watched Monday Night Rassel, and that was like his thing. And when I got into Total Divas on, like, Thanksgiving and Christmas and stuff,

he would talk about Monday nights. And I literally did not know that that was the same thing that I watched. And then I was like, wait, like this person's wife? Oh, yeah, they're on the show. Like, that's how they can. So then we would have this, like, fun bonding moment talking about all of it. And he used to, like, my dad to show. So, like, us three just, like, love talking about it.

And then there was, like, a father's day where we were all, like, joking around. And I was like, no, I'm going to apply. Like, I think I should do it. And my Papa was like, no, you can't do a kip-up. You can do that. And I was like, so I went in the backyard. And I was, like, doing kipups and head springs. And I was like, yeah, I can.

And he was like, yeah, you should apply. So do you just Google, like, when's the next WWE tryout? So I googled how to apply, which they have, like, a thing on their website. So I applied to that a couple times and then never heard anything. And then I ended up reaching out to my modeling agency. And I just sent an email and I said, hey, this is so random. But I have this, like, random life goal of being in the WWE, if you know anyone that you connect me with, please let me know. Two weeks later, I got an email that I just had the Las Vegas tryout.

Wow. So I don't know if she, because I never heard anything. So I don't know if she knew someone or if they just, you know, if maybe she knew her. recruiter, maybe they finally saw my application, I don't know. So you show up at the tryout. How many people are there? I want to say 50. Okay. And there's a lot of, you know, all different walks of life, right?

You've got some former athletes. You've got some models, perhaps. You've got some people that may have wrestled on the independent circuit. You've got all different walks of life. How did you make yourself stand out to get signed? I think, for me, a couple of things. I don't believe in luck. I believe in, like, preparation meets opportunity.

I researched a lot before I went. there is not a lot on the internet about tryouts. I think there's a lot more now, but then there was really nothing. There was one girl who did a tryout who did a YouTube video talking about her experience, and I watched it like five times to kind of get the gist. And then I was, I had actually gone home, right? I had notice of the tryout and I was home in California having dinner with my dad. And I was like, I'm just nervous because every time I've auditioned for a dance team,

I've known who the director is. I've been big on research. I know who's on the team. I've studied what kind of makeup they do, what style. outfit they wear so I can look the part. I was like, I don't know anything. I don't know what I'm going into. I can't find any information. That night I'm scrolling on Instagram and a girl that I was on Rams with post this girl, which was Vanessa Bourne, Danielle Camila, that she's with her and it says, I see that she was a superstar and I was like, wait. So I message her and I'm like, hey, please

don't tell anyone, but I have a tryout. Would you mind like asking her if she would talk to me? So Danielle ends up, she lives in Arizona. She was living by me. She trains me for the tryout. Yeah, it's like, just free of charge everything. Like just was like, yeah, I'll totally help you. So she met me first at like a cheer gym that I was coaching at. And she was like, okay, just show me your roles and stuff. And she was like, okay, cool. And then she was like, you're going to need a one-minute promo.

So I started working on a promo. Then we ended up renting a ring. And Dom, who owns the place that we rented after he saw us training, he was like, hey, I'll train you whenever you want if you want to keep coming in. So I came in like a couple more times just for like roles and like, back bumps and running the ropes, just like basic stuff. And from there, I went to the tryout. So I think the preparation helped, obviously.

And I had a gymnastics and dance background. So I think the tryout really is more forward rolls, backward rolls, shuffles, like just looking at athletic, looking at your footwork. So I felt confident in that. But I think knowing like, okay, I'm going to do this promo, I have a good idea of what I can do. I think that's what helped me stand out, honestly, was just being prepared. I mean, I'm guessing they're hoping that people aren't going to be, you know, after a few front roll. and bumps going,

yes, there was a lot of conditioning. Okay, yeah. So they're taking notes, like, oh, that person's no good. They wouldn't be able to laugh. Yeah, exactly. What was your promo? It was essentially that I was a former NFL triulator

went to the Super Bowl, lost. Former NBA dancer, once NBA finals lost. And that I am done leaving my... What a loser. Yeah. But here's the kicker.

Are we ready? I'm done leaving me. my, my championships in the hands of men who cannot get the job done. And that's why I was coming to WV to take my own championship. I think that's really where I got them. Sign this woman. Yeah. That's great.

And then like it's, you're signed like day up, right? Yes, but I, from my understanding, I could be wrong, we were the first class that they did that with. In the past, you would do a trial and you wouldn't hear for like months and then you would get a call and then you would go. This was the first one where they were like, okay, everyone goes to, you know, into their like, like, locker rooms. Just like a hotel, whatever.

So we're, like, waiting. And all the girls are in one room, all the guys are in one room. And then they're coming in, asking people one out of time to come out. And then girls are coming back in, like, oh, my God, I got signed. And we're like, yay!

And then we all sit, like, who's next? So they told all that day. Offered the contracts. Like, you'll move to Orlando in 30 days. Wow. Yeah. So the first person I called is my Papa

and told him. And he was like, he was so happy. And he was like, what'd your dad say? And I was like, I don't even call me yet, Papa. I called you first. And he was like so excited. Oh, wow.

Yeah, he loved it. Who else from that tryout got signed that we know? Nikita. Yep. Okay. Who else? Javier Bernal. Yeah.

Tatum Paxley. Jakara Jackson. And then out of the guys, there's more guys. Idrisi Nofe. Those guys that I'm forgetting. Like, what, 15 people got signed, I think you said? Yeah, yeah. But that's all that's.

So currently, I believe that's the only girls that are currently left. And then there's a few other guys that I'm leaving out. I'm sorry guys. I can't remember right now on top of my head. Your level of preparation, I think, makes you stand out so much. Because I think there's a lot of people that go, I've got this tryout, like, you know, just see what happens on the day. Yeah.

Yeah. And I think for me, I had a good mindset because I was used to auditioning where I knew going in, I could be the most athletic, the best promo, and they just might already have a 5-9 blonde and not want me, and that's okay. So I think having that in my head gave me a level of confidence and just like, okay, I'm good. The United States Soccer Federation present the U.S. Soccer podcast. My name is David Goss, and I'm joined by my co-host, Megan Clemenberg. And now we're giving people an inside look at the World Cup.

Time's ticking. I think you can feel the intensity. All the guys are wanting to really take their claim. And they want to be on that World Cup roster. There's no doubt about it. Hosting the World Cup on the home soil comes with its pressures, but we just really excited just as the people are. The U.S. Soccer podcast, presented by Henko.

Follow and listen on your favorite platform. You are deceivingly tall. I don't know if people realize this. Wait, do you want to know something about me? I have short girl energy. This is my new thing that I've claimed. People always think that I'm short. People never believe me that I'm tall.

And even people that I am with all the time, like don't realize that I'm tall. And they'll one day like, oh, how tall are you like 5, 6? And I'm like, I'm 5.9. And then I'll be like, oh, yeah, you are. If you wore heels all the time, you'd be like well over six foot. Then I think people would be like, oh, wow, yeah. But I think this is why.

I was short in high school. Like I grew later. I was like five, six when I graduated high school. So I think that I just was never tall. So that's why I think I have short girl energy. Yeah, you're deceivingly tall. Yeah, thank you. It's all I got.

I guess when you tower over Gable, maybe people will start to realize. Yeah, I'm so tall, guys. So tall. To be fair, when I first was with them, I would wear my, chunky high heels because I was, you know, going from being a model to a wrestler. So I was like still in the high heels. And now I'm not usually wearing super high heels. So I do think that's, you know.

Yeah, it didn't mean be hard to wrestle wearing heels. I think that I could, you know, I think I should try. I mean, I feel like if anybody could do it. I might break my ankle again, but. Walk me through your first main roster match and what was going through your mind before. Yeah. Okay. So our first one was a six man with the Viking Raiders.

And it was amazing because I had the comfortability of being with the boys and I had them as like my safety net to fall back on. I was extremely nervous as I am every single Monday. Just because like, you know, you want to be great, but I'm also so new. I haven't performed in a front of a crowd like that ever. So it was scary. The thing that I was grateful for in that moment was I had done a little bit of physicality. We had done the arm jar on the outside, the suplex.

on the outside and like shout out Valhalla for just taking bumps from me on the outside all the time. Like, ooh, I love her for that. And I think having those like interactions helped a lot for that first match. I was way more nervous for their first singles because there's, you know, it's us. Yeah. We're out there. I mean, and you went over on Valhalla. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. It's crazy. You have this like infectious energy before you do the worm. I feel like I'm feeling it when you're doing it. Thank you. There's something just so cringy about me that just loves to shine when I'm in there. It's like I mean, and I mean this with great love.

It's like this awkward energy that I think a lot of people watching go, I see a little bit of myself in that. Thank you. Thank you. Chad always tells me that because I always am like, this is so embarrassing to watch back. I look insane. I don't know what face I'm making.

I don't know why my hips are moving like that. It's all in the hips, right? Yes. Yes, but, you know, it's like, it's also been a really cool pivotal moment for me because I am really awkward and I am really goofy. I've just been hiding it from the world for so long. And I've been putting on this like, I always loved like influencers and social media. So I was the girl that had like the same filter on every photo so it looked cohesive. Like that has always kind of been my, my MO.

So I think coming into this space where it's celebrated that I'm goofy and awkward, I'm like, oh, this is kind of fun. Well, it's authentic. Yes. And this is the first of my life. have gotten to do that. Yeah. So how did you learn how to do the worm? Okay.

So, funny story. Me and my mom went on Below Deck, Mediterranean, in 2021 or 2020. And on Below Deck, we did an October Fest thing, and I was wearing a beer suit. That was what I wanted to dress up as. This is the TV show where people live and they live on the boat. It's the TV show about the crew who work on the boat when every episode is new guests. So we were guests on two episodes. and I was feeling good, you know.

Got the cocktails flowing, and I was like, I should do the worm in this beer suit. So I did the worm backwards. And I was like, you know, that was my claim to fame, my good moment. So when WV. was like, hey, we want you to do the worm. I was like, oh, no problem. I've literally done it on TV before.

I'm a star worm-doer. Don't even worry. I didn't realize how much harder it is to do it forward. So we're in the ring and I'm rehearsing it, and I literally cannot do it. My arms are not strong enough to push myself up. I'm flopping on my knees so. hard and I'm like, and they're like, you just got to do it.

It'll be funny if it's bad. Like, don't even worry, just do it. So I do it and it looked like it looked and it is what it is. And what did Corey Graves say? It's like a hinge in a caterpillar. Literally. So it got a little better and a little better each time. And at the Rumble, I finally was like, you know what?

I'm doing it backwards. I know I can do it well backwards. It takes way less energy because, you know, props to Otis, it is so hard to push yourself up out of it. It's the push-up part that I'm just, I'm not there yet. doing it backwards is so easy. So then I, now that I do it backwards, now I do feel like a confident wormdoer,

but I did not before. Props to Otis just for like the athleticism he has. Like he's built like a bowling ball. And he's agile. Incredibly agile. It's amazing to see the things he can do. And I think when he pulled out the worm... And he's so strong.

Like he can do so much. When he pulled out the worm for the first time, I think it's like, oh, that's, I mean, that's unique. Yeah. So talk to me about the Royal Rumble. Yeah. So I, back to being prepared. I obviously didn't know if I was in vienna or not.

When did they tell you? I found out, I'm going to say a week before. Okay. But you best believe I had gear coming in four months prior, for the Rumble, that I didn't know if I was in. And I was very nervous. Just because I'm like, it's a, obviously it's a huge platform. There's only so many spots, so you want to like represent well and do well.

And it's always nerve-wracking. As much as I feel like for some people, maybe it's less nerve-wracking when there's a lot of people in there. I think because I'm so green, it's more nerve-wracking for me when there's that many people in there because I'm like, am I in the way?

What do I do? Am I, like, I don't want to, you know, step on anyone's thing? There's so many moving parts and I'm not quite to the headspace yet where I can just, like, be calm and be present. And you had a big moment in there. Yeah. Even though there were a lot of people in the ring,

all eyes were on you for that moment. Yeah, and it was fun. And, you know, I got to hit the worm on night. Jacks. It's awesome. Got eliminated by Bailey. Like if the winner wants to eliminate me, so be it. Ooh, good point.

Yeah. Yeah, the winner has to eliminate you. Yes. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So it was awesome. My mom was there and my boyfriend and my aunt and it was awesome. You've been given a lot of big opportunities.

I have. I'm very grateful. I feel like I've just been so blessed that they've continued to give me opportunities to grow and learn on TV. Like a match with Ria Ripley. Yeah. Yeah. That was crazy. Yeah.

But that's, I think there are, clearly there's a lot of trust there. They're going to put you in the ring with the champion. Yeah. And I mean, I think especially in her, right? Like, she's a vet and she definitely can hold her own with anyone. And I think for me it was just, one, a huge compliment that they would even consider me to do that. And two, that, you know, they're going to, like, I think what people forget sometimes is, like, there's not a lot of people.

TV time. And we do have a really large roster. So if I get three minutes in the ring with the champ, like that is such a huge moment. And that was really cool. And it was a good learning experience for me to get to face her and work with her and really have that moment. Is there something that you picked up from, even though it's a short match, you something that you picked up from her, that you now go, okay, I'm going to bring that with me in my next bunch of matches. Yeah, I think a lot of things. I think one for me, timing in that match. I was so nervous. I think that I was like just like a little scatter. and I think that she is so calm, cool, and collected.

And I think that's the coolest thing about her. Like, that's some energy that I want to take and run with. Like, she knows who she is. She knows what she's doing. And, like, there's not an ounce of worry or anything on her face. And I think that's so cool. And that's something that I would love to steal from her and carry with me. Just a little bit of that kind of confidence.

But what I appreciate about you is the self-awareness to go, I am green. I'm still figuring it out. I'm still training a lot. And I think that there would be a lot of people that are going, no, I'm in WWE. I'm on Raw. I've got it. Yeah.

Yeah, I don't. I'm trying. Maybe that goes back to the whole preparation thing. Yeah. Yeah. And I think, too, just I know, I see how much talent we have between SmackDown and Raw and in developmental. And I know that there's so many girls that would kill for three minutes on Raw.

So I just always want to take that opportunity and really do what I can with it, but also just, remember the position I'm in and that I need to continue to prove myself and make all of them proud. They would love that opportunity and it's being given to me. So I need to make sure I make the most of it

and continue to get better. So it's like, okay, if we're going to throw someone of the deep in and give them opportunities, like are they going to cry and not do it? You know what I mean? Or are they going to step up and figure it out and learn and grow?

You were put into such a unique position because you're putting into this faction that already exists. You're given the name, basically, of a character that already exists and you're in, you know, sister of this character, and then that character's not there anymore. So now you're filling those shoes.

Now you're not even in that faction, but you still have this name. I'm a little chameleon, aren't I? I mean, seriously. So what's so interesting about it is you're basically given like the female Max Dupree gimmick. Yes. But now you're not with maximum male models. You're doing your own thing in Alpha Academy, and it still works.

Thank you. And I think, honestly, I don't know that the plan was for me to join them officially. Maybe it wasn't, I didn't know. But for my understanding, it was more just, you know, this fun storyline with me and Otis. And I think that the chemistry was there between me and the boys and it, like, worked. And I think it just happened naturally from my understanding. Don't quote me, I could be wrong. But for my understanding, I think that's what happened is the chemistry was there and it worked for us to mesh together.

Oh, it works. Yeah. Can you give us your best thank you? Thank you. You know what's crazy too is sometimes when I hear those back when I do it in the ring. Like, the way that I sound is outrageous. I don't know how that sound comes out of my body. I mean. It's really wild. Well, that's, that's Maxine. This is Sydney that's sitting right here. It's true. Maxine just pops out of nowhere.

Ooh, back to the movie references, because I just thought of something. Have you seen Scream? No. Oh, your name is a very famous character in that movie. People have told me that. Hello, Sydney. Yeah, that's the one. Yeah. Yeah, you know what's funny is people have probably always done that to me from that movie and I probably just thought they were being weird, you know? You like scary movies.

I hate them. Oh. I hate scary movies. That's the whole line. Oh, I thought it was a question. My bad, sorry. He calls her, what's your favorite scary movie? Oh.

And then it's this whole setup. Oh, it's a fantastic scene. Oh, shoot. It's not that, that scream's not that scary. You should have seen me on Guardians of the Galaxy yesterday. I saw the picture. Yeah, I thought I was going to die. It's never been so scared.

That photo, because you just shared it on Instagram, is hilarious. Because you look like you're terrified. I was. Your mom's sitting next to you like, cool as a cucumber. Yeah, it's unreal. Well, this is the thing. The one thing I said going to Disneyland, I said, the only ride I won't do is Tower of Terror.

I don't like the up and down. It doesn't do it for me. It scares me. I don't know. I'm not into it. And they were like, no, no, no. It's guardian's at the galaxy now. It's way more about, like, the music and the vibe

than it is about the up and down. Yeah. It is quite literally about the up and down. I had my eyes closed the entire time. I was hunched over, hanging on to it because I feel like if you crunch your core, the drop hurts less in your tummy. It was a lot.

Great technique. It was a lot. The photo is fantastic. Yeah. What are your goals in WWA? My goal is to just, like, I, my goals, honestly, I want to do this as long as I can. As long as they will employ me, I want to be in WWE. I have so much fun.

And I am happy to do whatever they want me to do. Like, I just, I love going to work. I love performing. I love the people I work with. I just feel so lucky to be in this position. Of course, I would love to win some gold or something fun like that. And I really want to improve in the ring and just continue to prove myself there. And even like with promo skills, everything.

Like I think my goal for this year is I just want to look, I want like to have a match or something in December where I look back at January and what I did and be like, oh, it's not even the same person. Yeah. That's my goal, hopefully. Look, if you can't look back at your old stuff and cringe a little bit, then you're not heading in the right direction. For sure.

And that will definitely be the case. I would love if they brought back like a mixed tag challenge. Oh. Or like a mixed tag team belt. With Alpha Academy? Oh. Something like that would be awesome. I had Chelsea on the show, Chelsea Green on the show recently.

I love of my life. She's fantastic. Yes, I love her so much. She said something that sounds very similar to what you're saying. Like it doesn't matter about like wins and loss. It's about like creating moments. Yes. Her moment on Monday in the Battle Royal.

Her sneaking up and this little jumpity do before she went for Raquel was just, I Yeah. And I love that for her because when I told her how much everyone popped for her, she was like, wait, what part? Like, she didn't even realize that she did that. That's just her being her in the ring. And it's so cool. Yeah.

Because she's just, she knows who she is. And I love that. She was saying that, like, she's like, I wish that I was in the divas era. And she's like, you know what? I also think that Sydney, like, belonged to the divas era too. There's something about just the way that you guys present yourselves. Thank you. Yeah.

I mean, that's a compliment from her. So you can thank Chelsea, not me. Thank you, Chelsea. Is Chelsea who you're normally traveling with? Yeah. Oh, that must be a wild car ride. Yeah. And it's funny because whenever we're with my mom,

my mom is like, but we like chit-chat back and forth. And my mom was like, I don't even know what you guys are talking about. You're talking so fast. I don't know what's going on. We are like literally the same person in a different font.

In a different font? Yeah. What kind of music are you listening to? We actually don't listen to music. We talk the whole time. We have so much to discuss. We listen to nothing. We just talk.

We have so much to say. I don't know if people realize that when you're on the road with WWE, it's like it's fly to a city, it's immediately rent a car, and then it's drive to wherever the hotel is and drive to the venue. Yeah. So you're, are you guys also traveling together too?

Yes, we share a car and share a hotel. Yeah, got to have sleepovers. We love it. This is a lot of time. Yes, we have great Mondays. Yeah, it's awesome. I honestly, like, truthfully, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have her

because it just makes the traveling so much fun. And it's so much more comfortable. And, like, you know, you get done at work. And if there's something that's on your mind or something you want to talk about or if you want to not talk about work, it's like having someone there is so, so cool. If Matt Cardona goes back to WWE, is he part of the group now? I think I'm going to sleep on the couch.

Chelsea and Matt then do their own thing. So I think that we've discussed this. Oh, okay. I think I'm going to allow Matt to share a room with his wife, maybe. How kind of you? feeling kind. But I will be knocking on their door to get Chelsea for gym and breakfast at 8 a.m. When I wake up. Because Chelsea wakes up when I wake up. That's actually, this is going to be the problem. Is Chelsea has this thing where, I'm just sharing Chelsea's whole life. She has this

thing where she wakes up when the other person wakes up. Like, she never wakes up first, but as soon as, like, I open my eyes, like, before I haven't checked my phone, she can sense I'm awake and she wakes up. So the issue is that Matt sleeps in. So then I'm like, you're going to accidentally sleep in because you're not going to sense me. So I'm going to have to stand outside the door like this so she can send me to wake up and come to breakfast. This is amazing. Yeah, that's how I feel. Would you guys still travel together?

Yeah. Okay. Matt's in the back seat? No, I would happily take the back seat. I would let mom and dad drive me around. I would be like, just like Disneyland yesterday. And this is all assuming that Matt is going to allow me to join the party. This is assuming Matt even, you know, goes back to WWA.

This is a lot of assumptions here. Yeah. Until that day. Matt's a star, so, you know. He's totally a star. Until that day, though, it's the Chelsea and Sydney show. Thank you. Sorry, Matt.

I don't know. You know Chelsea and Sydney, that's cute. Whatever you want. I'm into it. I mean, C comes before S in the alphabet, so. Yes. Sure. Yeah.

I guess that can be what it is. Works for me. You're amazing. Thank you. You are so fun to hang out with. Thank you. This is so great. This has been such a blast.

This time is just thrown by. This is reviving me. I feel like a new person. I'm ready to rock. I feel like I should chug this thing. Yeah. We should have shotguned it. What were we thinking? We just got this new invention device.

called a draft top. Have you heard of this? No. You clamp it on top and it's like a can opener that takes the entire top off and you can drink it. Wait, hear me out. Okay. Would that cut your lip? No, it cut... I was thinking the same thing. It cuts it on the

inside. My wife is obsessed with this thing. Oh, that's amazing. Hi, honey. Yeah, she's obsessed with this. Her name's Rachel. She's great. Hi, Rachel. I love Rachel Green. Oh, yeah. So it cuts it on the inside. So you're drinking it like it's like a draft.

And the cool thing about that is then you get the aromas because your noses. Because you're smelling it. Yes. That is amazing. Yes. Well, I'm very into that. We've talked a lot about gratitude throughout this whole conversation. You've peppered it in.

I love that. You've spiced it up a little. Some gratitude? A little bit of this. Oh, wow. Salt Bay. Yeah. That's beautiful.

Thank you. I end every conversation with gratitude because it's such an important part of my life. Yeah, I love that. So what are three things in your life that you're grateful for? right now. I'm grateful for quality time with really wonderful people. I feel very blessed to be surrounded

by such good energy. 99.9% of my life, and especially like this week. Sitting with you, Disneyland yesterday, like I've just been really lucky to have that. Ron Anaheim. Yes. So I think gratitude.

I'm very grateful to have a body that works so hard for me and like puts in the work and heals well and recovers well. and I'm grateful to get out of bed every day and feel good and be able to go and work out and just have that ability is so cool and build to push myself.

Yeah, what a great way of putting that. Because a lot of people say health is one of the things they're grateful for it. But the way that you phrased it there, I love that. Thank you. And this last one is a little superficial, but just to throw it in there, I am grateful for Airwan.

I had the best lunch before I got here. I'm so happy to be in L.A. at Airwan. I need an Airwain near me. I can't wait to have a Haley Bieber smoothie tomorrow. You know, a $17 smoothie. I'm ready. Probably what it costs? Probably 19.

Air one is, their prices are... I know that everyone who lives here hates it, but when you only get it, like, once every few months, it's incredible. Like, you go to, like... Their lunches are great. Yeah. Until you... Wait, you would be disgusted if you do how much money cost it today, though.

Can I guess? Yeah, because I didn't mean for it to cost as much. I made a mistake. Over or under... And by the way... Also, let me preface with, I did the meat with two sides. The plate, and then I got a little bag of cookies. And then it's by the pound, right?

Yes. So it's basically like a hot food thing. So think of like going to like a deli and all the hot foods are there. You've got salads and vegetables and meats. It is like a deli, but if they sprinkle gold on top and that's why it's so much. The food is incredible. Yes. It's amazing.

But then it's like if you want, I don't know, steak, it's this much. If you want chicken, it's this much. Over under $34. Over? No, I almost cried. I almost was like, I actually don't know if I should swipe my credit card, but it's too late. Over under $45. over.

For a lunch. No, it was so bad. I don't know how this happened. I actually think, like, maybe the guy made a mistake. This is why people hate L.A. Yeah, but then it was like, that's embarrassing.

I can't be like, oh my gosh, sorry, I didn't mean to get a $49 lunch. It was $49? Yes. Wow. I know. It was actually so sad.

I'm actually going to, you know what? No, it's fine because I'm grateful that I got to eat it. You know, how many meals you could have got to talk about? I'm grateful that I could afford to buy a $49 meal. That was, that made me, you know, that's really cool.

And it is very healthy. And I will be thinking about it for five to seven business days about how I lost $49 at Airwant. You didn't lose it. It was money well spent. Yes. It's the experience of. Normally it's $25 for my lunch.

I don't know how this happened that I spent so much, but it's typically $25. Those cookies are crazy. I also was so hungry that when he was like, okay, you want meatballs? I was like, yeah, I want like four, though. And those are heavy. And then I got potatoes and those are heavy too. This was great. I've never heard anyone be grateful for Airwant, what I love it.

Heard it here first, kids. And for people that don't know what we're talking about is a very obviously expensive grocery store. But worse. It's the word nowhere backwards. Oh, you didn't know this. I am not a California girl, apparently. It's just, you know, you just thought it was random,

like, E, R-E-W-O. Who has a mansion on a Helen Malibu, woke up one day and said, Airwant. That's what I thought. It's the word nowhere. Sydney, you're awesome. Thank you so much for this.

This was amazing. You're awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I can't wait to have you back. Yeah, let's do it again soon. Okay, Maxine Dupree, ladies and gentlemen, I just love how driven she is.

And I would hope that after you've listened to this episode, that you know that she's the kind of person that has a determination to want to improve every single day. And I know there's been a lot of criticism about her work in the ring. And not a lot of grace. given to the fact that she's just figuring this out as she goes and she's continuing to get better every single time she's in there. And I love that she said one of her goals for the year was to have a match in December and to be able to look back on her work from early in the year and go, wow,

like I'm not even that same performer anymore that she's come so far. So I hope you enjoy this episode. Snap a screenshot, tag us on social media and we'll share it out. She's at Maxine Dupry. I'm at Chris Van Fleet and I saw a quote on Instagram that I shared on my story and I want to share with you here in case you don't follow me on Instagram. You don't get results by focusing on results. You get results by focusing on the habits and behaviors that produce results. Be great. Be grateful. We will see you on the next one and ask CVV episode tomorrow. So if you have a question, send it in on social media using that hashtag ask.

CVV. We will see you on the next one. For some more insight. The Hammer Alley podcast, an 80s flashback mockumentary. Back in the 80s, there were a thousand bands trying to make it in the world of rock, but there was one band that had it all. Hammer Alley.

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