Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Tenille Dashwood on her WWE release, the Emma dance, Santino Marella, AEW, Impact

Episode Date: November 1, 2019

Tenille Dashwood (fka Emma) sits down with Chris Van Vliet in Chicago, IL before Impact Wrestling's Bound For Glory. She talks about how and why she was released from WWE, signing with Impact Wrestling, being part of AEW's All Out PPV, teaming with Santino Marella, starting the women's revolution in NXT and more! Enter to win the Big Gold World Heavyweight Championship Belt from Fandu Belts on my Instagram page: http://instagram.com/ChrisVanVliet This episode is brought to you by : harrys.com/BlueWire shipstation.com - Use code BLUE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's up, y'all? It's Drewski, and I've teamed up with Mountain Dew to produce a hilarious new basketball podcast called The Do Zone with Drewski. Learn the backstories of your favorite ballers and celebrities like Jamal Murray. Did you have like a favorite team? Was it the Raptors at the time or no? Was the Raptors even started around that time? Come on, bro. I ain't that old, fam.

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This is the Chris Van Vleet show Chris Van Vleet show Ladies and gentlemen Chris Ben Blit! Yes, what is going on? Welcome to the Chris Van Fleet Show. What an original name for a podcast, right?

I wonder who hosts the Chris Van Bleet Show. Although I guess this is a better name than just the name of my YouTube channel which is just Chris Van Fleet. And I guess the more more than I say it, especially here in the audio version or the podcast, I guess the more people will know how to pronounce it. Yeah, Chris Van Vleet. I get a lot of, oh, you're from Canada. It must be French. Chris Van Vleier. Although, I guess it's not a French last name at all. It's a Dutch last

name, like 12 generations ago or something. In any case, it's Chris Van Vleet. It is not Chris Van Vla, MJF. That interview is so ridiculous. But thanks for tuning in on this one. And persistence is the key with this one. I've been emailing to Neil Dashwood since the summer. First, trying to convince her to do an interview with me. She finally said yes to that. Then finding time when we were both in the same place at the same time,

which happened to be me driving five-ish hours, including one time, one stop to charge my Tesla Model 3, to Chicago for Bound for Glories. So I was inbound for Glory. We did a bunch of interviews there. You probably already heard the one with Tessa Blanchard. We got Teneal Dashwood. We got Big Mike, Michael Algin on the way.

And there's so much to cover here with Teneal. I mean, it's been almost two years to the day that Emma was released from WWE. And we still don't really know what happened until now. It kind of all unfolds in this conversation. So this is episode number 41. Not bad, might I add, for someone who's been podcasting. for four months. If this is the first time you're listening,

you're awesome. Thank you. If this is the 41st time you're listening, you're also awesome. And thank you. I couldn't do it without any of you guys. I appreciate you guys being around and listening to the show.

And if you're thinking of making a podcast, do it. I sat on the fence for so long. And I'm loving doing this. So look, do it. What's the worst that could possibly happen? Put it out there. No one listens?

Great. That's a chance for you to impress. You don't want lots of people listening when you suck. You want to suck when nobody's listening so you can improve that when people are listening, you'll be that much better. I also appreciate these reviews you'll be leaving on Apple Podcasts. I'm going to continue reading one on the show as a shout-out like this one to Max Morphus, who titles this Bringing Wrestling Interviews Into It Cuts Off.

So I don't know. We can guess into what? What makes Chris's take on wrestling interviews unique are his choice of questions. and guests. He chooses to focus on less frequently interviewed stars for the most part and actually asks them human questions about their history, motivations, etc., instead of digging for dirt on backstage heat and the like. Well, thank you, Max. That's a very astute observation. And I appreciate you leaving that review. Please keep them coming. And yeah, I like to dig in deep. I'm interested into what makes people tick.

And I'm a firm believer that if someone is doing something that you want to do, if someone's super successful, Tony Robbins always says success leaves clues. And I'm a huge believer in that. If someone's super successful in one aspect of their life, they're probably super successful in a lot of aspects of their life. And I want to learn. Thanks to Samson for providing us with this audio equipment to make us sound so good. And if you are looking to start a podcast, you want a product,

you know, that's going to make you sound good. Or if you have a podcast and you don't sound that great. And you want to step up your game for a fraction of the cost, go to sampsonTech.com. The mics that I use, they're only $80 a piece. Also, a big thank you to Green Roads, CBD products. And if you're thinking at trying CBD products, Green Roads is the way to go.

Because not all CBD products, not all CBD companies are created equally. And what makes Green Roads stand out above all the other ones is they are a pharmacist founded company, dedicated to improving the lives of the people who take it. I'm one of those people who take it. I take the Green Roads CBD oil under my tongue. A couple drops, bloop, every single day.

And it really just helps with focus. It helps with recovery after the gym, especially the cream. Rubbing that on after the gym really helps with recovery time. And this is something that's already naturally occurring in your body. CBD is naturally occurring in your body. And this kind of just balances out those levels. and it's made a drastic change in my life,

especially with everything that's been going on lately with travel, and I've moved recently, and CBD oil, the products from Green Roads have really helped out. So if you're thinking about it, kind of like I was talking about the podcast, if you're sitting on the fence about CBD products, use my code, Chris 15. You'll get 15% off your first order at greenroadsworld.com,

and you'll see what it's all about. So my guest today, you may know, as Teneal Dashwood, which is her real name. You probably also know her, or you just might know her, as Emma. She spent six years in the WWE. We talk about her time with the WWE. We talk about her teaming up with Santino Morella. Talk about the Emma dance and where that came from and why that was invented.

And we talked about why her time with WWE ended and why it ended so abruptly. We also talk about the surgery she had. She had shoulders, shoulders. I can't even say the word shoulder. surgery with Ring of Honor. So we get down to all of that. And what's next for her? We just saw her at AEW.

We saw her at Double or Nothing. And we saw her at All Out. So what could be next for Teneal Dashwood? We dive right into it. So please enjoy this chat with Teneal Dashwood. I've been chasing you down and do this interview for months. And here we are. I'm still laughing.

Stop. Okay. That's how you do it. Yeah. So thank you. We're in the same place at the same time. I'm glad because I felt bad that I seemed like I dodged you a couple times, but I didn't. And now here we are.

Well, I saw you at, what was it? Oh, was in Chicago? I saw you. And you were like, hey, I forgot to email you back. I'm sorry. Like, no, it's fine. I mean, the email gets crazy sometimes and I don't always run it myself. So it's not even on purpose.

Usually I see emails like a couple days later. I'm like, oh, crap. Yeah. No, it's okay. We're making it happen now. And that's all the matters. How does it feel being back in the ring? Awesome.

Like, I've loved wrestling since I was a little kid, so I feel like this is where I'm always meant to be. So it just feels at home. Yeah, but you had, you know, there was a break there as you were recovering from your injury. It felt like a lifetime. Yeah. Is it 10 months? It's 10 months, yeah.

Yeah. So it's probably the longest break I've had since I started, I guess. Probably, sure. Yeah. Yeah. bar, I guess the time when I got signed with WWE, there was, I had to have my shoulder repaired back then. But yeah, for about eight years, that's probably the longest gap I've had. Wow. So as you sit here right now, are you feeling 100% with the shoulder and everything?

Yeah, I feel pretty good. It takes time. Like, I've only been back for a few months to kind of, like, get used to being in the ring again, kind of get the flow back. But yeah, I feel really good. And, you know, it just kind of, everything starts flowing again. And there's like the excitement of what's next. So that's cool. Because here's the thing. You get in the ring with the. sling on and ring of honor and people you know they're never sure if is this a work is this actually i'm like no it's real don't touch me don't touch me yeah and and then did you have the surgery like not long after that yeah i had the surgery in october last year the beginning of october so um i

i think i wore the sling maybe a little bit before that when i had injured it and then i was i knew i was having surgery already but it's fine to take bumps on it and ever Everything's good now. It's like a new shoulder. Yeah, there's titanium in this bad boy. Really? Yeah, a couple of screws. Oh, my God.

Which I might have to get taken out because, I mean, there's screws in my shoulder. But otherwise, good, yeah. Okay, well, good. And how are things going so far for you in impact? Great. I mean, I'm having a championship match tonight. So I really can't get much better than that unless I win, then that's the high point. Yeah, yeah.

Was this a secret that you had to? Keep for a while where you were going? I guess, yeah. Well, I mean, I was in talks for a while and kind of was keeping my options open and kind of just enjoying working for the independents scene, which I still am. So I managed to kind of do these shows and stay like a free agent, basically. So it's the best of both worlds. Yeah, it really is.

And now you guys are going to be on Access TV. So it's like now you get like a TV channel that, you know, it's Tuesdays, 8 o'clock. and you're still working, is it any indie bookings? Do you want to work? Yeah, I do what I want. I'm in charge. It's all about you. It is, really.

I'm telling everyone that. What was the reaction after you debuted on Impact? I mean, it was awesome because I think people had been waiting to see where I was going to go, what I was going to do. And even better when they announced the TV, because everyone was like, oh, I want to watch, I used to watch you. I used to watch you all the time. where can I see this and that. So it's like, that's just kind of the cherry on top. So everything is really coming together for you.

Yeah. Yep. But we saw you at AEW for All Out. How were you able to do that? Well, I'm not exclusive. That's what I was saying. I do what I want. Oh, I do what I want.

Oh, you actually? I literally, yeah, I agreed to work some dates with Impact, and I'd already agreed to AEW before I agreed to stuff with Impact. So I was kind of like, this is what I'm doing. and I'm still going to do the independent shows wherever I want. So I've done lots of overseas tours and I plan doing a lot more of that. Yeah, so I kind of can have fun and do what I want. You know what this sounds like?

The best deal ever. Yes. Wow. Yeah, I did that. Yeah. Wow. Congratulations. Will we maybe be seeing more of you in AEW?

I mean, never say never, right? That's the wrestling role for you. Yeah, exactly. You just, honestly, you never like, you could work with someone years years ago and all of a sudden you're in the same company together or it can be anyone anytime any place you just never know so how different would you say to nil is from emma um i mean as a character yeah um what emma are you talking about oh that's true that's kind of the first thing we have to touch okay how many how many emma's would you say there are um two mainly okay um you know there was the

bubbly, ditsy, oblivious bubble popping Emma. I keep doing this because that's just what comes with it. And that was almost, that's kind of like my, I guess, the funny side of me. Like I'm very kind of, I don't know, blunt and sarcastic person normally. And that was kind of like the me making fun of myself side of things. And so like that's why it worked and was so much fun. You know, I don't mind giving myself crap. So I was able to kind of go out there and know that I look like an idiot, and I didn't care

because I knew and I said I looked like an idiot. Did you create the dance? Yeah, it was me along with Byron Saxton, actually at the time. And it was when Dusty was at, we're all at FCW. And we played, I picked this new music. And at the time, it was like, the music that we used, it was that music. But it was like, this is very strange, almost like a little A-CW. like weird. So I was like, what do I do? I have to do something when I come out. I can't just

like walk out. So I ended up doing this like weird thing with my hands. And they were like, uh, don't do that, but maybe like a little more like this. And we kind of adjusted it. And I just kind of kept trying it and trying it. And that's kind of evolved from that. And then every, like it caught on fast. Yeah, which was crazy to me. But like the NXT crowds were like and still are awesome like that where they kind of like, you're like their own product, basically. And they kind of just caught on and just kind of grew with me. And so then like before long, the whole crowd would be doing the dance with me. And it just made it so much more fun because I didn't feel like an idiot anymore.

And I was like, people like this. All right. It's hard to hear that song now and not do some sort of. Right. Right? Yeah. People still like, I'll go take a picture and they're like, that's the pose? What pose do you do?

I can't do it. Hang on, wait. Okay, yeah. And when they do that pose, what do you do? I'm like, wow. They did the dance. And I'm like, that's a great dance. Where did you learn that?

Yeah, give myself credit. That's the Emma dance. Mm-hmm. The Emma dance. Mm-hmm. Part of the emilution. The other Emma? Is more like what we see in impact, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, it was kind of like when. Aviator glasses, darker hair. Yeah. More just like, I just want to. and kick people's ass, which is me. And yeah, just showing, like, less of the ditsy side and more, like, get to it. You know, like I was saying before, I've wrestled since I was, like, 13 years old,

and I love wrestling, like, my whole life. So I wanted to show, like, I'm serious about this, and this is, like, my career and what I love doing. And so show people more, like, what I could do, basically, and be taken more seriously, I guess, because a lot of people used to, like, the ha, ha, ha, and I was like, well, no, I can go. When you came in, you were more of like the serious wrestler, weren't you? When I came in to... To NXT in WWE? No, I started as the first thing was the ditsy, the dancing.

A lot of hands. For anyone listening on the podcast, there's lots of hands. The dancing, Emma. This is how I have to explain one to the other. And so that's how I came in to NXT and then from, I mean, I guess I did some matches in FCW before that, but I was like, no one remembers that. And then I went to the main... roster did stuff for Santino and then came back to NXT was when kind of nothing was really happening for me on the main roster I was like all right I need it something needs to change um I want to use

that what we're doing the fact that I'm not being used and turn that into like a storyline where I'm like I should be used like pay me some attention like and that's how the whole like they called me evil Emma which I love too that was the fans that was that was that was the fans they named me that and um that's kind of how that evolved because it was like what about me why is no one paying me attention But out of that was really kind of the start of the women's revolution. Well, thanks. It's true. Like, that match you had with Paige was like, oh, yeah, they should let this happen more often.

Yeah. And that was cool because it was like the first, well, the championship was bought in then. And then NXT, the live specials had, that was like the beginning of that as well. So it was like a big moment for NXT as a whole and then having a big women's match with a championship and having it mean so much as well. So yeah, it was kind of the first time, I guess we were like put to the test and it was kind of like we delivered and everyone was really happy with it. And I think what helped with that was like the storyline leading up to it and the fans were invested and we were invested and it just meant so much more, especially when you have a good storyline. Right. So I love being part of NXT and building all that.

And, you know, obviously the revolution is like going crazy now. Yeah. But it's cool to have like a small part in it. Yeah. I think you have more than a small part in it. Oh, thanks. But it's true, you know, it was because of those types of matches that you guys were able to have, I mean, here we are, what would be, three or four years later now? Yeah.

That like, more four, four, at least four, yeah. That women's wrestling is just, it's a thing now. Yeah. It's, it's wrestling is what it is. It's an attraction, yeah. It doesn't matter, it doesn't even matter if it's men's wrestler or women's wrestling, just wrestling in general now is, it's pretty great. It's cool, because I know a lot of us, like, you know, the women on WWE that have just been killing it. and, you know, now IEW as well.

But, like, we all talk about how years ago we never thought that, like, we'd be where we are and this would be happening. So is there really cool just to look back and just be like, wow, we did it. Yeah, that's pretty amazing where it is now. Yeah. And now you're, you know, you have the chance to be the knockouts champion tonight, although this will air after. So sorry, sorry, you guys will already know what will have happened.

I don't. We don't know what's at work. I mean, in my mind, I'm winning the championship, of course. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, congratulations. Thank you. From my mind.

Let's just celebrate now. To your mind? Yes. When you were working the angle with Santino, were you also traveling with him? No. I always traveled with Summer Ray or Dana Brooke after that, Paige sometimes at the beginning as well. But no, we never traveled together.

When you were first presented the Santino angle, were you like, this could be fun? Oh, yeah. It was first presented to me at NXT. And I'd been doing this, back to the hands. I'd been doing the Dizzy Emma. And I think Triple H at the time just had this thought, like Santino and Emma. Like, he just had this idea.

And at the time, he put us in a match with Summeray and Fandango at NXT. Yeah. And I remember that was like the crowd went nuts. It was one of the funniest moments of my career. Like, Santino just cracks me up. Like, I can't, I just, he's honestly one of the funniest people I've ever met. And I remember we just kind of clicked like straight away. And it was like, he looked at me and was like, oh, you do this.

Or let's do this. And then I was like, okay. And then so, you know, like, I mean, he was great kind of leading me along. And it's just hilarious. And we just kind of mesh. So I think from that, Triple H was like, yeah, it worked. And then literally like a few months later, it was a thing on Raw. And I don't think people understand or appreciate how good of a wrestler Santino is.

Like, he fell into the comedy gimmick for so long. But like, he's an incredible wrestler. Yeah. And an actual fighter, too. That too. He's legit. Yeah, he's running shows now in Toronto. Yeah, I did one a few months ago.

Yeah. And I caught up with him and he still makes me laugh a lot. I mean, some of the things he used to say, like, live on Raw, he'd be standing next to me. I can't even repeat them, but he'd be standing next to me and say something under his breath. And I would, like, die laughing, but I have to try not laugh. So I'd just be like, oh, my God. Like in the ring? Oh, yeah.

Oh, man. Just under his breath. Like, yeah. Oh. When you switched from the blonde hair to the brunette hair, did you have to, was there a lot of, like, conversations that had to go on to make this happen? No. I just left WW8, so I was like, I'm going to do my hair.

I can do what I want now. So that was it. I just colored it. And then when you came back, they were like, yeah, that'll work. That was, like, when I left, like, the last time. I didn't go back after that. But when you had, like, the in-between. Yeah.

Oh, that was when I did, like, the evil Emma. So that was... So Evil Emma had to have different colored hair. Yeah, because I kind of did more of the ombre. So it was like I... I love that word. The... The ombre?

Why? I don't know. This is a funny hair word. Okay. Umbra. Yeah, it was more... I don't know. That was for the people, not for you.

I see. Yeah. I saw that too. It was more like, yeah, it was like a change, like a darker feel to the character. And I wanted to change my look a little bit. So I got, you know, obviously new gear, added the gloves, the glasses. And that's when I did a bit darker and kind of left just the end. ends or whatever, like the streak down the front. So yeah, it was like when you turn bad,

you got to be bad. And was it you that was that asked for your release? Like, how did that all happen? No, actually. It wasn't me. It was actually a really, really big shock for me. I had no idea. Really? Yeah. So at the time, I had just, I was interviewed with Oscar and we'd just done the pay-per-view, and that was her debut, I believe, or the paper-view debut. I think it was actually her actual debut as well. And we had like an awesome match. And I remember like everyone loved it. And then we had a match on Raw the night after.

And then basically by the end of the week, I had a call saying that I was released. Did they tell you why? From what I heard, it was just that I don't, honestly, I don't even know what, because I feel like there's more to it than what I was told. And it was kind of a very brief, and, you know, not necessarily everyone agreed or whatever it was.

But basically, I think the boss wasn't happy with something. And that was kind of it. I just want to take a quick time out from this chat with Toneal to thank our sponsors. This episode is brought to you by Harry's. And humans have been shaving for thousands of years. And the secret to a great shave, I mean, it hasn't changed much. The ancient Greeks, they didn't need flex balls or heated handles. Neither to you.

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Oh. Yeah. I was, and I was like very shocked because I literally was packed to go on the European tour. So like a two-week tour overseas, had my bags packed. I was going to the airport that. It was on a Sunday. I was on the way to the airport, basically, and got a call. And I was like, what?

And this all happened over the phone? But it was a little bit more aggressive. What? Yeah, over the phone. Wow. Yeah. Because I've heard other stories where it's like, hey, we need you to come into the office. Yeah, no.

That was it. them again. That doesn't, wow. Your contract doesn't protect you against something like this? I guess not. We're not lawyers. I mean, the contracts are like, what do you call it? Like you're an independent contractor basically. I would imagine it favors. They're not in your favor at all. Yeah. So, I mean, like everyone always says what happened. I'm like, honestly, I don't really know because, you know, like it seems a bit silly for like one little, whatever it was. But I'm like, obviously, obviously the boss wasn't happy with me or whatever at the time and that was it. So I'm like, shit happens, you know.

Right. But you know, you've landed on your feet. Yeah. And things are. And it's because of my career there that I'm like where I am today. So I'm like, oh, you know, I kind of try to turn everything into a positive. I'm like, because of that, I'm here and because I'm like where I am, I can do all these other amazing things.

And like, I know I have so much more to offer. So I'm like, turn into positive and just kind of, I use that to kind of continue on like the independency and like launch that that part of my career and travel more and do all these things that people can't do at WWE. We've also launched like, you know, you're able to do influencer stuff. Yeah. Which you probably wouldn't be able to do with WWA. Yeah, that's true too.

Yeah, because there are some kind of, I guess, logistics with contracts, this and that. Yeah. And if you've built a following that big, you might as well capitalize. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I kind of like let my fans know other things I'm interested in and try to make it, you know, my social media, not all about wrestling. I think everyone knows I love wrestling already.

So, you know, I try to introduce, like, you know, my love for food or fitness and my love for travel. And, you know, sometimes, or because I can do my own schedule now, I can make it where I'm like, okay, this month I'm going to be in, for instance, recently I did like shows in Germany and Switzerland. And I was like, okay, I'm going to stay in Switzerland for an extra week and go see the beautiful mountains. And so I did.

And those are things that you can't do when you're contracted and have to be somewhere every single week. Yeah, if you don't want to take indie bookings for two weeks and you want to go travel somewhere, you now can. Exactly. I just have to plan ahead because my schedule is packed. I'm sure it is. But I do have to, like, I can if I want to a few months ahead. I can plan. Is the rest of your year completely booked up?

Yeah. Must be nice. I kept time for Christmas so I can go home and see my family, which are things like I couldn't do before. So, you know, there was years where I barely saw them at all. So sacrifices you have to make, which is like, we're in. in the long run, worth it. And now I have that time where I can do these things that are more enjoyable. Yeah.

I know that with making a YouTube channel, it's time consuming. And it takes a lot to make these videos and edit them and everything like that. Is that why Taste of Tenil stopped? Yeah, basically. I was like, no, it was like, I had at that time, I think I'd just gone back to NXT. So I was kind of at home more because a lot of the shows are in Florida where I lived. And I was like, okay, I want to do something more with my time and still connect with my fans. So I started the show, I was cooking at home, I was filming myself and editing the shows myself,

which I had no idea how to do. It's so time-consuming too. Yeah, well, you know, exactly. But, like, I have no idea when it comes to, like, computers and editing and stuff. So I was, like, literally watching, like, YouTube things. And I'm like, how do I do, like, this tiny clip? And you can tell when you watch it, it's still not very good. But I managed to, like, sometimes I'd upload and then mess that up.

And then it would take me hours and hours just to get an episode up. And then I'd be like, oh, done, you know. So it got to a point where I was. like I can't enjoy it anymore and I started to get busier again because they put they were like oh evil Emma went great you're going back to the main roster and I was like okay cool and I'm like oh I had no time now so it's kind of just like yeah um when I had time I did it and then I ran out of time and I and I couldn't do it on my own anymore so I needed someone to like do it all for me basically you got time now no not really like I'm hardly ever home like I haven't been home since for like a few weeks

or so right now and I still go to Australia on Monday I'm not even going home after this What? Yeah. So you're just living out of a suitcase? Yeah. Basically, yeah. Oh. A few suitcases.

Well, yeah, I guess so. Yeah. I have a lot of stuff with me. How long are you in Australia for? Not that long now because I end up doing these impact shows. So originally I went to Singapore for a signing and then from there to Bali and then was going to go straight to Australia. But then this opportunity came up. Yeah, to win the knockouts championship.

Which I thought, well, hell yeah. There was a big wink there. Don't give anything away. I already said I was going to win it here. That's right. So this opportunity came up and I was like, no, it's like something I want to do. So instead of going six hours to Australia, I went over 24 hours to Chicago. And that's why I'm a little bit of a lunatic this weekend.

Oh, you're great. I seem fine right now, right? Yeah, you seem. Yeah. And then, so I, I can't even think what I was saying. So I did the show and then like a signing yesterday and now today is the show and then I fly. Tomorrow is Monday. She's to Australia.

And it's like over 24 hours again. And you'll get to Australia two days later. And to answer the question, you actually asked me two days later, I get there on the Wednesday and then on Friday I have a show. So I have like two days basically. Then Friday's the show and then Saturday I fly to Perth for another show. and then I come back again. For impact? No, back home finally.

But I stay in Perth for an extra day because Summer Ray is going to be with me so we're going to see... We can call her Danielle. Danielle. We're going to see Perth a little bit because I haven't really seen it even though I'm from Australia.

And then do another, however, 24 hours. There's way too many 24-hour trips. Yeah, it's a long flight. Yeah. So I'm like just adjusting to the time. I was awake very early. morning like in bed just wide awake and like great your body probably has no idea what time zone it is yeah and I got a little sick at the end of my Bali trip so I've

been a little bit of a mess but here I am yeah well I've been following you on Instagram and you did all of the stereotypical things you need to do in Bali the big bit by a monkey I did not see that that's not stereotypical yeah so yeah that was interesting how did that happen um that was a weird laugh I anyway see i can make fun of myself uh okay so there's a in uber and stop laughing in uber i'm not sure how you pronounce it probably uber uber something like that um there's a monkey sanctuary something like that and um we went to it and it's wild monkeys basically but you're in like kind of like a forest kind of area and you can walk through there's footpaths and everything a lot of

people there and you basically go to see the monkeys and they're just kind of roaming around freely and the people that work there like put some corn and veggies out to feed them and and they kind of like run around people like take videos and anyway so when you go in there's like this big big ass sign at the front like don't do this don't do that like don't feed the monkeys don't touch the monkeys if they touch you just act calm and don't look them in the eyes it was like this I was like okay so we like we saw this sign and went to walk I'm like let's go read this properly so I'm like okay walk on in and then um kind of like looking around this is like really within the first few minutes as well um i sit down i'm like what if i sit down maybe like we'll see what happens maybe one will

come to me yeah smart right so i sit down and um like this right i'm on this little i don't know bench right and i sit there and daniel's like starting to film but i was like just get the camera ready in case like something happens of course and then so she's filming and she's filming something go over there and then this this monkey literally comes and sits next to me and I go oh Danielle like get this kind of thing and meanwhile so the monkey um and I'm like looking over here you know don't look at it so it grabs me by the hand it grabs me by the hand like this like the monkey grabs you're sitting there like this it goes like this like like a little baby it felt like a little baby's hands and I was like oh my god like instantly I was like it's so

cute so it grabbed me by the hand like we were like friends or something and so I looked down at it like oh my gosh it's so cute so there's a moment where it kind of lets go and then it kind of goes like this with my hand and then um i look at it and you see it looks back at me and goes so literally i guess like the looking in the eyes is like a threat or like a sign of um like yeah like an enemy so it it saw that went from holding my hand and me being like oh my god Look at it to like a full on attack and it started like gnawing at my thumb. And then I was, but I was trying to act calm still because I'm like, don't freak out. I'm like, pulling my hand away.

And then when I did that, it went in for like a big bite and like kind of got this finger. And that's when I was like, oh, like shit. And I like got out of there. And then you like, it's on video. I put it on my Instagram. So people have all been messaging me and watching it and like, dying. You're lucky to think it's hilarious.

But I was lucky it didn't puncture the skin because you can get like rabies and stuff from wild animals. So I was lucky it didn't puncture the skin and I still like put, you know, like what do you call it like a bacterial wipe on it to clean it off anyway after. But well, it was like Danielle literally, I was like, you could have stopped the video to like help me. She's in shock just like filming the entire thing, which in the end I was like, wow, it's kind of cool. We have this ridiculous video.

And the amount of time she watched it after that, not even kidding, maybe a hundred times, literally in tears, tears, because she's slow-moded it. And the bit where it goes to bite, you see it has like these fangs. I didn't even know, like these two long, long-ass teeth, like on the sides. And you see it like at me.

And she's slow-mode and like zoomed on the monkey's face. And she's like in tears dying, laughing. I imagine you guys left shortly thereafter. Well, no, actually. I don't know. I wanted like a nice picture with a monkey, so we stayed around a little bit. But I was very like, I was like that kind of like, it was like a traumatic experience for me. Yeah.

After that, we stayed a little bit. And then we saw like these monkeys were kind of like climbing on this guy. And I was like, I kind of want that, but I'm scared. So I kind of went near the wall and one climbed on my back. And I just like did not move or look at it. And she took a couple of pictures. And then it, um, and I was like, Now how do I get it off?

And then it kind of like just jumped off in the end. And then I was like, oh, okay, let's go. You got to do it for the ground. I got my picture and then I was like out of there. You got to do it for the gram. Yeah. Meanwhile, she's like, if that was me that got bit my monkey, she's like, it would be like a whole other thing because she's like, I would have flipped.

And she's like, you stayed so calm. I was trying not to like make it worse, you know. It could have been a lot worse. You got to watch the video if you haven't seen it. I can't believe. I'll show you the slow. Let you down here. I'm sorry.

Meanwhile, she's laughing at the monkey, but my face is like pure fear. I'm like, the slow-mo of me, my face just drops. It's hilarious. So since you're going home this week, when you go home, do your friends think you have an American accent now? Oh, yeah. Which is so funny. That probably sounded American then, right? Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, mate. Oh, yeah, mate. No? Yeah, it's great. Oh. So.

I got a 10. Yeah. I get a 10. Moving on now. They do. They think I have an American accent. Like, I guess certain things, maybe certain words more particular than others, but, and compared to them, because some of them are full like, like, kidday, mate.

Like, how you going? That's not a knife. Well, no one says that. Yeah, they do. Or like, shrimp on the barby. Yeah, it's totally something you guys say, right? Yeah, all the time. But I guess, yes, compared to them what they used to, I sound like I have an American accent.

Do you think that you do? Like, do you catch yourself going, huh, I now say that word like my American friends do? Not really. Maybe like a little bit of like a, like a twang sometimes. Like I can hear like a little bit where I'm like, that's not as Australian as I used to be. But, you know, put me next to one of my friends for like a couple minutes and I'm like, oh, yeah, nah. Like, it's just really bad.

Like. Almost got the hand thing back there too. Yeah. Yeah, mate. Yeah. No, we don't do that. This is not Australian thing. It's just a weird.

Emma thing. It'll be with you forever though. It'll be with me forever. Yeah, that's not a bad thing. No. I'm like the first person ever that had like a bubble machine on my entrance. So I'm proud of that. You should be proud of my accomplishments.

I had no titles, but I had a bubble machine. So I'm still doing lots of these things. But, you know, seriously, what are you most proud of with your WWE run? I loved my time at NXT. I actually was like one of the fastest people, to come through the system and go onto the main roster, like, after me, the people were there for years before they came up, you know, so I was there for about a year and a half, and obviously I'd wrestled before then, but, you know, when I first got my contract initially, it was at, like,

an open tryout back at FCW, and, and I, they had one contract, and I won that, so that was, like, my first, like, huge thing is, you know, wanted that my whole life, was my, my lifelong dream to be a wrestler with the WWE, and I got that contract, so that was, like, I just, I'll never forget that moment and then from there you know kind of killing it with the nxte stuff and all of us kind of just making a name for ourselves and um nxte becoming such a big brand like it is now um i loved all of that and my matches with page that we kind of briefly discussed um yeah and i really enjoyed like my i did wrestlemanias um i really enjoyed my matches with uska like nxte takeover London was one of my favorite matches.

Yeah, and it was really, the high points for me were more when there was a storyline involved and where I was, like, wrestling, you know, like, I had time and a competitive match and the crowd was invested because we had told a story leading up to the pay-per-view and people cared. So those were, like, the biggest moments for me. You've got all that now. With your time in Ring of Honor, your time in impact, you've got time in the ring to, like, really show off what you can do.

Yeah. I'm just going to have a stretch, though. I'll do one too. Why not? I feel like I'm sitting really hunch for some reason. There we go. Is the plan with getting all of this in-ring exposure to eventually go back to WWE? I mean, it's not, I don't have a plan really per se. I mean, my plan, I guess, right now is to enjoy what I'm doing.

And it's very important for me to be healthy and happy. it's the most important thing. And doing that can be more of my travels, more wrestling, and kind of balancing the two and not being so consumed in something where you kind of get stuck in that bubble and feels like you have no life outside of it, which can and does happen a lot. And then balancing that with my life outside of wrestling

and enjoying things that people talk about all the time and don't actually do. So I'm like, I don't want to be that person that says, I want to do this, this and this and doesn't. Like, I'm just going to go do them. So that's the type of person I am. I'm like, I want to go to Bali. I'm going to go to Bali.

You know, I'm going to get bit by monkey if I want to. That wasn't the plan, though. And you love to cook? So maybe, you know, maybe some more of that, if you're ever home? Yeah. No, I'm never home right now. What do you love to cook? I mean, I love making breakfast.

It's not, that's not hard to cook, obviously. But I love making breakfast. I love baking. And then, like, other meals like, I mean, it can be anything, really, like pastas or just certain dishes. But the thing is, I live by myself. So I don't really cook because, like, I'll make a lot of food I want to eat. And then I'm like, I don't want to, I shouldn't be eating that.

You know, it's going to be yummy food. I mean, I cook healthy food all the time, like chicken breasts and rice and veggies. Yeah, but it's boring, you know. So it's better when, like, as a group function or something or, like, a family thing, and we can all get together and cook together. I love doing that. The post you recently made was basically saying, hey, I'm going to start to do. I'm actually really hungry guy now.

Because we just talked about food. Yeah, my action. Okay, well. Take off. See you later. The post you recently made was basically saying something like Taste of Teneal could maybe be coming back. Yeah. So it was basically like an evolved version of Tateau because I'm not home ever.

Like a vlog. Yeah, yeah. So it was like my life on the road. So, you know, like we're in Chicago today. For instance, I was here. I've been here for a couple of days. So say yesterday, like a life in the day. I don't know why I'm dyslexic lately.

I say things backwards all the time now. It's too much wrestling. A day in the life of Tnil. That's what you get. So, yeah, because, you know, I might get up and go for breakfast. I might go for a workout. And it's like, you know, whatever it is. Like, if I was in Bali, like, I went for a surfing lesson.

So maybe, like, you'd get to see me surf for the first time, which is pretty hilarious. I have literally like a ratchel down my leg from like the rubbing on the board and yeah you're supposed to wear the like a body suit I didn't do that I wore like a long sleeve top they gave us

that's good yeah so my top half is fine my legs are like torn up it's great is this going to be on your YouTube channel no that I just put on Instagram but oh like the actual show yes I was just giving you an example

but yeah so we're basically looking for a platform to launch it on So if you're interested, shoot me in the email, sponsors, platforms, whatever. Taste of Tenil at gmail.com. Yeah, exactly. Wow, I can't believe I remembered that. And it can be anything, though, because, like, like you said, I love to cook. So I don't mind, like, going to a restaurant and cooking with a chef.

Or, like, if someone wants to cook and invite me to their restaurant, then, like, I'll go and eat and, like, promote their restaurant. And, like, the experience we had there and the places I go travel, like, the hotels I've stayed in, some amazing places. And, like, people don't understand or see all of what I get. to do. Yeah. And it's some pretty amazing stuff.

So I was like, oh, I just wish I could show all of it, you know? And, and like when I saw the girls the other day, they're all like, oh, I've just been like living through your Instagram or your videos, whatever. And I'm like, that's exactly what I'm doing this show for because people say they're like live vicariously through me. And that's basically the part of the show. So basically you're saying, live through me. You want to do all this, but not edit it.

That's basically what you're saying. Oh, yeah, I don't want to do any of the hard work. Yeah. No, I just, I mean, I'm working with a production company right now. So basically they would in theory come to wherever I am and we would travel around and film and I would meet up with people at a restaurant, professional athletes, a surfing coach, whatever it is and try different sports, try different places to eat, you know, maybe some rehab stuff,

some PT stuff, you know, for the wrestling and recovery. And like that's kind of the plot of it. and to get more of an insight into like my real life. If you've already got... The real to Neil. You like it? That's it. Is that what's called? Are you going to sponsor it?

I mean... Pay up. Yeah, I mean... Okay, we'll discuss after. I got to go now. That's a yes. Well, if you already have... It's your interview.

You can't leave me. I can't leave my... I could. We'll see what happens. All right. See you. All right. So anyway.

You're lucky. If you already have all the subscribers you have with Tasted Teneal, why don't you just rebrand Tastip TNal? Yeah, and then we can tell people right now to subscribe. Subscribe. There you go. I'll put the link down below. TASTA. There you go.

Hey? Hey? Hey? Yeah. So you subscribe. It's down below. Subscribe. That was really bad.

Yeah. Oh, you said that. Not me. I kind of, but so if you already have the platform and you already, you know. Yeah, so basically we're just looking for kind of more like, I know, like, I know, place. I want to go visit and things I want to do. But people that are interested in being a part of it, because when you have people like that,

it just all comes together better and it's more exciting. So looking for people to reach out and kind of just pull everything together. And would wrestling have any part of this as well? I mean, wrestling is like a big part of my life. So I'm always going to like talk about it or refer to it. Or, you know, it's probably a lot of my trips will be associated with a wrestling trip probably.

So yeah, in that degree, yeah. Who is your favorite all-time wrestler? Um, Stone Cold. Oh. Stone Cold. You have a favorite Stone Cold match? Um, you know, for me, like, what drew me in as a little girl, um, was more like the entertainment side of it.

Like, I loved, um, like, I remember literally sitting like this close to my TV and like his music would hit and I'd be like, yeah, like the, the glass would shatter and I'd be like, Jake, because my brother, Jake, Stone Cold's coming out. Like, I was just nuts for the whole theatrical side. of things and you know just like whatever it was like the crazy fights they got into about even not even in the ring you know so and then then i guess when i understood it more and i grew up a little bit more than i became more invested in like the wrestling side of it um but that's kind of what that spark was for me it's just the the the music the the real like fighting the badass side of stone cold yeah yeah is

there an all-time favorite match doesn't have to involve stone cold but just in general um you know what it's weird but i don't really have like a oh wow time favorite match yeah I'm sure you have lots of stuff you just appreciate. Yeah, there's like a million. But I just, yeah, it's not like I'm like, that's the match. Like, yeah, I just, there's more like moments for me. And like I said, a lot of them, it's more the storylines or the feeling in the moment when it happens rather than like the match itself. If that makes sense.

Yeah. Well, I appreciate making time. Oh, my favorite match of all time. Yeah. Talked about it many times. Oh, okay. Boring. No, it's okay.

Everyone, it's Rock Hogan, WrestleMania 18. Okay, okay. I was there. But again, so that's like very theatrical characters. It was all like the moment and the feelings they gave, yeah. So it was, you know, I was there. I was sitting in like the 26th row on the floor. And that moment where Rock and Hogan have that stare down at the start of the mat.

I'm getting goosebumps just talking about it. It was such a special moment. Yeah. And I interviewed The Rock. I've interviewed him a bunch of. times now but I interviewed him the first time and I said I got to tell you rock my favorite match was you and hogan wrestling 18 and he goes who were you cheering for and I'm like I was cheering for hogan he's like me too oh I was like oh you're in shit that's cool have you seen that match um yeah but you just

reminded me though because um when w w first came back to Australia in I think it was 2002 it was global warming tour and there was like literally I think it was 67,000 people in the arena. It was like the biggest show like I guess before last year or whatever it was. And I was, I don't know, how old was I then? 14. I don't know how to add up this quickly. Anyway, but I was very young, no younger than that. I was younger than that. Well, it would be, if it was 2002, it's 17 years ago. So your age minus 17. Yeah. So I'm 30. So 13. Around that. Yeah. Okay. So, so I know. I'm good. at math, I just kind of put myself on the spot. And then so I remember, I was in high school and I

remember I, like, I think I was late that day and I ran to the place to get line up to get tickets. There's like no online stuff back then. Or maybe there was. I just didn't know. And then so I remember I spent like all my savings on getting this ticket. But at the time my mom was like, you're not going by yourself. And I was like, oh, what do I do? So I bought her a ticket like way up and like the nose really. It was like, it was like 60 bucks. It was still like, oh, it's a lot of money, mom. But so I bought that for her and I paid, I think it was like $350 bucks for my ticket and I sat kind of like in the second section on the ground

and I remember the match was Rock, Brock and Triple H and I remember like it was like my first moment at a WW show ever and I remember just like sitting by myself in this row full of people but they were chanting for I think it was the, I can't remember who it was exactly

but like someone was chanting for the rock and someone was chanting for Triple H but we were like dual chanting and I remember thinking like this is the coolest moment ever. Meanwhile like no one I knew and no friends or anything, but I was like, yes. I had a very similar moment during the Rock and Hogan match. Yeah. Because Rock was supposed to be the good guy, and everyone's cheering for Hogan.

Yeah. And here I was cheering as loud as I could for Hogan, and this little kid beside me is cheering for the Rock. And then when Rock wins the match, he's like, see, I told you? I'm like, well, I don't think anyone expected Hogan to win. Yeah. Well, that's the reason why I'll always be a fan, too, because there's, like, those moments that, like, made me love wrestling. Yeah. Look how excited we got.

talking about these matches. Oh, man. Have you had a favorite match? I guess your favorite match that you were in, you were talking about was with Oscar probably. Yeah, takeover London. I loved that match. And NXT arrival, I guess.

Yeah, probably two of my biggest matches. And it's funny because they're actually both NXT matches. I feel like I had a lot more to offer on, like, the main roster. I didn't really kind of get to where I wanted to be, and I was kind of getting there, and then that happened. I think you'll be back. you never know yeah yeah this is the way the rest of the world works i don't think we left on i left on bad terms and you know it was obviously a decision at the time and it wasn't like a you know

a i don't know a big long term long like leading up to thing or anything like that so um yeah you just never know when you got let go did were you not able to work indie shows right away uh there's like a 90 day clause yeah so i remembered you worked uh the a i w show in cleveland yeah my buddy john thorne runs that oh yeah And he called this show, we have a Dill Emma. Because they weren't allowed to use the name Emma. Which I think he can actually. I found out later.

Maybe it was like for a certain amount of time you couldn't. I'm not sure. But someone said they looked it up to see if they could advertise me. And they said, oh, it's not copyright. I don't know how you could trademark Emma anyway, right? Yeah. So I guess like they're like, we can use it. And I was like, oh, well, there you go.

Did they come up with Emma or did you? It was me, but at that time you kind of just submit like a list of names and then they would review it. But like I didn't just put Emma. It was like Emma so-and-so and like there was a list of and those other names. I can't remember but there was like not just one name. And then they came back and they were like Emma. And I was like, Emma what? Just Emma?

I remember thinking like, that's it. And then I was like, okay. And I just like made it work. Yeah, they really like the one-name names now. Yeah. Yeah. But, I mean, that's why I came up with all the, like, the dilemma, the emilution, all the Emma phrases and puns and whatever. So I kind of just had fun with it and made it work.

That's very punny of you. Yeah. It's a good one. We're going to end it with that. Oh, yeah, on a high note. Yeah, real high note. No, I'm excited to see you in an impact ring. Thank you.

It's congratulations on everything. Congratulations on having the best deal in pro wrestling apparently. Yeah. It makes it exciting because like, you know, the impact division is awesome. So, you know, I'm loving what I'm doing here. And then it's like I'm not necessarily like restricted where, you know, I want to kind of continue living my life and enjoying it and having that balance and traveling more. So I don't want to be anywhere where I can't really do what I want.

But, you know, I'm open to opportunities. So I'd be silly not to be. And like I said, there's a lot more I feel like I had to achieve at WWE. And I know AEW is killing it. So, and I'm, you know, and I'm friends with people everywhere. So that makes it exciting for me that you just, anything can happen in the future. Who knows where you might end up? Yeah.

Exciting, everyone. All right, thank you. You could be a little more excited than that. Okay, one more time. Yeah. Give me a countdown. Three, two, one. This is very exciting.

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