Naomi was recently interviewed by the fashion and beauty site Kontrol Magazine and was asked about becoming the first African-American to become the WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion, her days as a Funkadactyl and what 2019 has in store for the SmackDown star. Quotes are below:
Naomi on becoming the first African-American to become the WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion two years ago:
“I felt relieved, honored, overwhelmed with joy and so appreciative of my journey to get to that point because it prepared me and I was ready. From the first day, I got signed to WWE, being the champion was always my number one goal and after years of consistent hard work both mentally and physically, ups and downs I was finally in that moment I had dreamt and thought about so much! I remember thinking to myself as I raised the title up over my head for the first time and the fans were chanting “you deserve it” …it was all worth it! The only other time I’ve cried that many years of joy was on my wedding day (She Laughs)”. That title changed me today because it gave me and our fans the validation I needed as a performer and strong competitor in our division.”
On what here inspiration was for the “Glow” gimmick:
“I took inspiration from one of my favorite movies The Last Dragon, along with my own personal thoughts and ideas. The Glow is a metaphor for confidence and positivity that I also showcase visually.”
On her relationship with the other members of the women’s roster:
“It’s simple because we are a sisterhood. We travel and work with each other about 300 days out of the year. We are each others’ family away from our actual family. We share good days together and bad, but we got each others back. When it’s show time no matter what differences are put to the side and we come together to put on the best show possible because we are all professionals. Our love and passion for what we do always override any issues”.
On her days with Cameron as a Funkadactyl:
“I was a singles competitor for a few years before Ariane and I became a team so transitioning back to that wasn’t difficult at all. The hard part was not being with Ariane because we became and still are really close (she’s like a sister to me). I loved being a funkadactyl and was looking forward to us evolving together. But I have hope we’ll be in the ring together again one day. I know fans would liiiiive for that (She Laughs)”.
On what Total Divas fans can expect from Season 9:
“Season 9 hasn’t started yet but you can expect to see a lot of new and exciting things happening in our women’s division, one being getting women’s tag team titles for the first time ever in history. Jon and I are trying new things professionally and personally”.
You can read the entire interview by going here.
