Taylor Wilde has Tommy Dreamer to thank for her first big break in professional wrestling with WWE.
IMPACT Wrestling‘s Taylor Wilde was a recent guest on the House of Hardcore Podcast to discuss a wide variety of subjects. When asked about her first big break in wrestling, Wilde admitted it was Tommy Dreamer himself who helped get her hired in WWE.
“You are definitely my first break. Yeah. You gave me my career 100%,” Taylor Wilde said. “You were the catalyst because before there was the changing of the guards, and John Laurinaitis had your position. I was not John Laurinaitis’ cup of tea. I will never be because I wasn’t a diva at that time. I wasn’t a model. And as I am to this day, I’m not — okay, this is gonna sound shady, but this is the god honest truth, especially during that era when they were bringing a lot of models in. I didn’t come from that world. I came from an athletic background. I’m a tomboy. I’m not good at flirting. I’m not good at kissing ass. And yeah, so when you took that position, it was finally like, oh my god, someone who’s my kind of people is in that role, and yeah, you gave me my career. Really, if it wasn’t for you, I would have never left the indies.”
Wilde was known as Shantelle / Shantelle Taylor early on in her career and worked as a developmental talent in Deep South Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling between 2006-2007.
Wilde then revealed that Dreamer found her through a VHS tape that likely came from Edge and Christian going to bat for her at Squared Circle with her trainer Rob Fuego.
“So Edge and Christian were always kind of cycling through Squared Circle because they came up in the business with my trainer Rob Fuego,” Taylor Wilde said. “And I think it was Jay, he had a conversation with Rob that I was probably at that time if he would give his stamp of approval, and I think he was the one that probably gave you the nudge because so many people apply with their VHS tapes and their 8x10s and they end up in the garbage, but I believe it was Jay who kind of helped me out there.”
Wilde is currently still under contract with IMPACT Wrestling; read more about why she’s been absent from television and potential plans for her return here.
What do you make of Taylor Wilde’s comments? Are you surprised to hear that Tommy Dreamer gave Wilde her first big break in the wrestling industry? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the House of Hardcore Podcast with a link back to this article for the transcription.
