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Former WWE star Eva Marie, who parted ways with the company last week, recently spoke with Rolling Stone, and below are some interview highlights:
Is it fair to say that when you’ve remarked in recent months about possibly returning to WWE and going after the title, you were just being coy?
I have such a great relationship with Vince [McMahon], Paul [“Triple H” Levesque] and Stephanie [McMahon]. They gave me an opportunity to step away and film these two films I have done already, and you never know when that relationship will come back. So I might appear at a SummerSlam or WrestleMania. It just so happens that the wrestling craft, you have to be able to give yourself 110 percent to that. And then with acting, you have to do the same, so we decided together that with the films going back to back. I’m going to put my efforts into acting and growing that way. And then you never know: All Red Everything could come back and snatch that title.
Did you and your team identify that a female wrestler has yet to cross over as The Rock or John Cena has? That maybe this is that moment?
One hundred percent. I like to break barriers. As soon as I walked into WWE’s door, I was already thinking ahead of the game. There has not been one female to make that crossover and go back and forth and merge the two together. I want to bring the WWE universe with me into Hollywood as well as creating a new fanbase in Hollywood and bringing them back into WWE and having the two worlds collide just like The Rock. That was the game plan for sure.
In retrospect, were you put in front of the cameras on Total Divas too soon, at the expense of developing under the radar?
You know what? Yes. For sure, the inner athlete and perfectionist in me wishes I was able to train the multiple years these wrestlers are able to before they get on TV. However, if that opportunity never came up, then I would not have been put in front of the WWE universe, dyed my hair, been put in front of my [management] team. Everything happens for a reason. For me, it all played out pretty damn good.
Eva Marie
WWE Diva and Total Divas Star Eva Marie!
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Eva Marie
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 13: Super Divas member Eva Marie attends WWE SummerSlam Press Conference at Beverly Hills Hotel on August 13, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)
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Eva Marie & The Total Divas
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 13: Brie Bella, Eva Marie and Natalya of Total Divas attend WWE SummerSlam Press Conference at Beverly Hills Hotel on August 13, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)
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Eva Marie
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - AUGUST 14: WWE Total Diva Eva Marie celebrates SummerSlam at the London West Hollywood on August 14, 2013 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for WWE)
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Eva Marie
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - AUGUST 14: WWE Total Diva Eva Marie celebrates SummerSlam at the London West Hollywood on August 14, 2013 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for WWE)
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Eva Marie, Lilian Garcia & R-Truth
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 15: WWE ring announcer Lilian Garcia, WWE Diva Eva Marie and professional wrestler Ron Killings attend WWE & E! Entertainment's "SuperStars For Hope" at the Beverly Hills Hotel on August 15, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for WWE)
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Eva Marie & JoJo
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 15: WWE Divas Eva Marie and Jo Jo Offerman attend the WWE SummerSlam VIP party at Beverly Hills Hotel on August 15, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
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Eva Marie
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 15: WWE Diva Eva Marie attends the WWE SummerSlam VIP party at Beverly Hills Hotel on August 15, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
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Eva Marie
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 18: WWE Diva Eva Marie attends the WWE and E!'s Total Divas take-over of SummerSlam at Nokia Plaza L.A. LIVE on August 18, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images)
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Eva Marie
BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 13: WWE Diva Eva Marie (aka Natalie Eva Marie Nelson attends the WWE SummerSlam Press Conference on August 13, 2013 at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Barry King/FilmMagic)
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Eva Marie
NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 03: Eva Marie attends WWE's 2014 SuperStars For Kids at the New Orleans Museum of Art on April 3, 2014 in New Orleans. (Photo by Josh Brasted/WireImage)
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Eva Marie
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 20: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been converted to black and white ) WWe Diva Eva Marie attends WWE, Facebook, Dosomething.org and GLAAD Anti-Bullying Event at Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club on August 20, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/WireImage)
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Eva Marie
HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 10: Television personality Natalie Eva Marie arrives at the premiere of "A Trip To Unicorn Island" at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 10, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Amanda Edwards/Getty Images,)
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Eva Marie
HOLLYWOOD, CA - FEBRUARY 10: Natalie Eva Marie, aka Eva Marie, arrives for the premiere of "A Trip To Unicorn Island" at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 10, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic)
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Eva Marie
HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 01: TV personality Natalie Eva Marie attends the premiere of Focus Features' 'London Has Fallen' held at ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on March 1, 2016 in Hollywood, California.(Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)
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Eva Marie
HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 01: TV Personality Eva Marie attends the premiere of "London Has Fallen" at ArcLight Cinemas Cinerama Dome on March 1, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
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Eva Marie
LYNWOOD, CA - MARCH 02: Natalie Eva Marie attends the Read Across America event at Lindbergh Elementary School on March 2, 2016 in Lynwood, California. (Photo by Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)