Former WWE Diva Kharma spoke with Wild Talk Radio this week about her WWE character and the promos that led up to her debut, how her wrestling style compares to women’s wrestlers of the 1990’s and social media’s impact on pro wrestling. Here are some highlights of what she said about:
How long after her issues with TNA did she get to WWE and who contacted whom: “It was less than 9 months later, I know that. I was nine months later I got the call and I wasn’t real surprised and I was actually really sick; I had had a cold and strep throat and was really ill. John Laurinaitis had contacted me and I’m sure he thought I was making fun of his because I was talking in the same voice, and I thought ‘Oh great, I’m sure he thinks I’m mocking him and I’m a jerk’ but no, I’m really sick. And just to make sure that it was really John Laurinaitis, I requested that he send me an e-mail because if this is somebody pulling a rib on me, I’m packing my bags and going to wherever they are we are going to throw down. But it was actually Mr. Laurinaitis and things went from there.”
Who Created Her ‘Kharma’ Character & Her Promos: “It was creative’s idea and then, once we got there they let me put some input in on what we can do with it and actually my fiance, he was there and they let him put some input into it. Once we were there, it was like a whole collaborative effort. Actually I have to take back ‘delicious’ cause I bit the Bellas a few times and they weren’t that tasty. So, we didn’t know what it was going to look like afterwards, cause it’s odd when they tell you ‘This is going to be in slow motion, or might be in slow motion’ ; your brain starts to think ‘I have to move in slow motion?’ So, even though they shot it in regular speed, all I hear is go in slow motion.
“I literally sat in that chair from 7 at night until 3 in the morning and I didn’t get up, I didn’t move, I didn’t do nothing because my new gear is made so that it isn’t really that easy to get into; the whole process is I need a team of people to put me in it. So, once I’m in it I’m going to stay in it. So I sat there right there in that chair, from 7 to 3, and didn’t buzz or get up. But it was about fun, and it was so fun that it went by fast.
If She Sees A Similarity Between Her Wrestling Style & Women From The 1990’s: “I do, because I’m from the generation that those are the women that we watched and idolized, you know what I mean? So, I definitely do. You know, when you’re smaller, when you’re younger, these are the people you want to be; these are the people you want to become, these are the people you want to emulate. Going to Japan, I learned to make it my own, but when I’m out there, especially early on in your career, you tend to want to get through the indulgence and indulge yourself in a match or two and do the things you always wanted to do in the ring, and I recommend this to any wrestler, do the things you really want to do in the ring really early on in your career before you get real seasoned. I mean, there’s time where I would get in the ring and do the People’s Eyebrow because it’s something I wanted to do and always saw on TV, but then you start to build your own character and start to be you versus you being someone else. So, it takes time so just know that it takes time before you’re going to become the character or wrestler people will remember you for.”
Social Media’s Impact On Pro Wrestling: “Well, it’s definitely a great tool to have; it’s really a great business tool to have. We are all business people, we are all business owners, you know, having to incorporate ourselves; it’s a great tool to have. But, you have to use it responsibly. You have to be careful with what you post, knowing that everything you post is there for life, forever; no matter if you delete it, it’s going to be out there somewhere, it’ll find a way. And you also have to be vigilant with people that are impersonating; which is why, right now, I’m in the process of validating, verifying, my bad, verifying my Twitter account, so that people know ‘Hey, this is me’ and not some Joe Schmo or Jane Schmane.”
