Traci Brooks appeared on this week’s “House of Hardcore” podcast to discuss her wrestling inspiration, her relationship with Frankie Kazarian, and her life at home with a family.
Traci Brooks said watching Miss Elizabeth was the inspiration for her to get into wrestling:
When asked about who inspired her to get into wrestling, Brooks replied, “Miss Elizabeth.”
“I didn’t know that until I got into wrestling which is funny, because I was a tomboy in grade six with overalls covered in pig sh*t. I grew up on a pig and chicken farm. I was always mad that she was just in a sparkly dress standing there never helping her man and it pissed me off so much.”
“I’m like, ‘I can do that. I can get in the ring. I can help him.’ It wasn’t until later on that I got into it that I realized how much she was the reason why I got into it because she was so good at her role, and that it got me into it. I never got to meet her unfortunately. But yeah, she was the reason.”
Traci talking about how her relationship with Frankie Kazarian started:
“He wanted nothing to do with anybody because he’s like, ‘ I’m here to wrestle. You broads, get out of here,'” she laughed.
“Then in Nashville, I remember I kept trying to talk to him at the Hooters because I’m like, ‘This guy’s gorgeous. Like, this is ridiculous and he’s nice. This is impossible.’ I tried to talk to him and he was answering me, but I could tell he could give two shi*s about me.”
“I was managing Shane Douglas and Matt Bentley and then we split from Shane. Then Frankie somehow got hooked because they’re wrestling AJ. Then we just started talking, and I think he realized I wasn’t just an empty headed bimbo or whatever. We started talking and we dated for a year. We broke up, and then we got back together, and we’ve been married for 12 years.”
Traci describing being a mom and family life:
“It takes a special person to be a spouse or partner of a wrestler, whether you’re in the business or not,” Brooks stated.
“I set rules right from the start. I was very lucky because when Frankie and I got engaged, all I wanted to do was have his baby and be a mom. That’s all I wanted from the time we were engaged. I knew I didn’t want to go back to wrestling.”
“I knew I wanted to be a stay at home mom and Frankie’s always like ‘Do what you want to do.’ He has so much confidence in me that if I say the wildest things like do it, he’s like you can do anything. But this is what I really want to do with my life.”
“I have been blessed and traveled the world and how in wrestling, I was selfish that I got to do it. I’m done. I just want to be the best mom and parent I can be because the dad is away. Frankie is away a lot of the time. But we set rules.”
“When Frankie comes home, I don’t shove the kid on daddy and he has to do stuff. I let him decompress because I know damn well he’s traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast. So we give him time to decompress. Another thing is when Rebel (our son) was old enough to understand, Rebel was never allowed to cry when Daddy left. Daddy left to go to work because we got everything we wanted and needed in life and everything.”
“Some things that we wanted, roof, food, you know, liquid everything. And then you know, we just put a pool in, so Daddy has to go to work so we can have things we need to survive and things we want. So that’s been a rule in our house the whole time. Because there’s nothing worse than leaving and your kids and your wife are crying. It’s hard and it kind of sounds mean, but even Rebel will say to me, ‘Oh, I miss Daddy.’ I’m like, ‘That’s okay. But suck it up. Let’s go. He’ll be home.’ It’s hard, and that’s when I go and cry in the shower. But it’s it’s just something because it’s easier on Frankie to leave. It’s just how we live. That’s how we survive because daddy works his a*s off.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The House of Hardcore Podcast with Tommy Dreamer with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
