WWE Raw Superstar Ivy Nile has one of the most unique and inspiring origin stories on the main roster. Before she was the “Pitbull of Diamond Mine,” she was a massage therapist and aspiring MMA fighter from a small town in Tennessee who found her way to WWE through a series of incredible and humbling life experiences, including a starring role on The Rock’s Titan Games.
Her journey is a testament to perseverance, highlighting the extreme highs and lows that can come with chasing a dream. From competing on national television to cleaning toilets for a living, Nile’s story is a powerful reminder that the path to success is rarely a straight line.
A Life-Changing Application
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Nile detailed how her sister pushed her to apply for the NBC competition show hosted by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. She admitted to half-assing the application, believing it was a silly longshot, and was convinced the initial callback from producers was a prank.
“My sister was like ‘You should try out for it.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean? Just fill out a form or whatever?’ She’s like, ‘Yeah, do it.’… So a couple of days later, I finished filling out the form, and not even a day later, LA called me, and I half assed it… they called me and said they loved my story… and I thought it was a prank. I really thought someone just got my number from the website, and they were just pranking me… Next thing you know, I was getting legit emails from the Titan Games. And I was like, Oh, this is actually [happening], someone living in a tiny town in Tennessee, you’re going to pick me? This is crazy!”
A Humbling Return to Reality
The experience on the show was life-changing, but what happened next was a lesson in humility. After filming, she returned home with a “big head,” but because the show hadn’t aired yet, nothing had changed. She had to leave her massage therapy job to film the show and, upon returning, took a job cleaning offices to pay her bills. This led to a surreal and defining moment.
“The only job I had at the time was cleaning offices, cleaning toilets, mopping the floors, cleaning up after people at night, like all hours of the night. So I remember, this is crazy. I was cleaning the cafeteria area, mopping up the floor. How did I get here? I was just a big shot in California shooting this show. Now I’m here, mopping the floor or whatever. Then I realized what night it was, one of the episodes was airing on the TV, and I turned it on. I was watching myself on TV as I was mopping the floor.”
Her performance on The Titan Games ultimately got her noticed by WWE, and she signed with the company in 2020. She has since become a regular on Monday Night Raw, proving that her hard work and perseverance paid off in the end.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
