Former WWE and TNA star Shelly Martinez recently joined “The Velvet Ropes with SoCal Val” for an exclusive interview. During the discussion, Martinez provided new details about a planned WWE faction that never made it to television, her time as the vampire Ariel on the ECW brand, and the backstage advice she received from Lita.
Martinez revealed that before her debut on ECW, there were plans for her to be part of a revamped version of The Brood. “Tommy Dreamer told me… ‘We’re going to make a new Brood with Gangrel, me [Shelly], Jimmy Wang Yang, and Kevin Seven (Thorn),'” Martinez said. She expressed her excitement for the role, noting her lifelong interest in vampires. “I was excited, because I’ve always been into vampires since I was a little girl… So I was like, ‘Dude, this is like the dream job.'”
However, the faction was abruptly canceled due to roster changes. “When I got there… Jimmy Wang Yang, Kevin Seven, and Gangrel all got released,” Martinez recalled. “And so I was like, ‘This is not gonna happen.'”
Despite the cancellation of the “New Brood,” Martinez eventually debuted on the revived ECW brand as Ariel, a fortune teller turned vampire. She explained that the character was a necessity for the network. “They needed to have, I guess, their deal with the Sci Fi network is they had to have sci fi characters,” she stated. “That’s why, when they first started, they had, like the zombie and all these crazy… little characters.”
Martinez admitted that at the time, she was unaware of the provocative nature of the Ariel character. “I didn’t realize how sexual Ariel was,” she said. “I had no idea. I was just doing my role… It’s so crazy that… when I look back, I’m like, ‘No wonder why my family wasn’t cool with… my WWE character, because it was so sexual.'”
She also addressed the long-standing rumors regarding her relationship with her on-screen partner, Kevin Thorn (Kevin Seven). “It’s interesting, because everyone and their mom thought we hooked up, and that’s just like, so not the truth,” Martinez clarified.
She described their dynamic as strictly professional, noting that they often talked trash to each other in the ring while maintaining character. “When he pulls me into him, I’m talking sh*t to him… ‘You’re an asshole’… And like, this is while I’m performing and being Ariel,” she shared.
Martinez also spoke about the backstage culture in WWE and a specific interaction with Lita (Amy Dumas) that stuck with her. “Lita came up to me… she leaned in in my ear and goes, ‘You know, every time I’m here and my ass is showing, I tie my hoodie around my waist because the boys talk,'” Martinez recalled.
She viewed the comment as a helpful warning rather than criticism. “She didn’t want to say this to me to embarrass me, but she knew she had to give me advice,” she said. “To this effing day, I’m very aware of when my butt’s out… after that, my entire wrestling career, I always… tied my hoodie around my waist.”
Following her release from WWE, Martinez joined TNA Wrestling as Salinas, a member of the Latin American Xchange (LAX). She described her mindset during that transition as complicated. “TNA was like my rebound, whereas WWE was my first love,” she explained. “So of course, when you’re with your rebound, you want to make your ex jealous.”
Martinez admitted that while she enjoyed her time in TNA, she was still processing her departure from WWE. “I was over there killing it, because I was like, ‘Now, look at your booked away… see, I can make it without you,'” she said. “But… I was a hurt ass girl, because I just got fired.”
Reflecting on her career path, Martinez emphasized the importance of not letting WWE define one’s worth. “Don’t put your worth on if you’re in WWE or not,” she advised. “I have through my journey… seen too many people get too effed in their head and blocking their own blessings… because they’re fixated on, ‘If I’m not in WWE, I’m nothing.'” Click below to watch the entire interview.
This interview is exclusive to WrestlingNews.co. If you use these quotes, please include a link back to this page.
