Tamina recently did an interview with PWMania.com. The following highlights were sent with us:
On The Rock and John Cena and their rivalry:
“A lot of people can talk, but John Cena and The Rock did it. I have so much respect for them both. Cena was a locker room mentor to me and countless others. Dwayne was there and a mentor in a different way, but he wasn’t there all the time like Cena was. I give props to these men who went out there and paved the way for all of us.”“A lot of the fans’ questions were about Rock going to Hollywood and forgetting about everyone. That’s what Cena would say with his promos, that he was still here. That’s what was so great. Rock coming back and saying he loves wrestling and loves the fan more than Cena… That’s what it was.”“It was about who loved the fans more. It was up to the fans to figure out who they loved more between the two men. That’s what made it so great. This is what the fans wanted to tune in to see. You drew everyone in, and that is exactly what Rock and Cena did.”
On Chyna:
“She was different. She paved the way for women. She didn’t give a damn in the ring and knew she could go toe-to-toe with anyone. You have to have that kind of confidence in yourself to be successful, and that was her to a tee.”“She was Chyna. She knew she could go out there and wrestle with men because that’s how strong she was. This is exactly my attitude today. She was awesome. A lot of times I look back and see that this can be a long, and lonely, road. Chyna did this at a time when it could have been hard.”“I give her a ton of respect. I loved her body, her muscles, and I loved everything about her. She was a huge part of wrestling and anyone who doesn’t see that can come and talk to me. We need to give props to a lot of women who came before us.”“It is okay to be strong. Maybe if you would have asked me this question six or seven years ago, I would have given a different answer, but because I’ve been here for as long as I have, sometimes you get told you have to act a certain way.”“Having people like Chyna to show you an example, without even having to say a word, she just would go out there and do it. She didn’t have to say anything. Her action did all the work. She had it, and she got it. All I ever hear is about how sweet of a person she was. Keep loving what you do, and being who you are.”“I’ve met a lot of women who came before us, and I’ve seen a lot of women come and go. I’ve had relationships with a lot of them and learned from different ones. I wish I could have learned more from Chyna for sure. She would have had a lot to teach us.”
Regarding Women’s Wrestling in WWE:
“For me, I came in at a time where it was the divas era. From the beginning, working with all these different girls, I’m grateful. However, I would look around and think that’s not me. These women were model types of women, and I’m Tamina. I’m a tomboy, and I’m a wrestler.”“Coming in at a time like this, I had to find my place, and find what fits me during that era. Fast forward to today, I want so much for these girls. I came in at a time with Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Paige, Becky Lynch, and that was just an insane era.”“We broke so many barriers. Fast forward to the newer generation, you continuously want an even better change for the women who are coming into this business. With my niece, Ava Raine, now being a part of this company, I want something great for her and all of them.”
Tamina also talked more about The Rock and John Cena, winning the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship, when she found out she was making her WWE debut, and much more. You can read the complete interview at this link.
