WWE NXT star Candice LeRae, who will compete in a Fatal Four Way match on NXT to determine the new #1 contender to Shayna Baszler’s NXT Women’s Title, recently spoke with WWE.com and below are some interview highlights.
WWE.COM: You’ve got an opportunity to possibly challenge for the NXT Women’s Championship coming up. How poetic would it be to challenge Shayna Baszler, the same woman who eliminated you from the Mae Young Classic last year?
LERAE: I haven’t forgotten that match against Shayna in the Mae Young Classic. More importantly, I haven’t forgotten about how disrespectful Shayna was toward me and my husband after the match. Earning an NXT Women’s Championship opportunity is a reward, but to face Shayna, knowing that I could potentially be the one to dethrone her? it would be the cherry and sprinkles on top!
WWE.COM: On how she met Johnny Gargano:
LERAE: We met at a wrestling promotion in SoCal. He was talking to my cousin in an attempt to get my attention, but I didn’t take the hint. As I became a little more successful on the independent circuit, we kept running into each other. He for sure played hard to get. I had to be the one to strike up conversation with him. I sent him my number first, but instead of messaging me, he chose to send me his instead. (Laughs) After a while, I just found it very easy to talk to him, and we had tons in common. I used to have to commute an hour-and-a-half to work as a baker at 10 p.m. and he would call me and stay on the phone with me until I arrived safely. So even though he was stubborn at first, he ended up being pretty amazing.
WWE.COM: One thing you’ve always had is a passion for sports-entertainment, which started when you were just 6 years old. What attracted you to this world?
LERAE: I know this is going to sound super silly, but do you know how in movies there’s that stereotypical scene where the girl or guy sees the “love of their life”? Time slows down and nothing else in the room exists? That is exactly how I remember seeing wrestling for the first time. There was just something about it that I felt drawn to. I loved everything about it. I tell people it is my first love.
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