NXT paid tribute to ECW on the November 6th episode of the show, going to the former ECW Arena and using past ECW talents such as Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Rob Van Dam, Dawn Marie, Francine, Rhyno, Little Guido, and more.
Francine only appeared in the crowd, but there were other plans for her.
Speaking on her Eyes Up Here podcast, Francine revealed that she was contact by John Cone about potentially appearing on the show on October 17th.
""Hi Francine, this is John Cone from WWE Talent Relations. We crossed paths back in 2006 when I was a referee for the relaunch of ECW. I have something I want to run by you if you have a minute,'" she read.
After asking what it was in reference to, Cone replied that he NXT was running a show at the ECW Arena and they wanted her to be the special guest referee for Lola Vice vs. Jaida Parker.
Francine said she wanted to talk to her husband about things, but was willing to do it.
"I then talk to my husband and he said, 'Did you not forget about the five surgeries you've had on your abdominal?' 'Well, yeah.' 'Do you really think you can be quick enough with the way these girls work.' These girls are good and they can work. 'Do you think you can get down and get the false finishes and run around?' I was like, for me, because my core is so weak, just lifting myself up getting into the ring is slow. I was like, 'I guess I'm not going to be able to do it.' I contacted John the next day and I explained what happened to my stomach," she said. "He wrote, 'No problem. We can do something different. Let me talk to creative and get back to you.'"
Dawn Marie ended up being the special guest referee for Vice vs. Parker.
"I pitched an idea about me being a guest timekeeper. I thought of a spot I could do with one of the guys on the card. He said, 'Thanks for the suggestion, I'll send it to creative,'" Francine recalled. "Then I get a text the following Tuesday, this is the night before, I hadn't heard anything for two weeks and I'm thinking, 'I'm booked, I think, but I have no idea what I'm doing.'"
Francine noted she went to Rhode Island Comic Con, talked to a lot of fans and friends, and ended up losing her voice.
Francine said that she talked with writer Johnny Russo on the Tuesday before the show and that they wanted her to be a backstage interviewer, but she informed them that she had lost her voice. She said she would have understood if they pulled her from the show.
In the end, Francine was only shown in the crowd and started an ECW chant. She noted she was expecting to hear her name announced in the arena, but it wasn't, which is why things may have come off a bit awkward.
"Looking back at socials and seeing some of the old school fans mad and saying, 'They could have done something more with you than just stuck you in the crowd.' Yes, they could have, but it was me who couldn't do it. I just wanted to make that perfectly clear. Would I have liked to have done more? Of course. I would have loved to have an entrance and walked to the ring and did something. It just wasn't in the cards for me. Just being included was enough for me. I didn't need anything more than that," she said.
Fans can find results from NXT 2300 by clicking here.
Check out the full podcast with Francine in the video above.
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