Piper Niven talks about how she plans to change her character moving forward and reflects on working as Doudrop.
At the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble event, Piper Niven returned to action. Only ever appearing on the main roster as Doudrop, the return of the Royal Rumble signaled a change for the former Viper.
Speaking with MySanAntonio before the event, Niven detailed how recent events in her life will soon be incorporated into her storylines.
“When I was given Doudrop, it really took me a minute to figure out who she was supposed to be, and I felt I had just started to get into the swing of things with her. I am a plus-sized JoJo Siwa," said Niven. "I was like, ‘I can do that.’ Then they were like, ‘Hey, I need you to be a heel.’ I was like, ‘What?’ So, it was kind of difficult to change up that character. With the time away, something I didn’t realize is quite common is that when athletes get injured, they go kind of crazy, because you are sitting at home, and you don’t have your outlet. So, it really did a number on me mentally and made me do some therapy work and delving into my past to help me realize some things. It’s been an interesting few months, and I am looking forward to bringing the real-life experience I had and making it a part of my storyline. I hope it raises awareness with a lot of people, because I think it is something a lot of people go through.”
Niven also spoke about pitching changes for her character to Triple H. she called the experience nerve-wracking but said that, luckily, WWE creative was very receptive to her ideas.
“It was really nerve-wracking actually, because I have never pitched anything to creative before. I’ve done matches, but nothing ever like real big character things. So, this was really nerve-wracking, because it came from a real-life experience, and because it is something I am passionate about. I just didn’t want it to be rejected when I approached them. They called me in and were like, ‘Hey, do you have some ideas?’ I was like, ‘Well, this has been going on in my real life, and I think it would be cool to work that into a storyline.’ Luckily, they were so receptive and really, really liked it. So, it is very exciting,” said Niven.
Before the Royal Rumble, Niven told Denise Salcedo that a bout with COVID resulted in her prolonged absence from the ring. Learn more here.
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