Victoria was nervous about returning to WWE at the Royal Rumble.
On the newest episode of their GAW TV podcast, Victoria (Lisa Marie Varon) and Mickie James detailed their experience at the 2021 Royal Rumble. Varon talked about how she got the call to be part of the match just two weeks before the show and was worried about whether or not the other girls would accept her coming back.
"I thought I was gonna come in there and bump and feed for everybody else, and let everybody else shine on me because that's what I'm used to. When I found out, we had a rehearsal, just to find out what number we're coming in and stuff like that and... I don't know, it was crazy, and when they were like, Victoria is coming back, she's gonna clean house, everybody's been waiting for her to be coming back, I couldn't even talk. I started crying. The response from the other workers, the girls, I didn't think I was going to be, I thought they were going to go, oh, who the hell is this coming back? I don't know, I had no clue."
Among the anxieties brought on by receiving that phone call from Connecticut, Varon says that her fitness was a concern and that she needed two whole days after the Royal Rumble in bed to recover because it's such an overwhelming physical, spiritual and emotional experience.
"I was blown up. I was out of breath because I got the call two weeks before the Rumble, and you cant get in ring shape in two weeks. It's just impossible. I bought a recumbent bike. A recumbent bike. I'm sitting on my butt pedalling going, oh my god, I don't want to look like, as Mickie would say, a sack of potatoes coming out. You're not ready because the adrenaline, it was just a lot to take in. I'm like, am I ready? Oh my God, I don't want the fans to be disappointed in my performance, I want them to still think I can kick ass. There's a lot of pressure, man."
Victoria then went on to describe the match itself, which to her surprise included a lot of Superstars asking for moves to be done on them. In particular, she singles out Bayley, who she remembers from signings when she was a full-time wrestler for WWE, and Ruby Riott as two individuals who were helpful and made her feel calm.
"It was also cool going through certain moves, and stuff like, that the girls were like, can you give me a move, can you give me a move. I want to take a move. I wasn't used to it. I got in the ring and all the girls were cluttering me. I was going, whoa. I go, am I bumping or are you guys bumping for me? Then I put Peyton [Royce] in the Widow's Peak, all the girls you saw line up going can you give me the Widow's Peak, can you give me the Widow's Peak? It was freakin awesome!
Bayley, I remember coming to two autograph signings. I was with Maven and then I was with Edge on one. You hear a girl going, I'm going to be a wrestler just like you, but you hear that all the time. [Usually] They don't put the work in, they don't know you have to move to this place and give up your family and all that sacrifice you do. Bayley was like, her and Ruby [Riott] kept on coming up [and asking] do you want to go over anything, do you have it? They were just so helpful at making me feel calm."
Bayley would actually share a photo from one of those signings after the Royal Rumble.
I’m the REAL (rumble) winner. Winner of my damn dreams and aspirations and goals and decisions and work and LIFE. #rolemodel pic.twitter.com/v4LAYI4RJB
— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) February 5, 2021
Varon reveals that she made a toast after the match, thanking all the women for allowing her to share the ring with them.
Victoria had not wrestled in WWE since 2009. She entered the Royal Rumble from the #10 spot and lasted just over seven minutes before being eliminated by Shayna Baszler. She is a 2-time WWE Women's Champion. She is also a 5-time TNA Knockouts Champion.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit GAW TV, with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
