When you go see a magic trick, the first thing you ask is, 'How do they do that.' That's what I hope the kids are saying when they leave the matches.
I get that it's packaging and it's neat to put a name on what the girls are. But it seems to me that they were making us Sports Illustrated swimsuit models instead of women who wrestle on a pro wrestling program.
It's not about having a certain body type and looking picture perfect beautiful. It's about having the drive and some kind of wacky attraction you have to the physicality, the test of learning how to wrestle and being to do it believably.
I did just about everything under the sun. I did some Revlon work, make-up artistry. I taught classes at community colleges for a make-up course, teaching tennis. I was doing everything I knew how to do. I think one year I had as many as 10 W-2's come in.
I was very pleased to see that things have come far, far away from the Diva Search days where it was, 'Let's have a bunch of girls in bikinis flop around and look stupid so the public can vote them on or off the show.'
In the mid-1980s, there wasn't a representation of gayness on television. Our glitter and our goofiness and our great costumes made in Vegas; the cheekiness and campiness of the show, it turns out little boys who were gay coveted our act.
There is a real power to what you represent when you go in front of people.
I was fortunate enough to watch Bayley at NXT, when they had their matches. Those girls were on fire. It's all around us. Great ladies' wrestling is all around us. So it has not disappeared by any means.
I didn't chat with Vince McMahon all the time, but he always gave me great opportunities.
I got a call from someone at WWE and was flown out for an appearance, knowing I had to do Revlon training the next day. I was open to it as long as they got me to the airport so I could make it to my gig in San Francisco on time. When the company picked me up, I had all my Revlon stuff for the class the next day and took it with me to the arena.
Well, you have to get a job! That's the first thing you have to do as a young person. You're not in school anymore... It costs a lot of money to pay the rent these days.
I definitely stand by the phrase that I'm an entertainer and not a role model.
I was waiting for something to sink my teeth into, so I was all-in to be Miss Ivory of The RTC. It was great fun too!