It was always a dream for me to do my debut match at WrestleMania, and people would laugh at me. People would laugh at me all the time for my crazy ideas.
I can promise you this: I will be the greatest woman to ever enter WWE, and I will leave the greatest legacy that WWE has ever seen.
I think 'Total Divas' has brought the women more mainstream and so many opportunities. However, I've always thought, if I'm supposed to be on the show, I'll be on the show. It's all about timing.
I guess it's the Russian side of me that takes me a long time to get close to people.
'What About Bob' is my all-time favorite, and I think I've always been prone to comedy.
There was a lot of prejudice towards Russians in Latvia. When I went to school, often Latvians didn't like me, and Russians and Latvians didn't like Americans, so that was a whole other prejudice.
I am so, so, so grateful that I am going to be a part of the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble.
I appreciate America as the land of opportunity. It's the land where you can see your dreams come true if you work hard. My parents are American.
I don't like telling people what my plans are, because I have big plans.
I know I can fight. I know I have kicks that can destroy people. Just because I haven't gotten in the ring in my career, that doesn't mean I'm not capable of crushing people.
When I look at Stephanie McMahon's entire career, I'm always blown away at how she just moves your soul. Literally, my heart is moved by her. Either I hate her or love her - or love to hate her.
When you're out there doing things, your adrenaline is rushing so much. But getting kicked in the face is never fun. There have been a lot of different painful things, but when you're kicked in the face or kneed in the face, it's not the most pleasant thing.
If people know anything about Russians, we do things really over the top. We wear high heels everywhere. We show up in the most extravagant outfits. I am just embodying how I was raised and what I grew up in. Some people might think we're extra; I just think we're ravishing.
I grew up in Russia. I grew up in Latvia, to be exact.
There are so many things I'm so proud of: if we're talking just in-ring stuff, participating in the first-ever women's royal rumble. I was so grateful to be a part of history. I never thought there would be an all-women's royal rumble.
I've been a Rusev Day fan since before there was a Rusev Day. I feel like I was the forerunner of it all. I saw something in him before the WWE universe saw it in him, back when they were booing us for being patriotic to our countries.
Growing up, I wanted to be in WWE because of watching characters like Stephanie McMahon and Paul Heyman. They just are such incredible storytellers, such incredible, compelling characters.
That's what we do in WWE: we tell stories.
So much of our life is dictated by our mindsets. So much of it! Of how we think, we shall become.
Even I doubt myself sometimes. I mean, there's days that I get down on myself, and I doubt myself.
