Pro-wrestling star Steffanie Newell (fka as Tegan Nox) recently joined the Into The Danger Zone podcast to discuss her time in WWE, and how she caught COVID-19 prior to being granted her release from the company last year. Highlights from the interview are below.
Says she caught COVID right before being released by WWE:
I didn’t even make it to a Raw taping. I switched brands, technically went to a Raw taping in Texas, got COVID, was told I tested positive, and had to drive sixteen hours on my own, straight home, and after that never went to a Raw taping, ever. Just had to sit at home. As soon as I got cleared from COVID, I got released pretty soon after. ‘Oh, you’re cleared from COVID, your blood tests came back fine.’ ‘Great, I can finally see if this actually goes somewhere,’ and then wasn’t taken on the road. Next call, wasn’t need. Next time, wasn’t need. Three or four weeks out, ‘you’re not needed anymore, budget cuts.’ ‘Okay, no worries.
Says she felt like a weight had been lifted after being cut:
It’s a lot of different things. Everyone is walking on eggshells. With all the releases happening, you kind of feel, ‘it could be me next.’ I just had this feeling where I wasn’t…not welcome, but as such wanted; I don’t fit the demographic that they’re looking for. I’m a five-foot six blonde-brunette girl, covered in tattoos. Watching the product now, it’s very much Diva era, going back to it, I feel. I always felt like I was on the chopping block, even if I could wrestle. I was not much of a personality or character enough for them to keep my job, which is weird. If they give me a character, I take it and run with it. I was always kept as ‘the girl next door’ and I’m not the girl next door. Let me be me. I was me for six years before I got signed, let me do something like that. I always had the feeling that I’m not what they’re looking for. As soon as they split me and Shotzi up, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m on the block next.’ We found out we switched brands as we were in the car going back to the hotel.
(H/T and transcribed by Fightful)
