Former WWE Superstar Ariane Andrew (aka Cameron) sat down this week with the A2TheK Wrestling podcast to discuss a variety of topics. Though best known her time in WWE, Andrew is today working with Pound Town Wrestling. The promotion will host its Light It Up pay-per-view on July 28.

On Appearing On WWE Tough Enough

In 2011, Ariane appeared on the fifth season of WWE Tough Enough but failed to win the tournament. Her tenure on the show is best-remembered for her stating a match between Alicia Fox and Melina was her all-time favorite and admitting she hadn’t been watching wrestling for very long.

Ariane: “Of course, that’s where people still talk about it. I’m just gonna bring it up myself the famous, famous ‘What’s your favorite match?’ People still talk about that and I’m like guys, how long ago was that? And also, I was very honest. I wasn’t an avid wrestling fan growing up.

“I don’t know why I get so much s**t about that. There’s so many people who’ve gone on to be champions… it was interesting. It’s like everyone wasn’t a die hard fan but it’s the passion and stuff that I feel that comes after, once you do become a part of the company.”

On Her First Reaction to the Funkadactyls Gimmick

In 2012, Andrew, as Cameron, arrived on WWE’s main roster as one-half of the Funkadacytls alongside Naomi. In the interview, Andrew explained that this wasn’t the first idea WWE had in mind for her.

Ariane: “I was like ‘what?’ Because initially I had been told that I was going to be replacing Brandi [Rhodes as an announcer] because she was moving up and I was like announcing, that’s cool then they were [wanting me] to be a Funkadactyl and dance. I was like ‘Oh all this sounds stressful.’

“Whether it’s wrestling because I’ve only had three months of training [or] doing announcing because I’m like ‘When have I done that? Maybe once’ and being a dancer, I don’t dance so all three of these. I’ve only been in developmental three months I’m like okay but you know this is just my personality and I feel like anything in life it’s sink or swim. There’s a little bit of faking it till you make it.”

On Her Favorite Total Divas Story

In 2013, Cameron joined the cast of Total Divas alongside Naomi, the Bellas, Eva Marie, JoJo Offerman, and Natalya. The former Superstar had plenty of storylines on the show and recalled her favorite moment with seamstress Miss Sandra.

Ariane: “I feel like Miss Sandra would probably slap me if I said this. I don’t know it’s it’s a favorite [moment] it’s just funny. Especially back then I was way smaller than what I am now and Tren I just have two different body shapes. Trin has like that voluptuous ‘Pat-out ‘Kapow’ and I was just really small. So I just remember Miss Sandra used to be like ‘Oh girl, what are these like baby clothes?’ She was, ‘Making gear for you was hard’ because she’d have to stuff the top area because there was nothing going on up there… I don’t know, it’s just like a funny moment of her just being ‘Girl I need you to get like a little extra meat or something cuz I feel like I’m making children’s clothing.’

On Her AEW Appearance

In July 2020, Andrew appeared for AEW and teamed with Nyla Rose in the Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament. The pair were eliminated in the first round and there were not plans for Andrew to become a regular member of the roster.

Ariane: “Based on what I knew it was just a one-off type of situation. It was a very interesting one-off because I was just like, how do you get me and Nyla together? that’s an interesting [situation] just because our personalities are different and stuff like that. It was just interesting how the dynamic of what they came up with… Nyla is super sweet so yeah, just trying to figure out how do we how do we make this story work and make it make sense even though it’s just like I’m coming in here as a random ass person.”

For the use of quotes, please give an H/T to SE Scoops.

Former WWE star Ariane Andrew believes her close friend Naomi was manipulated, which led to her decision to exit while Raw was on the air.

Naomi and Sasha Banks are the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. The two were scheduled to be a part of a six-pack challenge on the May 16 episode of Raw.

The match was to feature Naomi, Sasha, Asuka, Becky Lynch, Nikki A.S.H., and Doudrop. The winner was to get a shot at Bianca Belair’s Raw Women’s Championship.

Things went awry when Sasha and Naomi left the building.

Ariane Andrew Thinks Something Shady Is At Play

Ariane Andrew, formerly known as Cameron in WWE, spoke to SEScoops’ Steve Fall in an exclusive interview. During the chat, she expressed her belief that Naomi was influenced by someone to ditch Raw mid-show. She heavily implied that “someone” is Sasha Banks.

“What happened I think — I’m just gonna remove Sasha because Sasha’s done this before. Sasha’s a great athlete, let me not get this twisted cause I don’t want fans coming for me. She’s definitely deserved — like she’s a great wrestler, she’s a great character, she does what she has to do.

“My girl Naomi, she wouldn’t do this and I feel like she wouldn’t do this unless she had someone manipulating and telling her how to do this. Let’s best believe if I was here, coming as a Funkadactyl we wouldn’t have this happening at all.”

Reunion?

Ariane used to team with Naomi as part of The Funkadactyls. She offered assistance to her good friend if she wants to stay in a tag team.

“This is where we’re at, so it’s unfortunate what happened but I’m gonna say it right here: Naomi, I’ve always been your girl, I’ve always been by your side. Do you need a tag team partner to come help you out?

“Cause I’m here because I got you and we ain’t gonna do this foolishness. We can still make a dream team happen, we can make history happen, and we ain’t gotta do all this stuff. Just play the game, girl. I’ll play it with you.”

Sasha Banks A Manipulator?

When pushed on whether or not she believes Sasha is indeed the manipulator, Ariane had the following to say:

“Again, Sasha is Sasha. You have Snoop Dogg as your cousin. You’re a top athlete, you can do whatever the f*ck you wanna do. You can literally say what you wanna say, do what you wanna do with no repercussion.

“And if you’re a star athlete, I feel like she can back it up. The one thing that she can do is she can back it up. It’s not like, ‘oh she can have all these people who can back her up without having the talent to do so or the beauty.’

“She’s a f*cking top f*cking b*tch, she can f*cking back it up in the ring but if you have the top agent, you have a top celebrity backing you up, a thousand percent you’re gonna have the extra boost.

“But someone like Naomi, where’s your extra boost?”

Reports have claimed that Sasha had been unhappy with Vince McMahon over creative plans. In a statement issued by WWE, the company said the two left their tag team titles on the desk of John Laurinaitis’ desk and said they felt they weren’t appreciated.

PWInsider reported that Naomi was supposed to win the six-pack challenge and challenge Bianca Belair for the Raw Women’s Championship at Hell in a Cell. It’s also been reported that Sasha was set to challenge Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women’s Title.

Both Naomi and Sasha were expected to lose those matches.

Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline noted on Wrestling Observer Live that sources told him there is zero sympathy for Sasha Banks backstage at WWE. As far as Naomi goes, it appears no one backstage has badmouthed her over the situation.

Please give proper credit to SEScoops if you use our interview for your story

Fans can expect to see at least two more former WWE stars make a return to work the Women’s Royal Rumble match. 

According to PWInsider, former Superstars Cameron and Melina are booked to be surprises for the bout. There are currently 11 spots available in the match and with these names added, WWE will have to fill 9 more spots. 

As previously reported, WWE does not want to bring in too many NXT wrestlers for the match so that could mean even more former stars are coming in. 

Melina worked for WWE from 2004 through 2011 where she was a two-time Divas Champion and a three-time Women’s Champion. There was some talk of her returning to the company in September 2020, but she confirmed a few months later that while the two sides did have a discussion, they couldn’t come to an agreement. She was last seen on WWE TV on January 4, 2021 at WWE Raw Legends Night.

Cameron was under contract from 2011-2016. She did wrestle a match for AEW in 2020. 

The following women have been announced for the match: Nikki A.S.H., Rhea Ripley, Tamina, Dana Brooke, Zelina Vega, Carmella, Aliyah, Natalya, Naomi, Shotzi Blackheart, Shayna Baszler, Charlotte Flair, Mickie James, Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Lita, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, and Summer Rae.

Former WWE star Cameron recently had an interview with The Hannibal TV where she talked about a number of things like her wrestling future and more and she also discussed her departure from the company in detail.

The former WWE star first talked about her life after leaving the promotion. She revealed that she is starring in a TV show called Sipping the Tea and she will be launching a fitness app in 2020. Cameron also confirmed that she is not done with wrestling.

When the topic of her sudden release from WWE in May 2016 came up, the former Raw star revealed that she was never given a reason for her release but she went on to claim that she can put a finger on the reason behind it:

“They never gave me a reason; [but] I can kind of put my finger on why. When the whole Ryback thing happened, at that time too I wasn’t doing anything, so it just gave them;

It was just a perfect moment. If you’re not doing something and you make a little bit of a controversy, it’s just an easy way for them to be like; it’s time to let you go.”

For those unaware, Ryback had published a blog post in May 2016 before his release from the company and said that all WWE performers should be paid equally because it’s a predetermined sport.

The female star had supported the Big Guy on his remarks via a tweet and this is believed to be the reason why she was let go by the officials.

Quotes via WrestleZone.com

Former WWE star Cameron was recently interviewed on “Ring The Belle.” Cameron was part of the revival of “Tough Enough” back in 2011. She was the first person eliminated from the show. However, Cameron was then signed to a WWE deal after the show and was sent to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). In 2012 she made her main roster debut as one-half of The Funkadactyls (along with Naomi), accompanying Brodus Clay.

In 2014 Cameron turned heel on Naomi, attacking her after a loss to AJ Lee and Paige on RAW. Her singles career didn’t ever really take off, leading to her release from the company in 2016. As for Naomi, she has gone on to have a very successful career in WWE. She is a two-time SmackDown Live Women’s Champion and won the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal in 2018.

Cameron discussed her feud with Naomi after their split as the Funkadactyls. She admitted that she wishes the feud could’ve lasted longer, but is happy they got their big “blowout”:

“It was difficult. I actually wish that this feud would have gone a lot longer. It was cut very short, but when we had like our big blowout, I had like the blond hair. It wasn’t even a match, we just ended up getting to like a huge brawl.

“I just wish it would have continued, but this was awesome because it’s like I was able to get the ‘W,’ which we all known back when I was wrestling I was always jobbing out to everyone, but that’s okay. I’m saying as long as I looked good getting my butt kicked.

“She’s my boo, I have so much love for her and I’m so happy where she’s at right now in her career.”

Would you have liked to see Cameron and Naomi’s feud last longer?

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Former WWE Diva Cameron was recently a guest on “The Tomorrow Show with Keven Undergaro” to talk about her time in WWE, who she bumped heads with during her time in the company, and why she didn’t like John Cena’s proposal to Nikki Bella at WrestleMania 33. Here are the highlights:

Bumping heads with Brodus Clay:

“You know it’s funny, like I said we’re, when you get to know these people it’s, it’s like a brother and sisterhood. Brodus and I bumped heads so many times…yeah it’s, it’s so crazy. Um, you know, I’m very outspoken and I say what I want and to some people I don’t, I don’t think people like the truth and so sometimes people really taken back by that.

“You know, Naomi is very chill and kind of go with the flow and just sometimes we would you know, Nao–would be chilling and I be like ‘no like we need to do this’ or ‘I don’t want to eat here tonight‘ and it’s just like we’ve always had that love, hate relationship. But at the end of the day he has a sp–you know a special place in my heart, I just spoke to him maybe three months ago and I check on him.”

Not liking John Cena’s proposal to Nikki Bella being at WrestleMania 33:

“I wish it wasn’t done at Mania…I feel like everyone knew it was gonna happen. You know, I feel like I’m a person that it’s like, I wanna be surprised, not be like, oh, you know what, I knew that; but I’m very happy for her, because I know that girl has been wanting, you know, him to marry her for, for some time. So it’s like, you know what, I wish them, I wish them the best, especially because, you know, he said he was never going to get married and never wanna have kids, and she, she stuck around so, you know, hopefully everything goes well and it seems like they’re happy…

“I feel like because it makes it so much of a cliche that people were, like, especially with the storyline with Maurice and Miz bash, and it’s like, you know there’s going to be a payoff. So you know at WrestleMania that it’s gonna happen. And so especially for, you know, the IWC community and like, the W–, you know that they know that that’s going to happen so I wish there was, like a, a spin, or at least maybe if they lost the match and then got the, I don’t know, somewhere that wasn’t, like, the biggest stage. But, I mean, on the flip side, that’s dope, because that’s the biggest; it’s like, you know, that’s the Super Bowl for wrestling.”

H/T WrestleZone for the transcriptions

– SmackDown Live star AJ Styles is celebrating his 40th birthday today. He was born June 2nd, 1977. Happy Birthday to the Phenomenal one!

– Former WWE Superstar Cameron recently spoke to Extra about her new photo shoot in Icon Magazine. When asked about a possible return to WWE, Cameron said they left on good terms and has no ill will towards anybody there. She’s grateful for her time in WWE and appreciates “all the love and hate” she received over the years from the WWE Universe.

“I would definitely love to come back in the future to show the WWE Universe my full potential,” she said. “I like to say this isn’t goodbye but more like see you later. There will forever be a chip on my shoulder. Maybe one day I will be able to prove myself to the WWE Universe.”

– As seen below, Curt Hawkins recently issued a Twitter poll asking fans if Zack Ryder should team with him or Mojo Rawley when he returns from the knee injury this summer. 60% of fans voted for Hawkins as of this writing. Also below is a reply from Mojo, who says his former “Hype Bros.” partner should team with James Ellsworth instead.

. @ZackRyder is coming back soon… should he be my partner or @MojoRawleyWWE ?

— Brian Myers (@Myers_Wrestling) June 1, 2017

– WWE stock closed at $17.12 per share today, up 2.88%.

– Cameron, who was released from WWE earlier this month, changed her Twitter handle to @ArianeAndrew and continues to tease a career change. She tweeted the following from BET HQ on Monday:

pic.twitter.com/oT8HAXQB0G

— Ariane Andrew (@ArianeAndrew) May 23, 2016

– Here are the top 10 moments from the post-Extreme Rules Raw:

– Cameron is apparently focusing on her acting career after being released by WWE a few weeks back. She posted this outtake from on set this week:

Now you know why the director calls cut at the end of the scene….? @yazminmonetwatkins! #postscenemadness pic.twitter.com/zRrsonh95i

— Ariane Andrew (@ArianeAndrew) May 18, 2016

– Here’s the latest video from Eva Marie’s personal YouTube page, looking at her essential items for the road:

– Ryback, who is currently at home after a contract dispute with Vince McMahon, posted the following on Instagram and says he has big goals:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFkAEhPS3zX/?taken-by=thebigguyryback22

Former WWE performer Cameron has released a lengthy statement reacting her release from the company last week. She posted the following on Twitter/Twitlonger on Monday afternoon:

Thank you…

THANK YOU. Thank you to all the employees behind the scenes who work hard to provide us with everything we need. Thank you to all the trainers and coaches at the performance center and at NXT who worked with an inexperienced girl like me and taught me so much. Thank you to Mr. McMahon and his family for giving me an opportunity to live out a dream and experience some of the most incredible things. Thank you to all the superstars and divas that have become my family. I have made some lifelong friends and have met some incredible performers who are truly amazing people. And last, but certainly not least THANK YOU to each and every member of the WWE Universe that has shown me love and supported me during my tenure with the WWE. To all the fans that use to tweet me, email me, send me mail and wait in lines to see me I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Without the WWE Universe we are nothing and for that I am truly appreciative. And of course there is also the internet wrestling community, my beloved IWC. I thank you all as well. I may not always agree with you or your methods of expression but I do respect your opinion and I do thank you for pointing out all the things I needed to improve upon. The passion you display and the criticism I received from you almost daily is what fueled me to push harder to learn this business and hone my craft so that one day I could come back and even make you all proud. I wanted to take this one last opportunity to not only thank everyone but to share some of my feelings and thoughts as I ride off into the sunset.

From being casted on Tough Enough, to being signed to FCW, to getting called up to the main roster and then deciding to go back to NXT, these past few years have been one hell of a roller coaster ride for me. Despite the outcome, I consider myself beyond blessed. Of course all good things must come to an end and not every story has a fairytale ending. Friday was a bittersweet day for me as I received my release. As I think back on all the memories I am filled with a cluster of various emotions; sadness, frustration, happiness, and everything in between. I wanted to make an impact in the WWE not only as a confident and successful African American female but as a role model for young females and underdogs around the world. I wanted to show them that it is possible to prevail against the odds when people think you are undeserving, not good enough or simply don’t fit the mold. We all know that I had no wrestling experience prior to WWE nor had I grown up a diehard wrestling fan. Clearly that was evident when I was eliminated from Tough Enough but since that day I worked extremely hard to learn not only the business and its history but how to compete in the ring. I spent very little time in FCW before I was called up to the main roster. Although, that was an amazing opportunity in hindsight it may have caused me to miss out on some valuable training time that may have eventually led to where we are today.

After sitting on the sidelines as a spectator for some time I had asked to be taken off the road until the writing team could come up with something for me to do. In the meantime I took it upon myself to hire Carlo Cannon, a phenomenal wrestling talent and good friend, to teach me new moves and work on my in ring skills and techniques. I was hoping to get some of that training that I missed out on when I first broke into the business. I also invested in acting and speech classes to help me with my reactions and promos. Meanwhile, I constantly sent emails to the agents and writers pitching several ideas in hopes of getting a chance to show what I have learned and done during my time away. I had proposed being a manager/valet for a superstar, hosting a comical gossip segment, covering diva and superstar interviews and even a couple storylines for possible gimmicks unfortunately none of them came to fruition. I’m not even entirely sure my ideas were seen or considered but I left no stone unturned. I knew that taking some time off from TV could possibly lead to my release, but I’m relentless, driven, and extremely passionate so I did not want to just sit around and collect a check. I wanted to be a contributor and a valuable asset to the company.

After some time passed, I spoke with WWE and we decided that I embark on a journey down at NXT. I was desperate to get back in some capacity so I agreed because I felt a fresh new start could ultimately benefit me in the long run. I had one goal in mind and that was to show everyone that I could do this and get back to TV. While I was down there I was getting positive feedback from my peers and the trainers who agreed that I was showing a lot of improvement. I felt more comfortable in the ring and I was always confident in my ability on the microphone so I kept on pushing because I felt I was headed in the right direction. I kept in constant contact with agents on the main roster hoping I could get back into the thick of things. Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months but nothing seemed to change. Every time I spoke to someone I was told things would change it’s just a matter of time. At the time I believed it so I kept my head down and kept working but since I noticed no change I decided to take matters into my own hands.

WWE is all about opportunity. Some get opportunities while others may not. The WWE Universe only gets to see and experience what the WWE allows them to. I see it all the time. I am sure you can think of a superstar or diva that the WWE Universe loves and backs blindly but that superstar or diva does not get to the top because he or she may not receive the opportunities to shine. I’m sure you can also think of a superstar or diva that the WWE Universe does not believe in yet he or she is everywhere and provided all opportunities to succeed. It is the nature of the business, there is so much talent but so few opportunities to go around. Sometimes you have to go out there and grab everyone’s attention on your own. Sometimes you just have to reach up and “grab the brass ring” like Mr. McMahon so famously once stated. The day before my release I posted a lengthy statement about the IWC regarding their views and the ways they choose to express their opinions. The statement quickly spread like wildfire, (mainly due to my closing line, which btw was meant to be a sarcastic jab) generating thousands of comments on wrestling sites and was even posted on forbes.com among other outlets. My inbox was quickly flooded with emails, messages and interview requests. My goal was to provoke the fans and parlay that into perhaps a top flight heel gimmick, the former seemed to have worked. I may not come from a wrestling family and I may not possess the raw talent and athleticism that some of the current divas do but what I do have is the charisma and the attitude that can evoke raw emotion from an audience. I may not be your ideal blonde haired, blue eyed American sweetheart but I am a confident and educated (with two degrees) African American bad a** b*tch, which this company has lacked for a long time. As I looked at the female talent on the roster I felt that a full out heel persona was missing, someone like Stephanie McMahon or Vicki Guerrero who the fans love to hate but ultimately respect. Someone that the fans pay to see get beat, someone they pay to come boo and genuinely dislike. I wanted to be that kind of character. Since I was not getting the chance to display that in the ring or on a mic I decided to use the internet and the fans to show the WWE what I could do. I truly feel that if I was given a chance to do promos and play up this heel persona I could have generated tremendous interest and heat. I could have finally showed what I had learned in the ring during my time away and I could have contributed to this tremendous divas revolution. Unfortunately, before that could happen I was given notice of my release.

So today I turn the page and embark on a new journey. When I began to realize that my time in WWE was winding down I invested in myself and other projects outside of professional wrestling. I can say that I am in a good place both mentally and financially. Although it is sad that I no longer will be with the WWE I am proud of my hard work and I am happy knowing that I did everything I could from my end. Where I go from here and what I do is still a work in progress but I can promise you that this will not be the last that you hear of Ariane Andrew. Whether I continue my pro wrestling career or build on my other projects I will always give it my all and I will also lean on your love and support. I won’t say goodbye…I’ll simply say thank you and I will see you again soon

Love
Ariane aka Cameron

The last time WWE did a big round of cuts, it was Thursday, June 12, 2014, when they released JTG, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, Aksana, Curt Hawkins, Teddy Long, Camacho, Brodus Clay, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, and referee Marc Harris. Since then, the company moved in a different direction, electing to allow most contracts to expire. It made enough sense: It’s not the type of thing you necessarily want to publicize. For whatever reason, that changed today, Friday, May 6, 2016.

While WWE doing a big round of cuts is surprising in and of itself, the choices themselves aren’t necessarily out of left field. Let’s take a look at who got cut and why it may or may not make sense:

Zeb Colter (Wayne Keown): Veteran wrestler and booker Dutch Mantel had has career revived for one last big run starting in 2013 as Jack Swagger’s manager. Billed as having served with Swagger’s father (who was portrayed by fellow southern veteran Jimmy Golden) in Vietnam, he reprised his mid-’90s Uncle Zebekiah gimmick as a Tea Party-loving heel and was cutting some of the best promos in the business. However, the character had largely run its course and, except for a six week run last fall, he had been off TV for two years. A lot of people already thought that he was gone, as he’s been taking independent bookings, using his Dutch Mantel Twitter account again, and the official Zeb Colter Twitter account had its “Verified” check mark removed.

El Torito (real name unknown; formerly Mascarita Dorada): The Mexican mini star had nothing to do after Los Matadores were dissolved, having been off TV since last fall. Unless WWE brought in someone from Mexico to be his opponent as a house show opening match act, what could they even have done with him? It’s a shame since it’s so talented. Hopefully he can pick up where he left off in Mexico.

Alex Riley (Kevin Kiley Jr.): He was never really given a shot. His initial babyface turn on The Miz got over to a surprising degree with live crowds, but that fizzled. He could talk well and improved in the ring and occasionally got a minor spotlight (like his match with Shinsuke Nakamura airing on NXT next week) but he clearly hasn’t been any kind of priority for a long time. He didn’t wrestle for an eight month stretch last year and only worked 29 matches to date in 2016.

Hornswoggle (Dylan Postl): He had been off TV for the better part of two years, barely wrestled, and failed a drug test last fall. If WWE was going to do a round of cuts, it was inevitable that he’d be on the list, though not necessarily due to any fault of his own. He deserves credit for lasting a decade in the company, especially since he was brought it seemingly to sabotage Finlay’s push.

Cameron (Ariane Andrew): The former “Tough Enough” contestant never really improved to the point she could carry her end of a match, though she was a very entertaining personality on “Total Divas.” That, and her boyfriend Vinny becoming a fan favorite character, clearly helped extend her run. Even if she had improved more, she had a big hill to climb with fans after saying on Tough Enough that Melina vs. Alicia Fox was the greatest match she had ever seen. She had just nine matches this year, had been off TV since a January NXT appearance, and hadn’t been on main roster television in about a year.

Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli): He had announced his retirement at a house show in his home town of Toronto almost two years ago, though he had teased returning at times on social media. That seemed a lot less likely after this:

Well folks bad news, we had semi-emergency surgery today, had to remove all the hardware in my neck, not sure what recovery will entail

— Santino Marella (@milanmiracle) December 12, 2014

It was honestly pretty surprising that he was still under a talent contract at this point, especially if releasing him was in the cards.

Wade Barrett (Stu Bennett): He had announced he wasn’t renewing his contract. While a lot of his setbacks in WWE were just bad luck with injuries, he was completely derailed by the transition from Bad News Barrett to King Barrett. He went from a guy who was funny but able to be taken seriously as a tough guy to a total joke who ran around wearing a crown.

Damien Sandow: They built to his babyface turn with the Damien Mizdow gimmick…then it fizzled. Then he vanished. What happened? Who knows?

Cameron issued the following statement regarding her WWE departure:

“Wells it’s been a pretty intense few days to say the least. I appreciate the outpouring of love and support that I have received today. I would like to take the time to appropriately thank all the fans and the WWE but before I take my final bow, let me throw back a few and take this all in lol! Stay tuned for my full statement..”

WWE has announced the release of multiple Superstars on Friday, including:

• Hornswoggle
• Alex Riley
• Cameron
• Zeb Colter
• El Torito
• Santino Marella
• Wade Barrett
• Damien Sandow

As per WWE.com, “WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors.”

We’ll update this post if there are any more cuts.

WWE performer Cameron has issued a statement addressing the backlash she’s received for tweeting “Amen brother” in response to Ryback’s Tumblr post about wrestler pay from earlier this week.

Check it out below and follow Cameron on Twitter @WWECameron.

A few thoughts..

First I want to make it clear that I respect everyone’s freedom of speech and opinion however, I do believe one should understand a situation before they speak out in a public forum.

My “Amen brother” comment has seemed to bother some of the IWC who hasn’t taken the time to actually comprehend the substance of Ryback’s statement. I fully support my peers in WWE and I respect those who have the courage to stick up for what they believe in. Regardless of whether I agree with his feelings or not, I applaud Ryback for standing up for himself and openly speaking his mind. If you don’t value yourself and believe in yourself there is no reason for anybody else to.

We the performers know what goes on behind the scenes day in and day out in our business and how much we sacrifice and put into our craft. Every superstar on the roster works relentlessly to improve themselves and be the best performer that they can be. Whether they are a perennial champion and “the face of the company” or if they are a “jobber” we all work very hard to entertain our fans. You may think somebody sucks or has no talent and thus should be fired but that does not mean that performer isn’t busting their ass and doing what’s asked of them. I love the WWE universe because they are some of the most passionate and loyal fans in the world. I think the majority of the fans are very smart and very invested in the business but some, who appear to be the most vocal on social media, continue to do nothing but bash talent and twist words to suit their own agendas on a daily basis.

Every single day I get at least one tweet or read one post where someone is bashing me for what I said on Tough Enough 5 years ago or for my botched pin on Raw. Look in the mirror and tell me you never made a mistake in your life. I am human after all. I have seen legends in the past and my current peers make mistakes in the ring and during promos, it happens get over it! I never claimed to be a childhood avid wrestling fan. Everyone takes a different path into the WWE. Some come from sports backgrounds, some from dancing and modeling while others have trained their entire lives to become a WWE superstar. 5 years ago when I was on Tough Enough I did not possess the knowledge of professional wrestling that I do today. I earned the opportunity to be on that show and despite being the first one eliminated I was signed to a contract. Since that day I have worked my butt off to improve my wrestling skills. I have studied long and hard to understand the business and it’s history because I understood why the WWE fans were so offended by my response to Mr. Austin’s question.

I have trained hard and done everything that has been asked of me. I know that doesn’t make me special because we all do that here, but it goes to show that despite what you read or see on the Internet the passion to be great, the drive to be successful and the blue collar work ethic is there.

Cyber bullying is a major problem. Yes, we understand that we are public figures and yes we know coming into this business that we will be analyzed under a microscope 24/7 for everything we say and do but is there really any reason to tell someone that they must sleep around to be where they are? Is there any reason to tell someone they should kill themselves or to attack their family and personal issues over wrestling? I can’t think of a single reason.

I know some may read this rant of mine and bash me even further. I accept that. I do not intend to disrespect anybody with this rant. I merely want to share my feelings with you all since a lot of you feel the need to bash talent and bully them on a daily basis with your tweets and posts. The passion you have for our business is respectable but the way some of you express it is deplorable. For those fans who are respectful and spend their precious time and money on us I thank you and love you with all my heart. For those who are not fans of me and voice their opinions in a respectful and constructive way I thank you and appreciate your criticism. For those who do nothing but bash talent in a disrespectful, cruel and personal way I have nothing to say to you except give your mother my love when she comes downstairs with your dinner.

– Fans gave this week’s SmackDown a 63% “Thumbs Up” this week, according to a WWE Twitter poll.

– Former WWE Superstar Val Venis strongly disagrees with Ryback’s Tumblr post from earlier this week, where he detailed his ongoing contract dispute with the company. Ryback argued that WWE’s pay scale favors performers who are booked to win their matches and look good on television, while people like him who lose a lot of their matches work just as hard and should be paid the same as the ‘winners.’  Cameron tweeted support to Ryback and she wound up in Val’s crosshairs as well.

Val considers them both simpletons and equates Ryback’s position to socialism – categorizing them as Bernie Sanders supporters.

Get your kids out of public schools or they may end up like these two simpletons. #BernieLogic pic.twitter.com/fwPUoouHYq

— Val Venis™ (The Big Valbowski™) (@ValVenisEnt) May 4, 2016

– WWE posted a video hosted by Corey Graves looking at some of the top Superstars who lost their debut matches in WWE, including Sting, John Cena and Daniel Bryan. Check it out, there’s some surprising names on there.

– One of the top stories of the week is Ryback’s ongoing contract dispute with WWE and his Tumblr post from Tuesday about what he feels is an unfair pay structure for WWE performers. While you can be sure there are people in the WWE locker room who agree with Ryback’s positions, the only person to publicly show their support is Cameron. She tweeted:

https://twitter.com/WWECameron/status/727602341512237056

Meanwhile, Lucha Underground star Brian Cage also voiced his support:

This ryback vs me tweets had me looking things up & totally impressed & agree w/ @Ryback22 blog about his thoughts Fully support all he said

— Brian Cage (@briancagegmsi) May 3, 2016

Ryback’s WWE contract is expiring this summer and he’s rumored to be gearing up for a legal battle with WWE over the “Ryback” trademark.

– Sin Cara was unmasked at Tuesday night’s WWE Main Event tapings. The mask came off during his match against Baron Corbin. As soon as his face was revealed, Sin Cara scrambled to put the mask back on.

Literally never seen this before. @SinCaraWWE loses mask and scrambles to get it back on! #WWEKansasCity #Lucha pic.twitter.com/EkZhBjMzEB

— Craig Maturey (@cmatkc) May 4, 2016

Sin Cara is currently portrayed by Jorge Arias, who used to wrestle for WWE without a mask as Hunico:

– Cameron competed in her first match at a WWE live event since August on Saturday in Fresno, California.

Teaming with Naomi and Tamina, she faced Becky Lynch, Natalya and Sasha Banks in a tag team contest — the babyfaces won.

?Awesome #Divas Match at #WWEFresno @NatbyNature @SashaBanksWWE @BeckyLynchWWE @TaminaSnuka @NaomiWWE @WWECameron ? pic.twitter.com/08IGBj89wO

— idonnowhatoput (@Idonnowhatoput) February 14, 2016

Here she is backstage at the event.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBwd_BOLwvq/

– Roman Reigns sent this Valentine’s Day message to his wife, Galina.

Happy early Valentine's Day to the love of my life, Galina. I love you baby!!https://t.co/Zikc9VhyGg

— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) February 14, 2016

• Who talked Vince McMahon out of firing Titus O’Neil?

– Joe DeFranco, who is Triple H’s personal trainer, released this video on Wednesday of The Undertaker deadlifting 405 pounds.

– This week on The Ross Report, Jim Ross speaks to Lex Luger.

A preview of the show reads: “Former WCW World Champion & WWE Superstar, Lex Luger, talks about “instant fame & success,” life as a “Horseman,” his shocking debut on “Nitro,” Ric Flair’s chops, the spinal injury that nearly left him quadriplegic, and how he managed to kick his drug addiction & get his life back on track.”

– Cameron issued this message on Wednesday about her YouTube channel being deleted. She has plans to open another one and is asking fans to submit ideas about what she should talk about.

Starting from scratch…
Read below:? pic.twitter.com/PZlS1fB4sH

— Ariane Andrew (@ArianeAndrew) January 21, 2016

• HHH reveals the advice Undertaker gave him about dating Stephanie McMahon

WWE Diva and former Total Divas regular Cameron recently spoke with The Edmonton Sun about going back down to NXT and some changes she has made to her training routine. Below are some of the highlights.

On her decision to request to be sent to NXT:

“There’s still a lot of things that I would like to accomplish there (in WWE). I didn’t like where I was at the time. I wasn’t happy. I wanted to have a storyline. I wanted to get better and … sometimes you have to take a few steps backwards in order to move a few steps forward. So that’s what I decided to do. I’m doing that in hopes of coming back bigger and stronger than ever.”

On her training routine in NXT:

“There’s a trainer that they have (at NXT) and he has his own style of how he trains. His routine is completely different than what I’m used to doing. Then obviously being in the ring and having a three-hour practice, that’s like a workout in itself. With her, it’s circuit training. So it’s not as heavy but it’s non-stop.”

“I stopped running a little bit because my knees are not the best. And plus, I don’t want to burn my muscles. For instance, I woke up at 5:30 this morning and went to see my trainer because I knew that would be the only time I would have today to get it done. I’m like, ‘If I don’t wake up by 5:30 and get to the gym by 6:45, then I’m not going to be able to do it at all today.’ So it’s about being disciplined and dedicated. It’s definitely not easy. I mean anyone can pretty much do it, but what are you willing to do for it? Are you willing to wake up at 5 in the morning or are you willing to do it after you’ve had a long day at work? Everyone has their things in life that they push for. What are the things you want to accomplish? It’s not going to happen overnight, but it’s about being consistent and getting better each day.”

• Update On CM Punk’s UFC Debut, Conor McGregor’s Next Fight & Rousey/Holm 2!

As we reported here recently, WWE Diva and former Total Divas regular Cameron has been training out of the WWE Performance Center and working NXT live events as of late.

Below is a video that the former member of The Funkadactyls posted on Christmas day earlier this weekend, showing a brief clip of her working out in the ring with independent wrestler Carlos Cannon.

Cameron promised her fans she wouldn’t give up and would not be remembered as the girl who was eliminated from WWE Tough Enough, or the WWE Diva who didn’t know how to pin her opponent.

Below is the blog that accompanied the video on Cameron’s official Instagram page.

My Early Christmas Present

The road leading to our ultimate goals and dreams is never an easy path to navigate. Pain, criticism and disappointment are just some of the potholes along the way. How you work your way through them is what separates the believers from the achievers.

Over the past few months a lot of you have asked me where I am and why I have not shared any videos of my training. I’m currently training down at NXT and performing at NXT live shows. Unfortunately, some things are out of my control so I can’t show you much but I can share this clip of my good friend @carlocannon me training before I left for NXT.

In this business you rarely have any creative control but you do have control over how much effort and work you put into yourself. These 15 seconds are just a peek into what I have been doing to perfect my craft. To some of you out there I may be that girl who got booted from Tough Enough and to others I may be that girl who didn’t know how to pin her opponent. Regardless of how you view me I refuse to allow my mistakes to define my character and legacy. I refuse to give up because others say I can’t make it. I’m too hungry, too relentless and too ambitious to simply sit quietly and accept what is given to me. I will work my ass off and do everything possible to be the performer I know I am because that is what defines who I am. The Cameron you remember is not the Cameron you will soon see. #Cameronscomeback #MyJourney #MerryChristmas

My Early Christmas Present: The road leading to our ultimate goals and dreams is never an easy path to navigate. Pain, criticism and disappointment are just some of the potholes along the way. How you work your way through them is what separates the believers from the achievers. Over the past few months a lot of you have asked me where I am and why I have not shared any videos of my training. I’m currently training down at NXT and performing at NXT live shows. Unfortunately, some things are out of my control so I can’t show you much but I can share this clip of my good friend @carlocannon me training before I left for NXT. In this business you rarely have any creative control but you do have control over how much effort and work you put into yourself. These 15 seconds are just a peek into what I have been doing to perfect my craft. To some of you out there I may be that girl who got booted from Tough Enough and to others I may be that girl who didn’t know how to pin her opponent. Regardless of how you view me I refuse to allow my mistakes to define my character and legacy. I refuse to give up because others say I can’t make it. I’m too hungry, too relentless and too ambitious to simply sit quietly and accept what is given to me. I will work my ass off and do everything possible to be the performer I know I am because that is what defines who I am. The Cameron you remember is not the Cameron you will soon see. #Cameronscomeback #MyJourney #MerryChristmas

A video posted by WWECameron (@arianeandrew) on Dec 24, 2015 at 4:44pm PST

• *NEW* Photo Gallery: Awesome Bikini Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY At The Beach!

– WWE posted the above video that features Roman Reigns talking about his intentions to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at this Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view.

– WWE Diva Cameron suffered a cut over her right eye while training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando recently. The cut was bad enough that she had to get stitches. She posted the following photo of the cut on social media.

No1 said it would be easy,but it will be worth every drop of blood I lose& tear shed.Nothing some stitches can't fix pic.twitter.com/zklRYkBm89

— Ariane Andrew (@ArianeAndrew) November 18, 2015

– Bray Wyatt granted a Make-A-Wish at the WWE live event last week in Nottingham, England. The official WWE Community posted the following photo of Wyatt with Make-A-Wish kid Ryair.

.@WWEBrayWyatt grants Ryair's wish in Nottingham, UK. Check out the photos!!
PHOTOS: https://t.co/zkLFNzWMB0 pic.twitter.com/1HAU2qjxYl

— WWE Community (@WWECommunity) November 16, 2015

• VIDEO: Ronda Rousey Tries Hiding Condition Of Her Face In Airport After UFC 193

Samoa Joe turned heel and attacked Finn Balor during the main event of this week’s episode of NXT on the WWE Network. Balor was defending the NXT Championship against Apollo Crews when Baron Corbin interfered and attacked Crews. Samoa Joe ran down and cleared house before unleashing a vicious attack against his former partner Finn Balor. Joe left the champion laying after a muscle buster to kick off what is sure to be a must-see feud.

"Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times."
– Niccolò Machiavelli @WWEUniverse

— Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe) November 5, 2015

Cameron returned to action on this week’s show, losing to Asuka.

#AsukaLOCK engaged! @WWECameron taps!
Another impressive victory for @WWEAsuka! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/bk94DZUk1B

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) November 5, 2015

Next week:

• NXT Champions The Vaudevillians vs. Dash and Dawson
• Hype Bros & Bayley vs. Blake, Murphy & Alexa Bliss in a mix-tag match

– Saturday’s WWE live event in Mexico City, Mexico saw Adam Rose kept out of the ring. Rose was benched due to the scare he had in Merida on Friday night. Sheamus replaced Rose, who squashed Fandango. As previously noted, a Fandango kick on Friday night left Rose to be stretchered out of the arena. A fan took to Twitter with concerns for Rose’s well being, Rose thanked the fan and confirmed he was fine.

– Fans will get a chance to hang out with Cameron on Tuesday, October 27th in Sherman Oaks, California. Cameron will be at the Stir Lounge from 8:00pm until midnight for anti-bullying month. Cameron has an anti-bullying campaign, “Wrong #” which she will be promoting during the month of October.

– WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens was not on leave from live events this weekend as originally speculated. Owens only missed Saturday’s show in Lubbock, Texas. Owens was back in action at last night’s event in Abilene, Texas, where he retained his Intercontinental Title though he lost by disqualification to Ryback.

• Ronda Rousey Beefing With Justin Bieber Over Incident Between Bieber & Rousey’s Sister!

– Paige will be appearing on Conan O’Brien’s late night TBS show on Thursday 10/22. She’ll be there to promote Hell in a Cell and the new WWE 2K15 video game.

–  As noted in recent weeks, there had been some heat on Blue Pants due to the unique terms of her working agreement with WWE, which allowed her to work independent dates and sell her own merchandise. The Wrestling Observer newsletter reports that she is not expected to be used much going forward. It’s worth noting that WWE is still selling Blue Pants merchandise online.

– WWE Diva Cameron, who recently took time off from WWE to promote her anti-bullying campaign “Wrong #”, returned to in-ring competition at Thursday night’s NXT live event in Cocoa, FL.

https://twitter.com/Khelsey13/status/654808941063311360

While promoting her personal campaign to stop cyberbullying, Cameron became emotional on Periscope as she spoke about her lack of ring time in WWE in recent months. The 27-year-old has not competed inside a WWE ring since early August, with her last televised match taking place in April. She was also dropped from the main cast of Total Divas in April.

“Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you’re not pretty enough, smart enough or tough enough to do anything because (starts crying) . . . sorry,” Cameron said. “The sky is the limit, like just don’t let anyone ever tell you that. Eww, sorry guys, I’m being emotional and I look so ugly when I cry.”

She continued, “My journey has definitely been difficult and I can’t wait to open up with you guys and tell you my experiences and everything I’ve been through. I just want to be perfect for you guys. I just want to have that one more chance to get back in the ring and show you guys how much I really care (wipes away tears). Eww, take it away for a second you guys.”

After regaining her composure, Cameron says, “Eww, I’m not going to have the tears! I have thick skin, why am I crying right now?! It’s okay, I’m human . . . I get emotional. I love what I do, I love trying to be a positive role model and I love you guys.”

https://youtu.be/mmygBjI8zC8?t=5m2s

• 10 things WWE wants you to forget about Sting