Candice LeRae is in the midst of a busy week, the NXT Superstar chatted with us ahead of her upcoming match with Io Shirai at NXT Takeover 31 for the NXT Women’s Championship, scheduled to take place on October 4th.
In this interview she opened up about the pressures she put on herself to get to the point where she is now , what it would mean to her to walk out as champion and what fans could expect from her match this Sunday.
Below are some key highlights and quotes from the interview.
Candice LeRae Talks About The Pressure She Felt Prior To Not Being In The NXT Title Picture
My age plays a factor a lot of the time, it’s no secret, I am not the youngest girl on the roster. {laughs} Today I just turned 35. All these girls are coming in, they are so much younger than me and I am like, at what point am I not going to be able to keep up with all these girls? As other girls are earning their opportunities and are having their opportunities, I am so happy for all of them. All the girls that are working on NXT are such amazing people, and they all work so hard. So I’ve never had a moment where somebody else was given an opportunity and I am like, them really, over me? It’s always been, man that girl, she deserves it. But they are all younger than me, so I am going, as happy as I am for you and as much as you deserve this I am not getting younger. {laughs} Let’s be honest, I am not getting younger. Johnny {Gargano} and I want kids, so I think I put this pressure on myself and it’s not anybody else doing it, it’s this weird pressure I put on myself…
Candice LeRae Says She’s More Confident Going Into Her NXT Takeover 31 Match w/ Io Shirai Than She Was At NXT Takeover: Toronto Last Year
Last time I felt like I wasn’t so confident. I was still trying to find myself in WWE and figure out how do I give this older indie version of Candice but also give them something new? This new WWE version of me. I felt there was so much pressure going into that Takeover because that was actually my first Takeover and it was just butterflies, crazy. I was not super confident, but now this time around I feel a lot more confident. I feel like I kinda found myself and Io {Shirai} just brings out the absolute best in me, whether she’s trying to or not. She makes me push myself and anytime I am in the ring with Io there’s stuff that happens that I didn’t even know I could do or I didn’t even know was possible and I am excited because there’s so much more at stake and I am more confident in me and this new me.
Candice LeRae On How Disney Has Inspired Her New Character on NXT
I’ve been watching online, a lot of YouTube videos, giving my brain a refresher of Disney parades, Disney shows and how the princesses act in the park. And I am like, Oh, I kinda like some of these things! Because they are so ridiculous and over the top for a wrestling persona {laughs} for me just to be sitting here acting and believing that I am this evil Disney princess fairy is absurd. It’s ridiculous {laughs} But I love it and it’s such a fun thing to get to play with, I try different/weird mannerisms every time I go out to the ring or win a match. It gives me this new sense of my character, it’s like you’re tapping into these things that you didn’t even know existed in your brain. It’s so fun. {laughs}
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