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Over the weekend, I sat down with Danielle Kamela aka the former Vanessa Borne in WWE NXT for a 75-minute discussion about her time in WWE, her post-WWE plans, her journey leading to professional wrestling and being released several weeks ago.
During the conversation, Kamela brought up her involvement in the Mae Young Classic against Serena Deeb being one of her favorite WWE memories:
"That was one of my, I guess, most favorite experiences I had with my time in NXT was the Mae Young classic, because it was just such a cool moment for all of us there. I had one of my most favorite matches and that was with Serena Deeb. I was still fairly new at this point; so being able to work with someone like her who is just so good and so talented and helped really make everything make sense for me, I just felt so lucky to be able to have that match with her. Sometimes I'll watch it back and just be like, "Wow, that was just baby me and Serena just was amazing during that match and everything." So, that was a lot of fun."
On being mentored by Deeb and Sara Amato in the WWE Performance Center, Kamela was all complimentary:
"They were both amazing. I have only good things to say about both of them as people and as coaches. I was always in Amato's class. When I started out, I was with Sarah Stock, but then I think she had left the company not shortly after that. So, I had been in Sara Amato's class for the longest time. But Serena would be in our skull sessions, our film sessions. And then there were a few times when I'd be in ring when she was coaching, open ring times and things like that. So, both of them were so great to learn from. They had different teaching styles and different wrestling styles. I think they were both great for the women's division in NXT."
Of course, WWE NXT is Paul Levesque's baby. On her time dealing with and learning under Levesque, Kamela commented:
"All of my interactions with him have been positive, and every interaction I've seen him have or have even overheard him have, are all great. So, I've never seen a negative side to him, and I think the way he treats everyone at NXT is with respect. That's what you ultimately want from your boss is someone who respects you, no matter what level you're at and no matter where you fall in the company. So, I mean, I don't have anything but good words to speak on him. He was always kind to me and was always respectful."
When asked if she had any conversations with Levesque after the company released her several weeks ago, Kamela commented:
Well, Kanyon [Ceman] was the one who made all the phone calls, and it was the same reason that everyone else has pulled, which was due to budget cuts. So, that was my conversation with him. Then I did reach out and just thank Triple H for my time there, because my time there was great. I respect Triple H, him for giving me the opportunity. I thought, we always had a great relationship. So, I just said thank you to him, and he said thank you back. So, it was a good little, just last conversation or last message between us. He was always nice to me, so that was that. But I also think maybe people might think after not doing anything for 18 months that maybe I don't even want to stay in wrestling. I could see people having that perspective of me.
You can find out more about her plans at www.DanielleKamela.com as well as following her on Twitter @VanessaBorneWWE
You can listen to the entire conversation now featuring Kamela discussing her release from the company, sitting in suspended animation for 18 months after being called to the main roster but not utilized, her social media response to her release, who initially wanted her called up, how plans changed, the WWE act she was almost a part of, why she never debuted, her path to the business, the WWE Performance Center, learning under Serena Deeb and Sara D'Amoto, thoughts on Triple H, the Mae Young Classic, her pairing with Aaliyah, thoughts on how WWE could handle things better, the unfortunate twists of fate in her WWE journey, advice to those dealing with adversity, her future in pro wrestling and beyond, whether returning to WWE is the goal, Vanessa Borne vs. Danielle Kamela, Bianca Belair, negativity of some fans and how talents react to it, favorite moments, taking part in Wrestlemania weekend, Florida loops and tons more at www.PWInsiderElite.com
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