Maryse is one of the most successful Diva’s that has ever stepped foot in the squared circle. Maryse’s route to the WWE came via the Diva Search but it wasn’t that plain and simple, she is French-Canadian and only had a limit grasp of the English language when she entered .However the 29-year-old didn’t let that get in her way and enjoyed a five year spell with the WWE and during that time Maryse became the longest running Divas champion. We caught up with Maryse to talk about, the Divas Search, and the current state of the WWE’s women’s division.
How did you first get into wrestling?
At a friend’s house when I was watching a match that Jeff Hardy was involved in about 10 years ago! He is unbelievable!
Who were some of the wrestlers that inspired you when you were growing up?
I always loved watching Lita and Jeff Hardy of course.
You were trained by the likes of Al Snow, Dave Finlay and Ricky Steamboat what were those guys like to learn from?
I love Fit Finlay. He really understood the women of wrestling and working with him was so easy. He knew our character so well and was the best producer I worked with in the WWE. I miss him! He was a good friend! I also have a lot of respect for Al Snow. He not only taught me the basics, but the most important things in wrestling such as character, personality and charisma. It was never about the moves with Al, but about on camera performance and how to make a crowd relate to you! It’s about telling a story.
There is an interesting story behind you getting into the WWE via the Diva Search and not speaking much English, could you explain?
Yes, in 2006 I tried out for the Diva search. Out of 20 000 women auditioning, I was picked. That’s where the adventure had begun and what a long road that was! I could only speak 10 words of English at the time, however, WWE management told me that I had such an exceptional presentation in French, haha! They loved it, and they loved the fact that I didn’t care and just went for it!
You made your WWE debut in 2006 what was it like?
Hard because I couldn’t understand anybody, but I learned so much. I learned how to listen carefully to everything, every detail, and I think that I needed a character that people could relate to, without speaking, which is very hard. I developed a heel persona and everything about Maryse was presentation, facials, gestures….. Over the years, I learned how to work a live crowd and perfect my craft. I believe that Maryse’s persona was the best female persona in years within the WWE.