Candide LeRae was the ultimate babyface, just like her husband Johnny Gargano, they were both beloved by the NXT fans. However, recently we have seen a new way, ‘The Gargano Way’ and both Johnny and Candice have turned heel. Candice recently conducted an interview with PWInsider, where she discussed her wrestling character vs her real personality at home, how she is finding her new role and her rivalry with Tegan Nox. Below are some highlights of the interview:
On her new persona and rivalry with Tegan Nox:
“I just really like being this kind of new version of myself. It’s really fun, it’s exciting, I get to try all this new different stuff out, get to just be ‘evil Disney princess’ version of me. It’s always kind of been a goal of mine since before Tegan and I were both in NXT to have a WWE match against Teagan and so this whole feud and the story, it’s very exciting to me. It’s just, you know, unfortunate circumstances always get you out of nowhere when you least expect it but I’m here and I’m ready for when she’s healthy and she’s back. It’s a goal – I will not finish my career happy if I don’t get to wrestle her in NXT or WWE in general.”
On establishing her new character:
“Well I do think that some of what everybody sees of me and Johnny on NXT TV, it’s just like an exaggeration of kind of how we are in real life, which is weird to say, I know, because we are this different version of ourselves from what anybody’s ever seen before and like, we have this kind of Star-Lord/Gamora dynamic in real life as well, where sometimes he’s just goofing around and I’m a little bit more serious, like “Hey, that’s not…stop it,” and then, I don’t know, I just…I’m having fun with this version of myself and playing around with different things, like right now a lot of my mannerisms that I’m trying to kind of get accustomed to are very over the top, Disney Parks princesses, like waving and arm movements and mannerisms and it’s just kind of fun because I feel like I’m getting to play, and that’s always exciting when you’ve grown up your whole life wanting to be a wrestler and now you’re getting to do that, I feel like I’m tapping into that 6 year old version of myself who dreamed of doing this someday,so it’s really fun, I love it so much. The only thing that I have kind of found crossing over into my real life me, is I do have a little bit more of a confidence to myself, because I’ve always been a little bit more of a shy, timid, insecure person, and I’m finding that playing around and doing all these fun new things, I’m finding this new sense of like confidence in myself that I didn’t have before, which I think is good. I think it’s a good thing. It’s not cockiness, it’s confidence.”
On working with Johnny Gargano on NXT TV:
“I love getting to do…I mean anything I get to do with my husband is a super bonus for me, so when we get to tag with each other, it’s just like, it’s one of my favorite things because 1 – it’s always hard when you’re not in the same match to kind of be there and support the other person. We’re probably not going to get to sit there and be like rooting each other on but then when we get to tag together we’re physically there – we’re getting to watch each other, support each other, and like, be a team, and that’s like the coolest thing. Six year old me would lose her mind so hard, it’s the coolest thing.”
Candice LeRae and her husband Johnny Gargano will both receive championship opportunities this Sunday at NXT Takeover 31. Candide will take on Io Shirai for the NXT women’s title and Johnny will challenge Damien Priest for the NXT North American title. Can the husband and wife duo both become champion this Sunday?
H/T To PWInsider
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