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Kayla Braxton On Leaving WWE, Horror Movie Role, Paul Heyman, Cody Rhodes
Kayla Braxton (@TheKaylaBecker) is a former WWE host and backstage interviewer. She sits down with Chris Van Vliet at West Coast Creative Studio in Hollywood to talk about her decision to leave WWE on her own terms and why it was time to explore other opportunities, her Madison Square Garden send-off from Cody Rhodes, interactions with Paul Heyman, choosing to bet on herself, being done with professional wrestling, her upcoming role in the movie "Stranglehold" from Director/Writer Clark Duke, advice for anyone looking to get into the broadcasting world and more!
Quote I'm thinking about: "Well done is better than well said.” - Benjamin Franklin
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"I feel really good. I think anytime you're somewhere for so long and it becomes such a big part of your life, I think it was difficult for me to know how I was going to feel when I stepped away. I've had a little bit of FOMO when I see the show is on, or see my friends posting about their matches and stuff backstage, but I feel really good. I think I made the right decision. It was definitely time for me to go. There was nothing negative about my reason for leaving. It was just done everything I can do there, I've hit the ceiling at this time. At that point, I was just kind of wasting my time, and I think everybody else's time. Someone else could be moving into my spot, and then I could be moving on to the next part of my life. So I'm really at peace with it."
"I definitely didn’t think I was going to be there for eight years. I think I came in thinking, all right, this is a new thing, wrestling. I'm going to learn it. I'm going to get some new skills, and then move on. That was kind of the idea that I had in my head, but it locked me in way longer than I thought. But no, not at all. Never thought I would end up hosting a morning show for the better part of four years that's grown into what it was, and hosting shows with Paul Heyman and becoming part of a storyline with Paul Heyman. No, but I think every single step that I had in WWE, I wouldn't have changed anything."
"I think it's something I've been kind of contemplating for a while. I think once I stepped down from The Bump, I moved to Los Angeles, it was very clear I was kind of trying to find what my next phase of life was going to be, career-wise. And I think the company kind of acknowledged that as well, and they were very supportive. When I moved out to LA they put a studio in my apartment. They wanted me to continue doing The Bump until I was like, Okay, I think it's time that Megan Morant takes over this role full-time, and you have your studio crew in Stamford. Then I feel like on SmackDown, it's hard, it's a two-hour show, so there's not a lot of room for backstage interviews on SmackDown. You gotta, gotta get the stories in there. So I wasn't doing much backstage at SmackDown, and then I wasn't really doing the kickoff show panels anymore. So I was just kind of seeing the writing on the wall a little bit and just thought, you know, I feel good at where my life is outside of WWE. So I just thought it was, and while everybody was getting long, everything was amicable. The company was very supportive of me stepping down too, the door is always open. It was very nice to hear. But yeah, it was just everything was just the perfect timing to do that."
"So Madison Square Garden. I was gonna have this send-off party after the show. So I'm all ready, it's 30 minutes left of the show, It's my last day, I've done my interview, I'm in party mode. Okay, this is where I send off. And one of the writers came up to me, Oh yeah, and said, Don't leave. No, it was Kusama. We love Kusama. She said, Kayla, don't leave. I say, why? She goes Triple H said don't leave. I was like, Are they, like, probably gonna have me for the plan B, if the show runs short, gotta run out there. I'm ready for my tequila. So then I start thinking, Oh, they're about to do something. And then I get brought to Gorilla, Stephanie McMahon is there, Triple H is there. I just talked to Nick Khan and then I knew they were about to do something for me. I didn't know it was gonna be Cody. And so, yeah when I talk about it still kind of surreal that as an announcer for WWE, I got a send-off like that with the biggest star in the company at the world's most famous arena."
"I just think having more control over [things]. I've always been so career-oriented since I was a little girl. I've always known I wanted to be in a TV space, and I think I've always worked for other people before this. Before WWE, I was working for a local TV station in Orlando, which was amazing and a great experience. But I'm like, You know what? I know what I want to do at television. I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I have a decade of experience under my belt. I want to start doing things that bring me personal joy, and I feel like the experience I have and the things I want to do, I think will be able to make an impact in the industry. So just want to take more control over it."
"I mean, yeah, it is true. Everyone knows it got kind of blown up online about me and LA Knight. We had an interview towards the end of my days there, and I don't know what was going on, I think I was just really tired. He and I were going back and forth backstage, and he's trying to get me to say Yeah! But he also just insulted me on TV, so I felt like my character wouldn't have said Yeah! But whatever my facial expression was, the Internet was still talking about saying that I just looked like I ruined the entire promo by my reaction. But that is like, the fact that an announcer/interviewer can ruin a promo just shows how important the interviewer actually is."
"He made it really easy for me. A lot of that stuff we were kind of given the direction of how it needed to go. But everyone's like, we'll just do whatever Paul says. And so a lot of times it was just riffing. I just go off Paul. He'd go off me. I didn't know what he was going to do. And we're live, and that is a terrifying place to be! But it always did well. I feel like it always got a lot of positive reactions. I never got into any trouble. Paul's like, you won't get in trouble. I'm like, ok."
"So my name is Crystal, it's a film directed by Clark Duke. So the movie, I don't know how much [I can say] I think they put out a little bit about it, but basically it's based in a strip club. No, I do not strip in it, don’t be weird! Basically it's about, like, what, like this main dancer is Ashley Benson was here. She and her husband, Jake Lacy, one night decide to rob the strip club. And so, like, the manager is played by Justin Long, who I'm a huge fan of. Ron Perlman is there as one of the guys working with one of the main characters. It's mind-boggling to even think I was in that. But yeah, I'm just, I'm one of, one of the girls. There were three other strippers castsin the show, so I was one of them. And I, again, I won’t go into much detail about my character, but yeah, it was fun."
"When I was getting hired, they were like, Okay, we need a new last name for you. Can you help us choose one? [At Least they let you keep Kayla]. I know, that would have been a harder thing to transition out of, but I was okay, I just want to keep my initials. I want to keep KB. So I gave them, a list of 10 B names, and they didn't choose any of them. They said, All right, you're Kayla Braxton. I'm like, what? Why did you even ask my opinion? But no, it's a good name. It's a strong name. I know I definitely don't hate it. But it's hard, even now I catch myself saying I'm Kayla Braxton. No, I’m Kayla Becker. It’s so hard to get back into it."
"Yeah, I think so. That's one thing about our fans too. They think, oh, you leave WWE, you must be going to AEW or Only Fans, it's like the only two options that they think that you have. I'm like, actually, I'm doing neither. I think wrestling will always be like a love of mine and always be a family of mine. But I think I just really didn't want to pigeonhole myself as a host and a broadcaster and just see what else I can do out there. I mean, there's always the possibility that maybe I pop back in for a fun cameo or something down the road. But yeah, I think my time is done."
"I think learn the business as much as you can outside of the business. Definitely be very respectful, because it's a culture, WWE is such a culture. Don't overstep, that's something I'll definitely say, don't overstep. Don't keep harassing people in the office about wanting a job. But come to shows, shake some hands and yeah, I think if you're the right fit, it'll be seen. There are very few spots and definitely spend time deciding who's going to fill those spots. So if you're meant to be in that spot, you will be but otherwise just keep at it. Do interviews on your own. You do something that Chris is doing, really hone in those skills, because we've seen many times we hire someone get in that spot and they don't last a month or two because they don't have the interview chops. So I'd say yeah just work on it."
"To have this time, friends and family and that Halloween Horror Nights starts next month."
