Kayla Braxton On Paul Heyman Feud, R-Truth, The Rock's WWE Return, Leaving The Bump

Kayla Braxton (@kaylabraxtonwwe) is a broadcaster signed to WWE where she works as a host and backstage correspondent. She joins Chris Van Vliet in Hollywood, CA to talk about how she got her start working on TV in Orlando, her childhood dream to play in the WNBA, getting hired by WWE, learning about pro wrestling on the job, her on-screen feud with Paul Heyman, why she insists that she is 4'11.5" tall and that her Wikipedia page should be updated, hosting The Bump and her decision to leave the show, being backstage for The Rock's return on Smackdown, what the atmosphere was like in Chicago when CM Punk returned to WWE at Survivor Series and much more!

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On life before WWE:

"So I studied broadcast journalism in college, I minored in sports broadcasting, I really wanted to be a sports reporter. But before that I wanted to play in the WNBA let me just start there. Okay, I played basketball through high school was my favourite thing. And I wanted to cover it one day, back to the me not hitting five feet tall just wasn't realistic. So the next best thing was let's be a sports reporter. But my first job out of college ended up being an entertainment and travel host. You can't be picky when you're right out of college, and it was an awesome opportunity in Orlando. And I did that for a couple of years. If you're ever on YouTube. People at work pull me aside all the time and they're like, was that you giving a tour of the Cinderella Castle like, look it up does not look like me, but it was like 15 years ago, and it's like the main thing you'll see if you want to see inside the Cinderella Castle. It's 22-year-old Kayla showing you round. This was for NBC the local NBC affiliate in Orlando."

On making it to WWE:

"Actually, someone within the company reached out to me, a former employee who I knew outside of work, asked if I wanted to work with WWE. And initially, I was like, I’m good. Like, No, thanks. That was still true. I was still chasing that entertainment travel gig. Yeah. But then I growing up like one thing my grandfather always told me it was like, he always used the term unexpected opportunities and how you just need to grab them because you never know where it's gonna lead. And that was kind of like my drive to do it. I was like, You know what, I can do it for a year. It's gonna be great on my resume. I'm gonna learn a lot. I meet a lot of people. There's no downside here. And then it was not even six months. And I was like, I am obsessed with this place. It's so cool."

On the WWE audition:

"So when I came in, I was a ring announcer. People tend to forget that I ring announced for my first several years. I hated it so much not like I always say this the ring announcers I mean, Samantha, which by the way freakin incredible she's gonna be historical in this company. But people don't give ring announcers I think the credit they deserve a lot of times because they're just this voice of God. That is the hardest job I've ever held. When I say I hate it, it's not because I didn't like think it was a great gig. It terrified me. It is a very difficult job to do. I'm a TV person. So I'm used to camera this is to crowd I have extreme stage fright in front of people like that is a fact. I have a hard time with people. And then you have to memorise all those things like the weights the the hometowns, the monikers everything. It just a lot put on the ring announcer and they make it look so freakin easy. And then using your voice that way. I can't talk like that."

On wanting to change direction:

"So I give so much kudos to all of our ring announcers. But it wasn't for me, but I told them, I'll be the best ring announcer I can possibly be for you as long as you want. But I made it very clear, I'm a journalist at heart, I want to like be able to be that here. And like host shows like I did The Bump for the last four years. And they were very open to that. And Michael Cole has been instrumental and getting me to where I wanted to be in WWE. And when the opportunity came up for The Bump, they came to me and asked me if I wanted to host it. And then that like revived my career here. That's been that was like the coolest thing I could have ever done."

On Paul Heyman:

"I mean, I give a lot of credit to Paul. I had so much fun doing all that back and forth with him with The Bloodline. But, you know, Paul and I were doing Talking Smack together and we didn't really know each other at the time. I knew that we didn't really interact a lot and getting to know him on that panel. And getting to go back and forth and realising we're both kind of Spitfires like helped immensely. And then you know, got me on camera to do those bits with him on SmackDown with The Bloodline and then now I am the sassy backstage interviewer like the writers, My interviews though, I've been told I can be a little sassy."

On being a great interviewer:

"I think one thing we as backstage interviewers have to keep in mind is that it's not about us at all. Like our job is to put the talent over the moment we make it about us like being too expressive, or whatever, it takes away. And over time, the more you're on camera. Like with me being here most eight years, you naturally become a personality that people expect and want to see on camera. But I think the more that you even show to talent, that you respect them enough to realise this about them. They want to bring you in more as a part of it, but I think yeah, 100% I think it's just keep yourself small. It's not about us, but do a great job and it'll make you rise."

On The Rock being on SmackDown:

"[I found out] I think 30 minutes prior maybe, because he was with Pat McAfee that day on College GameDay. I don't even think this was planned. Pat McAfee has this way of making everybody want to be his best friend. In fact, he got The Rock to come to SmackDown. I mean, that's a very Pat McAfee thing, but I think it was just like that, you know, Rock was in town, so why not swing by Smackdown? But it was like right then, it was a surprise for all of us. Like I freaked and that was the second time I've ever met him. The first time was when we premiered on Fox for the first time, however many years ago And I saw him and I was like, I have to say hi to him. And I kept like, talking myself up. It's now or never Kayla got to do it. And I saw him. And he was like, done socialising. And he was walking back to like his bus. And I was like, now's your time that I went up to him was like, and I said, Mr. The Rock. I was like, Oh, my God I called him Mr. The Rock. But he turned around, and we had like, a five-minute conversation. And he's so good about making you feel like you're the only person in the room. And he looked me in the eye and just asked questions about me. And that was incredible. He's such a genuinely good human being. And so this time, he remembered me. I was trying to get an interview with him. But he's a busy man. He promised me next time he sees me, I'll get my interview with him. Third time's a charm. But it was so cool. And like you said with Cena there. The fact that fans bought their tickets without knowing that was going to happen was such an incredible, incredible [experience]. Imagine fans who have been fans forever. And that may have been their very first show. And they bought their ticket. I think when they bought tickets, we didn't even know Cena was going to be there at the time when the tickets went on sale. So people bought their tickets, then they find out Cena is gonna be there, then Pat McAfee's there and then The Rock comes out like holy cow."

On making a mistake:

“When I first started I was doing a house show, a live event. And I'm going around and, less is more, as I've learned don't try to look like you know everything by trying to spit out too many facts, because you're probably going to mess up. But I was trying to, and I think I missed the amount of time someone has held a certain title by like one. But this guy sitting in the front row stood up and he schooled me like he just was like, actually, it was this many times. He schooled me on like, needing to know my stuff. wrestling fans are very passionate, but I didn't make sure after that, and since then, just to make sure I do my due diligence, or just don't bring it up if I don't know enough about it."

What is Kayla Braxton grateful for:

“My health, the freedom to travel the world and my friends.”