New TNA Knockout, Lacey Von Erich has spoken for the first time since signing her contract with TNA in mid-September. Following her television debut last night, the Miami Herald posted an interview with the third generation star as she touches upon joining The Beautiful People and replacing Angelina Love. Let’s just say Von Erich has some choice words when it comes to the former Knockouts Champion:
“I feel like it was made for me, and she [Angelina] wasn’t a good fit for it in my opinion,” Adkisson said. “. . . I thought that everybody was going to be, `Oh no. Angelina is gone,’ but not one person said that. Nobody really missed her that much. I feel like I can fill the shoes that I’m supposed to.
“TNA told me this role was made for me, and I feel the same way. So when I met the other members, Velvet and Madison, they are awesome. When I got there, we all just felt like we were one group, and the band was completed.
“I’ve never met Angelina before in my life. After what some people have said, I don’t know if I want to. I just feel like we can all be a group together and shine together, so I’m excited about that.”
Hold up… what?! Did She really just put Angelina on blast like that? I’m a little shocked… And as has been discussed in the ‘Impact Feedback’, no I don’t think her comments were in-character because the rest of the interview isn’t and the Miami Herald interviews in the past [including Velvet Sky's which we posted about yesterday] never give off the impression of being in-character.
Von Erich also touches upon the differences between the Knockouts division and working for WWE:
“TNA is completely different than WWE,” Adkisson said. “The atmosphere and the people are different. I think it’s really competitive in WWE where there is one blonde and then another blonde. There is just so much cattiness, and rumors fly. Candice Michelle told me that. She just got out.
“A couple of the girls who got out of WWE were telling me that. So I was going into TNA thinking there was going to be so much drama, and it was going to be terrible.
“I get there, and they are the most incredible girls ever. We go have beers after the shows. ODB is awesome. I already knew Awesome Kong who is amazing. I also feel you get to shine. They want you to wrestle good there. It’s not that WWE doesn’t want you to wrestle well, but you don’t feel like you can wrestle to your potential. In TNA, they want you to do your maximum potential.”
Lacey also offers her opinion on WWE’s treatment of it’s women:
“I didn’t know where girls stood in the business,” Adkisson said. “We kind of are on the back burner, and we pretty much always will be. It’s just a man’s world. I went in there with the mentality that I could be just as good as the rest of the Von Erichs, if they gave me a chance.
“So I’m starting to do my backflips off the ropes, and I’m jumping all over the place, and everything felt natural. WWE was saying, `Wait, you are just a girl. You can’t do all that stuff.’ However, it was really fun once I kind of understood the business today.
“They don’t want the women to be super talented. The girl cute wrestlers they want to stay girl cute wrestlers. Not something like a Von Erich who wants to go out and destroy everything, which is what I really wanted to do. But that’s not why I left or anything.’
Very interesting observations. It seems as though she shares the opinions of many women before her, there is a lot of paranoia in the Divas lockerroom & they never truly know where they stand with management. On the flipside, everyone — including most recently Traci Brooks — has put over how close-knit the Knockouts lockerroom is.
But seriously… those Angelina comments? Really?! It seems Lacey is a little naive as to how the ‘big leagues’ work, I think. Those comments are so off-the-cuff.
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October 2, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Eh, I’ve heard wrestlers go in and out of character in the same interview before. This is certainly a good way to get attention and heat.
October 2, 2009 at 2:39 pm
If this isn’t in character, I’m seriously disappointed. Angelina has twice the wrestling skills and personality than Lacey.
Aaand… from what I saw last night, I’m not sure I really believe WWE telling her to dumb down her move-set.
October 2, 2009 at 2:50 pm
“I’m not sure I really believe WWE telling her to dumb down her move-set”
They don’t really “dumb down” movesets, but they do have a lot of rules. A lot of airial moves are banned to reduce injuries (not really banned, but you do need to ask permission to use them). You can’t use signature moves of the main event stars. This last part is a big problem. A lot of the “populair” moves that give a good crowd reaction are already being “claimed” by the big stars. So new wrestlers have to deal with limited movesets, which is kinda frustrating for them.
October 2, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Certain select parts of the Velvet interview seemed in character.Like when she comments about Sarita and Taylor and their flippity do-das as compared to her style.
If Lacey was actually sincere,she’s about as ignorant and classless as she is talentless.
October 2, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Sapphire Eyes — You got me there, the stuff about Sarita & Taylor didn’t pop in my head earlier, but yeah that would very much seem in character on Velvet’s part. But I just don’t see it here, to be honest. That was done by Velvet to sell a storyline; Lacey’s comments relate to backstage opinion and what manegement told her, I don’t see that kayfabe being broken for storyline. A few people have told me that Lacey isn’t too savvy to the industry especially the big leagues, so I think it’s naivety more than anything.
October 2, 2009 at 3:28 pm
I don’t want to be too judgemental, but I really can’t imagine Lacey doing flips off of the ropes and being a natural in the ring.
October 2, 2009 at 6:11 pm
“I’ve never met Angelina before in my life. After what some people have said, I don’t know if I want to”
WOW! That is below the belt and so out of line. Maybe Lacey VE was trying to be in character and intended to come off as the TBP’s new alpha female, but she has fallen flat on her face and come off as naive tool. MAJOR Total Epic Fail.
This girl needs to be schooled completely. She needs to learn about keeping backstage gossip out of interviews and how to work in the ring. And something tells me that her wanting to tap into her inspired “natural” moveset isn’t the reason she and WWE parted ways.
I hope she can back up her words with talent, because you can only ride on your last name for so long.
October 2, 2009 at 6:18 pm
WOW … Lacey Von Erich is full of shit. First off, if it wasn’t for Angelina Love there would be NO Beautiful People. Also, I highly doubt WWE told her she wasn’t allowed to work a high risk style because Gail Kim does it on RAW and AJ Lee is currently doing it in Florida Championship Wrestling. Maybe WWE told her to learn the ropes instead of just doing backflips and posing in the ring. I think Lacey Von Erich is delusional and I hate her even more.
October 2, 2009 at 6:27 pm
It’s nice to hear her speak so highly of the knockouts division but some of her comments were a little… ouch.
I mean, she could at least be gracious towards Angelina instead of being so below the belt.
October 2, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Hey Melanie, where did you get the banner photo from? I can’t find the photoshoot!
October 2, 2009 at 6:37 pm
The pictures of Lacey Von Erich came from TNAWrestling.com, which added her to the Knockout’s picture page.
October 2, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Memo to Lacey, you may want to hear this shoot interview with James E. Cornette. He talks about where your family did most of their famed work…AND ABOUT THE DANGERS THAT CAME WITH IT… though not necessarily the Von Erich curse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSXg-d0jboM
October 2, 2009 at 6:49 pm
i understand she in character but some of the stuff she said was just really off.
October 2, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Real classy posting that YouTube interview. Its great that Lacey hasn’t even been an official TNA Knockout for 24 hours yet and she’s already inspired such personal animosity to the point where someone would want to take such a low blow against her deceased family members. If this isn’t in character, I imagine Lacey will surely be getting some backstage heat for this and it does kind of make her look like an asshole. Either way though, its definitely getting her over as a heel.
October 2, 2009 at 7:05 pm
i think the stuff about Angelina could’ve been in character, because on impact last night they seemed against Angelina…. an Angelina face return?? who knows….if it wasn’t in character, then it was out of line.
I think Scott D’amore will help Lacey alot in the ring, which she really needs. He is like the Fit Finlay of TNA. I would also like for her uncle Kevin Von Erich to show her how to really apply that claw good.
I think she is just very new and naive to a major promotion, and pretty much to the buisness altogether.
October 2, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Lacey is so cool,she already has the internet in the tips of her fingers,she’s gotten this HUGE reaction in her first appearance,just imagine what the reaction she’ll get in the coming months
today,i decided to do a little test so i printed out a picture of angelina love and lacey von erich and asked my friends in school which one was hotter and 9 of my friends said that lacey was hotter and only 2 said angelina was hotter so take that for what its worth
Lacey von erich will improve and for all of you who are bashing her just on 1 botched clothline,well i would love to see you do one better
October 2, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Angelina please come back soon for you can get this crap out my television.
October 2, 2009 at 8:43 pm
WOW RKOyou, so they thought Lacey Von Erich was prettier but really what does that have to do with her in-ring talent?
October 2, 2009 at 8:46 pm
@RKOyou – Maria is waaay better than Beth Phoenix, she’s hotter. Kelly is like God compared to Katie Lea, she’s hotter and don’t forget Rosa Mendes, who could like Jillian instead of her?!
OH, and people who say “I’d love to see you do one better…” can f*ck off, I didn’t chose a life of a professional wrestler, but those who did, oh man, they better entertain me with good and realistic wrestling. In that sense sites like DD wouldn’t exist, they’d just say “Maria doesn’t suck, she can wrestle better than you!” or “I’d love to see you try to sell a slap as good as Brie!”.
So yeah, either RKOyou loves all women wrestlers in the world…oh wait, he doesn’t like Sara Del Rey, guess she ain’t hot enough for him, what a joke of a wrestler, not beeing hot enough, who could wrestle when you ain’t got no weave and no fake tits??
October 2, 2009 at 9:09 pm
After having a bit of time to digest this I realized something, and it follows along the vein of what MachoMadness said. Maybe Lacey was talking about what Madison and Velvet said regarding Angelina turning them into monsters. If that is the case she should have stated that more clearly, hopefully some in TNA will point that out to her. I think TNA hould have gone with a seasoned veteran.
October 2, 2009 at 9:22 pm
RKOyou:
I agree with PedroPedroso17 and TNAFan80. Who cares if Lacey von Erich is hotter, hotness does not make up for a lack of talent. I personally think Angelina Love is waaay hot, and she is talented in the ring and cutting promos. Besides, what one person thinks is hot doesn’t apply to everyone.
And as far as the “i would love to see you do one better” shtick…that is not kosher. As Pedro said, we aren’t claiming to be pro’s, but if you step in that ring you best be able to back up your mouth. I think there are a lot more experienced ladies out there that deserved this opportunity, and Lacey should be training more and working more shows.
October 2, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Lacey just tweeted saying don’t believe the rumors and says she misses Love and she hopes they can work together, so I think it might have been some word twisting such as when that one magazine twisted Victoria/Tara’s words about being jealous of Christy Hemme
October 2, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Guys,i think my little comment was taken a little to seriously,I wasn’t implying that hottness is more important then in-ring skills,i was just showing what my results were,i know for a fact that angelina is better then in the ring then lacey,i was just sharing my experiment on whos hotter,lol
October 2, 2009 at 10:03 pm
Honestly,I find both Sky and Love to be more appealing than Lacey.Of course,that can argued as it depends on what one likes or looks for.At one time,I may have liked Lacey.But I’m full grown and the pure diva style types just don’t interest me anymore.Even in a bare essentials type way.Hell,I found Trish to be more attractive than Torrie.Even though I wouldn’t say Trish was outright physically purely better.
October 2, 2009 at 10:46 pm
“Either way though, its definitely getting her over as a heel.”
Actually, most wrestling forums seem to completely ignore her debute, its mentioned off course but thats it. They are more talking about the upcoming PPVs (HIAC and BFG) and how much Smackdown, TNA and RAW all sucked this week. But on a forum like diva-dirt, where people talk about female wrestlers, its logical that she is the focus of attention right now.
October 2, 2009 at 10:50 pm
i’m totally disappointed in her! her comments about angel were just cold-blooded. “I’ve never met Angelina before in my life. After what some people have said, I don’t know if I want to.”? are you serious.!? she is already giving me a bad first impression. she needs to learn how to control her mouth.
she is pretty; but she is not prettier than Angelina or Velvet. she needs to work on her moves before she can criticize someone. her takedown and “so-called” clothesline needs some work.(: i hope she doesn’t make a mistake and start dating kurt angle. he’s like the “batista of tna” now. she’s just a pretty face. (this is my opinion.)
October 2, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Perhaps she was just sick of those comparisons between her and Angelina. I don’t claim she was right to make these comments though.