Former WWE Developmental Talent in TNA Tryout, Knockout Comments
Former WWE developmental talent, Ivelisse Velez — aka Sofia Cortez — worked a tryout match for TNA this past Thursday in Orlando, Florida.
Velez faced veteran Knockout, Tara, in the match.
The former Tough Enough contestant was released by WWE in August.
Speaking on Velez’s tryout, Tara tells Diva Dirt exclusively: “I thought she did amazing.”
“I liked her a lot,” says the former Knockouts Champion. “I heard she was Puerto Rican, and I’m half Puerto Rican. I was like, ‘Oh my god, that’s awesome to have a Puerto Rican girl. You should go all out with the Puerto Rican thing, like Carlito [and] the Colons. I’m all about [showcasing] ethnicity. I’m a big fan of that.”
“She did very well. We’ll see what they [TNA management] say.”
Tara also spoke about former WWE Diva Jillian Hall’s recent tryout. Stay tuned for our exclusive interview to hear her comments!
Would you like to see Ivelisse in TNA? Tell us in the comments!
jayjayholler
October 13, 2012 at 8:31 pm
I bet Jillian will get blown out of the water and Sofia will get signed. Typical
jayjayholler
October 13, 2012 at 8:35 pm
That’ll really piss me off by the way. I like Sofia, but I love Jillian!
Zaye
October 13, 2012 at 8:35 pm
I hope Sofia gets signed. I miss seeing her wrestle.
Mr. AJ Lee
October 13, 2012 at 8:35 pm
Wow. No I’m kinda scare that she will get chosen over Jillian. That would b pretty shitty.
moogle
October 13, 2012 at 8:41 pm
I agree, I love Ivelisse, but I feel pike she needs to be humbled slightly…
In comparison to Jillian, who has been nothing but humble and respectful all throughout her career, I feel Jillian deserves it more.
But hopefully both beautiful girls get taken on board :D
DIVASKO
October 13, 2012 at 8:36 pm
Yes!.But….OMG TARA ASS!!!!!!
shameronstar
October 13, 2012 at 9:28 pm
dat ass! haha!
E-Man
October 14, 2012 at 4:12 am
that is a very “appropriate” picture they have there!
lucky1now
October 13, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Got to give it up for the ricans I’m proud of my women
I hope she does get signed and get used right
The future shall let us know
ZPZA
October 13, 2012 at 9:01 pm
Hopefully TNA will hire both Jillian and Ivelisse. Anything will work at this point in order to rebuild the division.
shameronstar
October 13, 2012 at 9:30 pm
I think after Bound for Glory tna should do what they did in 2007 when they just brought in Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, ODB, Awesome Kong, and Salinas all at once and just bring in a few new girls in addition with reintroducing Sarita and Rosita to reinvigorate the division!
WWFoverWWE
October 14, 2012 at 4:37 am
Bruce Prichard is the reason for the current state of the Knockouts. The division will not get fixed until he leaves TNA. The man hates womens wrestling/
kreece
October 13, 2012 at 9:30 pm
I hope both girls get signed. Sofia has tons of potentional and years ahead of her to grow and entertain and Jillian is already at that level. They’d both be great additions
WWFoverWWE
October 13, 2012 at 10:13 pm
OMG YES!!! Ivelisse would be a perfect knockout. The division needs some new blood badly. Come on TNA, make me care about the division like I use to.
Clarke
October 13, 2012 at 10:43 pm
another former Diva…. oh TNA.
igotthatpma123
October 14, 2012 at 1:35 am
Its so easy to jump on a bandwagon and say that. How about oh wow tna is testing the waters with a female wrestle who couldn’t live up to wwe’s almighty standards. Grow up its childish!!!
Raekon
October 13, 2012 at 11:28 pm
I REALLY hope they sign both Jillian and Sofia! :)
Would be great having both on TV again.
Lily
October 13, 2012 at 11:32 pm
I would prefer for them to sign Ivelisse instead of Jillian. Ivelisse hasn’t made a name for herself yet. She could be like Angelina Love. Angelina was signed to WWE with a development deal and was let go but TNA picked her up and she became a KO legend.
Jillian isn’t the same wrestler she use to be in OVW or her early days in WWE. It would be nice to see her get signed but Ivelisse would bring more to the KO division because she’s more solid, hard hitting, and new.
WWFoverWWE
October 13, 2012 at 11:44 pm
I agree, though I could see TNA sign both of them.
Kessuki
October 14, 2012 at 12:11 am
my thoughts exactly!
MickieJamesluvslave
October 14, 2012 at 2:03 am
I think she would be a good addition to the KO division. They need some new blood to reinvogorate a dying division.
TBP_FAN
October 14, 2012 at 4:25 am
I hope Ivelisse and Jillian both get signed as both are strong in-ring performers, would be good to see fresh faces in TNA wrestle against each other.
mikie91
October 14, 2012 at 4:57 am
Jillian deserves nothing. She’s a terrible wrestler. I do however want Ivellise signed. She’d be a good addition.
Chryst Voegele
October 14, 2012 at 2:50 pm
i wonder how ‘your’ terrible wrestler train most of past & current Divas.
KellyKay23
October 14, 2012 at 5:14 am
I hope both get signed, and TNA needs new blood??
What happened to taeler Hendrix????
HollyRobinsonWWE
October 14, 2012 at 5:24 am
I like Ivelisse. Who cares if she was in WWE developmental, the vast majority of wrestling fans have no idea she exists. She’s young, she’s tv ready, she’s a total package worker. I hope they pick her up.
Spike7000
October 14, 2012 at 6:21 am
Nice to hear Ivelisse did good plus Tara’s thoughts on the recent tryouts. I wonder who is the name Tara said that is possibly getting a tryout next.
This adds Ivelisse to the list of names that have gotten tryouts in recent. I guess this confirms that recent report that TNA “hates” women’s wrestling another b.s rumor
WWFoverWWE
October 14, 2012 at 7:03 am
TNA doesn’t hate womens wrestling, it’s only Bruce Prichard, who has big control on the show.
Mikas
October 14, 2012 at 9:52 am
Not just Bruce Prichard, Bischoff and Hogan are also guilty of that. Both made some not so very nice comments about women in wrestling the past 20 years. And we’ve seen what they did in WCW. All 3 of those guys came from an era where women were just eyecandy, they just dont know any better (nor do they care probably).
Spike7000
October 14, 2012 at 6:26 am
On WWE note, WWE has signed tv host Renee Paquette from Aftermath show on The Score network. Rumor is that she’s going to debut on RAW in the old interviewer role
Gail-Trish-Maryse
October 14, 2012 at 3:07 pm
I hope they sign both of them. Would be so much better than bringing back their version of Kelly Kelly aka Velvet Sky.
jayjayholler
October 15, 2012 at 8:00 am
Brooke is TNA’s Kelly Kelly.
Gail-Trish-Maryse
October 15, 2012 at 7:32 pm
Brooke is about 100x more talented in the ring then K2 ever is/was/could of been.
And Velvet is even less talented than that. An embarrassment to female wrestling.
jayjayholler
October 15, 2012 at 10:25 pm
Debatable
Rhawk
October 14, 2012 at 3:26 pm
As much as I like Ivelisse, I hope they dont sign her. Mostly because TNA doesn’t even use of of their women already, and they already have Sarita and Rosita for the whole Puerto Rican/Mexican-estique thing, so having Ivelisse doing that and not those two would make me fed up…
EVEROCKS
October 15, 2012 at 1:06 am
It looks like she died her hair darker. And tara,,, DAMN THAT ASS!!
divaindemise
October 16, 2012 at 1:11 am
Sign Sofia and pair her with Rosita. Free up Sarita to be the babyface singles star they’ve needed since Gail Kim departed for WWE.
As for Jillian, I think they could repackage her as Madison’s goofier sister.