Exclusive: Ivelisse Says Tough Enough Season 5 Was Rigged
Ivelisse has made her presence felt in Lucha Underground in the last several years, but was introduced to the national audience when appearing on Tough Enough in 2011. When she spoke with Fightful.com this week, she knew that she wasn't going to win.
Joined by current Lucha Underground stars Marty The Moth and Son of Havoc, Ivelisse was eliminated from the show in favor of numerous contestants who are no longer in wrestling. According to the woman herself, many of the participants had already been signed by WWE, and she was just looking to gain exposure.
"I believe Andy (Leavine) was supposed to win from the beginning anyway. Andy and Christina both had WWE contracts before the whole competition anyways. That says a lot about it. It was kind of frustrating to not fully understand what was going on, then it was like 'oh, gotcha. So all of that was for nothing.' I didn't even pay attention to that. Regardless if it was fixed or not in an entertainment aspect, it's still an opportunity that I intend not to waste. Any chance I got through the show at WWE, I was on that. I was actually the only one who got signed that didn't have a contract secured before the competition even happened," said Ivelisse.
The season has become infamous for a line unleashed by Ariane Andrew, who would later perform for WWE under the name "Cameron." When "Stone Cold" Steve Austin asked what her favorite match was, she replied "Melina vs. Alicia Fox," which garnered a comical response from Austin. Ivelisse opened up about the situation, and claims that Ariane also had a WWE deal in place.
"Ariane had a contract secured before the competition. (Then when the flub happened) I guess it was kind of funny, but I didn't take insult. She didn't know better, she didn't know anything about the business. At the same time, I wasn't all over her attacking her for it," said Ivelisse.
The full interview can be heard at the Fightful YouTube or the video at the top of this page. You can see Ivelisse this year at WrestleCon in New Orleans. She appears courtesy of TitleMatchNetwork.com and preorders are available at TitleMatchWrestling.com. She joins joins Stevie Ray, Gangrel, Sabu, Kiera Hogan, Masada, Melissa Coates & Barbi Hayden at their booth.
