Ivelisse Talks WWE Tryout, Doesn’t Want To Burn Bridges

Ivelisse is free from Lucha Underground, and has a lot of things that are close to happening — or were close to happening. This week she made her AEW debut.

The Tough Enough veteran is a former WWE developmental product, and had a bit of a return to the company in the form of a tryout earlier this year. Ivelisse spoke to Fightful about the time there, not getting a deal, and what’s changed.

“That went well,” Ivelisse said of the April tryout. “There’s been quite a lot of things that have happened throughout the rest of the year that obviously I can’t say. But, it’s a lot of like close… There’s been a few times you could’ve seen me on TV, but it’s just how it goes. My time will come soon. (As far as changes to WWE) I mean, obviously there’s a lot more improvements. The facility’s huge. But, definitely the performance aspect of building the talent on a physical level as athletes. That side was pretty impressive.”

Last year, Fightful reported that Ivelisse was close to being brought into Impact Wrestling. However, shortly before she was to appear, the deal was nixed. Ivelisse, hoping to not burn any bridges, was tight lipped about the experience, or lack thereof.

As we filed into the quietest corner we could find in a Winston-Salem convention center, you got the feeling that Ivelisse knew she was on the brink of a big career adjustment. 

“No, I’d rather just not say nothing. I really would not say nothing. Want / should—two different things. I don’t like that. I’m always just focused on doing my thing. I’m chilling. No. I’m too close to—no, I’m not gonna mess up. I ain’t gonna slip up, not now,” she said.

If Ivelisse does land in a major promotion in 2020, she’ll likely be transitioning from the taped environment of Lucha Underground to some live shows. She does see the taped and heavily edited nature as a positive, but isn’t concerned. In the mean time, she’s kept busy on Ladies Night Out shows, including a standout cage match with Kiera Hogan.

“Regardless, whether it’s taped or not I like to try my best to perform at a level where nothing has to be edited. But, yes, that’s always a plus. That part where they can edit something that didn’t go well or something.I think that was my first cage match that I can remember in sixteen years. And yeah, I love it. I absolutely love it. I’m very grateful for that opportunity to do anything like that different. And I keep pushing for it. Any kind of different thing that he’s all for, I’m all for. I love creating different stories, different stipulations, different everything, I love that,” said Ivelisse.

A public spat with Lucha Underground and a threat of a lawsuit led to her being free, and as it turned out, of our four interviews together, this was the first of those not under contract with the company. We knocked it out shortly before she left the venue for the weekend. 

Creating something different was a point that Ivelisse pushed for in FCW, well before the Women’s Revolution in WWE. Even though she’s watched it unfold outside the company, she’s just glad the unfolding is happening — and wants to be a part of it moving forward.

“Well, clearly I feel like the hard work that women have put towards professional wrestling as females representing ourselves, I feel like it’s long overdue, obviously. But I’m just glad to see the changes happening. I wish I could have been more involved with it, but I was, you know, with the injuries and stuff like that, there’s been a lot that’s held me back than what I would have like to have achieved more—contribute, I mean, towards that. But, I’m ready. I’m here and I want, in any way, to contribute to that because that’s what I’ve always stood for and pushed for in my entire career,” said Ivelisse.

Late last year, Fightful reported that Combate Americas was interested in bringing in more pro wrestling talent to their MMA roster to compliment Alberto Del Rio, Thunder Rosa, Sexy Star and others. Ivelisse was another name we heard they’d be interested in, but she wouldn’t confirm the interest from any side, just saying she was keeping her options open.

You can see our full interview with Ivelisse above.