Barbie Blank (@thebarbieblank) is an actress, model, entrepreneur and retired professional wrestler known as Kelly Kelly in WWE. She joins Chris Van Vliet in Hollywood, CA to talk about recently becoming a mom to twins Jaxon and Brooklyn, getting signed to WWE at 19 years old, her retirement from wrestling at age 25, winning the Divas Championship from Brie Bella, her memories of the late Andrew “Test” Martin, how she inspired Chelsea Green to become a wrestler, tagging with Maria Menounos at WrestleMania 28, her iconic theme song, returning for the Royal Rumble and much more!

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas A. Edison

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On being a mother to twins:

“It’s amazing. They have such different personalities, which is so fun. And they’re just so cute to just watch them interact. Being a twin parent, it’s unlike anything. It’s just their bond. I mean every day is like something new with them, you know, and they are just so cute together. They just started interacting in the last month. And they just, son adores my daughter. He just like looks at her and she does the same to him and like they have their own little language and they like talk to each other. It’s wild and my daughter is so sassy. Out of the womb I was like we are in trouble. Like she is my karma. Like, I feel like how North is with Kim. Brooklyn is gonna be with me. I’m a little scared.”

On getting the call from WWE:

“It was just wild how it happened. Getting a call from my manager saying they saw my picture, love the look, is she athletic? My manager calls me and he’s like, so I have this, you know, and what do you think? What do you think about going in and trying out for WWE? And I was like, Sure. I liked going to school, it was fine, but it was not my passion. It was not what I wanted to do. I want it to be in entertainment in some way. And that’s why I chose broadcast journalism. But I hated going to school. I was doing it to please my mom. You know, I was out partying, 18 years old in Jacksonville, living my best life.” 

On her ECW gimmick not existing today:

“Oh my gosh, never in a million years. And it’s so wild to think that’s how I started. It was so funny too. I went to try out, got the job. I had to move to Kentucky. I had never been on my own. I had never even really done my own laundry. And I had to move all my stuff, me and Alicia Fox got an apartment together. We literally had no furniture. I had a bed, she had a bed. It was like two college kids were living together eating ramen noodles. Wild to think about this. This is OVW because we had the choice to go to Atlanta or OVW. We both chose OVW. I don’t know why.”

On getting called up:

“I got three months in. And I remember Paul [Heyman] called me. It was Paul who called me and he was like, Hey, we have this idea for you. Do you have any experience with dancing? I was like, No, I’m like a gymnast, very rigid. I was like I have no [experience]. He was like, well, we’re gonna teach you, because we have this idea you’re gonna do this like striptease and your jealous boyfriend’s gonna come and cover you up. And 19-year-old me is like, alright, screw it, I can get my foot in the door. Let’s see how it goes. And the first day I got there, I just remember having to tell my parents, because all my family and friends were watching because I was debuting they didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t tell them. I just said, Watch ECW at eight o’clock or whatever time it was on. And I was like, well, they’re gonna see, I’m not gonna tell them. I just remember, my mom called me afterwards. Somebody was teaching me backstage, the dance moves. And then I had to go and like Vince was like, Okay, this is what I want you to do. And I just remember Vince is like, it’s Vince McMahon and Hunter is sitting there too. And he’s just like, takes like his jacket and goes like this [spins it above his head]. Because I admired him so much, he was like my boss and he was the most amazing boss. But he kept it so professional. [He said] ‘I want you to just swing it like this and then put the jacket down.’ Ok Kelly? I was like, Okay. So I go out. And I had rehearsed with a chair, there was supposed to be a chair there. There was no chair. There was no chair on my first night. And I just remember on live television, and I was like, Oh my God, and I just started dancing. And I was like, I feel like I’m getting ribbed on my first night. I feel like this is my test to see how I would do. And I just went with it and you will never forget it because it took me 20 minutes to take my bra off. So embarrassing. Oh my gosh, so many things.”

On taking a cane shot from Sandman:

“It’s wild. We rehearsed it backstage and he made it seem like it was nothing, he was kind of see Kelly it’s gonna be this little. I was like, oh, that’s fine. We get out there. And man, when Mike pulls me in front, and I see him I see him launch it back. And I’m like, This is not. And he goes boom. And I remember going back and literally, I think I got concussed. I saw stars. I did this face, my mom called me. She was freaking out. She’s like, you made the face that you make right before you’re gonna cry. And I’m like I was crying. I was in so much pain. When they put me on the stretcher, and I just remember coming to the back and everyone’s waiting there. And my eyes are shut and then I open them and Vince is standing over me. He’s like, Kelly, are you okay? I’m like yeah. Tommy [Dreamer] is right there. And he’s like, when you go to the locker room, everybody’s standing out there. Don’t you let them see you cry? I’m like, okay, I get it together and I’m walking. Everyone’s like, how was it? How am I good? It’s fine. It’s It was great. I get to the locker room and I [break down].”

On Vince McMahon:

“I always looked at him like he was my boss. I only went to him one time and that was when I wanted to become Divas Champion. Because I only saw him during rehearsal. This is rehearsals and he was like on it. Like, here we go. Okay. Rehearse done on the next one. Just so professional, like, just an amazing boss, literally. I have nothing but amazing things.” 

On approaching Vince to become Divas Champion:

“Girls had told me okay, if you really feel strongly about this, you’ve been here for five years, go talk to Vince. I’m so scared. What if he says no? Actually [I approached him] twice, because the second time I wanted to try and become a heel. That didn’t go over well. So the first time they were like, the worst he can say is no. I’m like, okay. So I go and say, Hey Vince, I have this idea, like I’m talking to you. What do you think about me becoming Divas Champion? And he was like you know Kelly, I think that sounds like a great idea. And I’m like okay. So I didn’t know when, I didn’t know what, I just was like, Okay, well, I put it out there, see what happens. So I think it was like a few weeks after that it was you go and you vote for [the opponent], Power to the People. And there was going to be three of us. It was like me, Beth and Eve against Brie Bella. And whoever the fans voted for was winning the belt, the Divas Championship. Brie literally had to learn three different matches we did not know. They were like, We don’t know, this is literally up to the fans. We actually had no idea. And Brie, poor thing was like, oh my God, I have to remember three freakin matches in my head. Girl more power to you, because I couldn’t do that. So I just remember standing there. And I was just there. I think I got a really high vote. And so I as soon as they’re like Kelly Kelly, oh, my God I’m winning.”

On the WWE environment:

“I definitely got put through some things. Because a lot of girls, they hired a lot of women and a lot of women couldn’t take it. You have to have thick skin. It was a male-dominated business at the time. And you just had to learn, have thick skin, just take it off, whatever. Don’t let things get to you. Even like hardcore fans, being in ECW I had no idea about the fans in ECW. Oh my gosh, the names I got called in the Philly arena. I mean, I could have cried. I feel like I probably went to the back and cried a few times because they are hardcore and seeing somebody like me come into ECW. And that’s another thing. I was like, I have to prove myself. I was like, I’ll take the Singapore cane shots. I took Mike Knox’s move onto a chair and I was like, I’ll prove it. And now at my age, I look back and there’s no way. I just had no cares. I was like, Yeah, throw me into this. Let me do this. Now I’m like, Oh my God, if I get in the ring, I’m like oof my back.”

On retiring at 25:

“I just think I was on the road nonstop for six years. No injuries and the injuries that I had I was still on the road because I was still able to do things because I had a broken rib or bursa sac burst or whatever. It’s gnarly. You don’t want to [experience it], it’s disgusting. Like, literally, I hit it. I hit my knee. And I remember it doesn’t happen right then. It’s kind of like you feel like a little sting. And then like seven hours later, we were at dinner. It was like me, Eve [Torres] and the [Bella] twins. It’s in Chicago, 11 at night, we’re at dinner. And I just remember my knee getting nasty, like, so big. And I’m like, You guys. They are like, what is happening with your knee? I’m like, I don’t know. I texted the Doc I’m like my knee. [He says] Oh my god get to the hotel. Literally, they had to cut me out my jeans. So what happens is it fills up with blood and pus, I guess. And it’s just like, they got to drain it. But the blood had already clot. And so he is stabbing it and he’s like, I can’t drain it. You’re gonna just have to let it disperse. And so my leg was bruised from the toes all the way up to you know, my butt like, just bruised. It was wild.”

“It was The Price Is Right. Bob Barker was hosting. And so I was like backstage and doing the thing with him that night and I had this thing on my knee, and I still had to work. I never took a weekend off. I was there. And I just was like, ready to take a break. I think my neck had been hurting. And so they were like totally, take some time. I took a few months. And I felt like I was ready to do more stuff outside, and girls aren’t really doing things outside of WWE, like you weren’t really getting that much stuff. And I was like, Well, I want to do like modelling, I want to maybe get into some acting. And I just remember having this conversation with Hunter. And he’s just like, look, the doors always open, just whatever. Right? And I was like, Okay, I think that there was nothing like really, there was not one thing. It was just like one day I had taken the time off. And I remember I got the call and they’re like, look, we’re gonna release you. But, you know, door’s always open.”

On wanting to come back to wrestling:

“I really want my twins to see me wrestle. I think it would be so amazing when they’re like four or five. And I don’t even know if they would still, they probably would get it then. But like seeing that’s my mom and they’re sitting in the front row. And I just remember watching Michelle McCool when she came and did into the Rumble and her daughter was sitting there and her daughter’s face was priceless. I want and I’m like, Oh my gosh, because that’s what I want. If you could just see her daughter’s eyes we’re just so big. And she was just like, that’s my mom, so proud. And I just want that moment for me and my twins one day for them to just be like, That’s my mom and just go out there and kick some butt for a few minutes.”

What is Kelly Kelly grateful for?

“My kids, my husband and my friends and family.”