Cathy Kelley (@catherinekelley) is a broadcaster and backstage interviewer with WWE. She sits down with Chris Van Vliet at West Coast Creative Studio in Los Angeles, CA to discuss being knocked over during the brawl between Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer, training at the WWE Performance Center and possibly getting physical in WWE, her emotional moment when R-Truth made his return, being backstage when CM Punk made his WWE return, learning from Paul Heyman, being a member of Mensa, her TikToks with Rhea Ripley and AJ Styles, and more!
Is it different being on Raw versus SmackDown?
“I mean, I think every single time that I switch, it’s just relearning the roster. I think we talked about this last time, it’s just like developing a different relationship with each Superstar, so that stays like a through line, and having to remember what’s happened in the past.”
Is the actual day of work on Raw or SmackDown any different?
“No, it’s the same, other than it being either half an hour longer or shorter. I feel like it’s pretty much the same.”
But Raw films the commercial breaks. So it might be promos that people aren’t seeing here in the US, but they’re playing on Netflix internationally. So are there more interview segments because of that?
“I would say SmackDown has a fair bit. We had five or six this past Friday, so there’s always a lot of work on both shows. But I do love those commercial break segments, because I feel like people can really be themselves. It reminds me more so of that era that we were doing a lot of interviews on digital, where it’s kind of off the cuff, and I love being in that environment where you’re just surrounded by fans. I feel like it brings a different energy to it.”
What is the shortest amount of time you’ve had to prepare for a backstage segment?
“I don’t know that I’ve had a short amount of time. Well, I have had a short amount of time to prepare for things. Back in the day, we used to have this thing called Plan B, which was when you had a set amount of time on USA Network. If, for whatever reason, a match went short, or someone got injured, or something happened, I would have to be sitting in Gorilla ready to do an interview at the last second and fill that time with whoever. So every single week, I would sit there and wait for the potential of that to happen. And I think there was only once or twice that I actually got ear-pierced and ready to go.”
Money in the Bank, R-Truth returned after being released. That was an emotional moment for you. What was going on there for you?
“He is someone that I feel like brings such a positive morale to work every week, and we had obviously gotten closer because we had done a lot of TikToks together, but he’s just such a positive person, and I feel like he’s that for everyone in the locker room. So, you know, not getting to say goodbye to someone is always tough, and then when he came back, I think that that was just really special for everyone.”
Who are your closest friends in WWE?
“I don’t think anyone will be shocked to hear Kevin Owens is one of my closest. The Brons as well, Bronson Reed, Girly Pop for life.”
What kind of bands is he into when you say Girly Pop?
“Oh, everything. We’ll listen to Sabrina Carpenter, and we’ll also listen to death metal. We send songs to each other on Spotify or artists, and it’s something different every week.”
What’s your friendship slash relationship with Rhea Ripley?
“We’re close, but I feel like she’s been closer recently to IYO SKY.”
Well, there’s one TikTok where she’s deadlifting with one arm. We know Rhea Ripley is strong, like, stop showing off!
“I don’t want to say I helped in any way, like she would have achieved the success that she has. Now, she is one of the top, if not the top, female superstars in WWE today. But I like to think that I was the one who made all of the other girls do TikToks with Rhea Ripley, just fawn over [her].”
You got knocked over when you’re doing this segment with Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer. Is this gonna turn into something?
“I feel like that is just a workplace hazard, and I am normally pretty good about getting out of the way. Who’s to say if it’ll turn into something?”
Would you ever want to have a match?
“I don’t think I would want to have a match. I’ve expressed in the past that I do want to get more involved in some capacity. I would love to be a manager. I don’t know who for. That’s been something that I’ve said for probably a decade now. I actually valeted Ryan Katz in his last match on the Indies many, many years ago. But that progression is something that I would want.”
I heard you were training at the PC?
“I would say that I’m someone that really values growth, and I love learning everything that I can about this business. So any opportunity I can do that, I’m going to take it. Another example is I sit next to Paul Heyman every single week in Gorilla.”
What do you think is the biggest thing you’ve learned from Paul Heyman?
“There are so many lessons I don’t even know where to start. This isn’t the best thing that I’ve learned from him, but when I was wearing glasses and I had cut my bangs, he’s like, ‘You have to get rid of that, because we can’t see your eyes, and your eyes are where you tell your emotion.’ So there’s just a lot of little things that I think he helps so many people backstage, but I picked up from him.”
What are some of the things you felt like you needed to work on? If we look back at your first year and we look at where you’re at now, what do you think are the things you fine-tuned?
“Probably just confidence. I think that over time you get more comfortable I think my work is always going to be better if it’s someone that I’m friends with. But yeah, I think it’s confidence.”
I interviewed Maxxine Dupri and she brought your name up if there was a Total Divas reboot
“I feel like now is probably the best time to bring it back, because not only do you have some of the OGs there, but more and more people, I think, are hungry for that kind of content. They want to see what it’s like behind the scenes and see what our lives are really like. In the vein of reality shows, Joe Tess actually tried to nominate me to be the bachelorette recently. He’s friends with people at ABC, the producers of the show, because he worked on a similar show on ABC, and then he’s also friends with Jesse, the host, so I think there was a text exchange of sending in my information, which didn’t lead to anything.”
Would you be open to it?
“Again, it would be something that I would consider. Because I feel like even though I do share a lot of my life, I do keep a lot of it private as well. With any reality show, you don’t always get to dictate, unless you become an executive producer on it, you don’t always get to dictate what’s shared and what’s not.”
Do you feel like you have to turn it on when you’re in front of the camera?
“I think it’s just a different side to me. I was recently diagnosed with autism, and I recognize that it changes a lot of the social dynamics that I have. So when I say introverted, I feel like it’s a little bit more than a typical person would be.”
How do you feel like this run in WWE is different from your first one?
“I think I’m able to have a lot more fun this time. I feel so much more confident in my role, and I feel like, because I’ve been doing it so long, the reins are kind of off, like I can come up with questions on my own. I can kind of dictate where things are going for the most part, but it’s just less stressful and a lot more exciting and fun.”
You’ve been there for some of the biggest moments in WWE history. What’s been the biggest moment where you’ve been like, oh my gosh, I can’t believe either they’re doing this, or this person is back. What’s it been for you?
“In recent memory, I remember sitting outside of Gorilla when CM Punk came back, and even though there were rumors about it that day, to actually be in the building in Chicago, which is where I’m from, too. When he came out, I think was really cool.”
Did you see him walk into Gorilla before he walked out?
“You saw a hooded figure walking, and there were a lot of people around him. But when you have something that really surprises everyone, I think that’s the coolest thing.”
You did an interview with Logan Paul. He was talking about how he was smarter than everybody in the room and then you were like, actually…
“Have you noticed that he’s cut a couple promos talking about how he’s smarter than everyone out there, but he can’t say that he’s the smartest one at WWE.”
Are you saying you’re the smartest one at WWE?
“I don’t think that I’m the smartest one at WWE. I think the smarter you get, the more that you know, that you don’t know everything. But I got my IQ tested.”
What made you get your IQ tested?
“God, this is like 12 years ago, and it was when I was podcasting. I’d just gotten into wrestling, and you know how some people can be in those comments, and it was just calling me a dumb C word. I decided, because I just love proving people wrong and maybe proving myself right, that I had a really high IQ. So I went and I took the test. It was in some basement of a building in Orange County, there were about five or six other people in there. You take this several-hour-long test, and then a few weeks later, they tell you if you are in or not of Mensa.”
How long do you think you want to do this?
“I think as long as I’m treated well and I’m having fun, I would love to be involved. I don’t know in what capacity. I would love to have a family as well. So I don’t know what that looks like, but, Mean Gene was doing it all the way up until he passed. Yeah, what a legend. I remember him coming to the studio in Stamford and taping shows.”
What is Cathy Kelley grateful for?
“My dog, friends and family, and my health.”
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