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VANESSA BORNE DISCUSSES BEING CALLED UP & NEVER USED ON WWE'S MAIN ROSTER, A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, HER RELEASE AND MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2021-06-14 14:00:00

Over the weekend, I sat down with Danielle Kamela aka the former Vanessa Borne in WWE NXT for a 75-minute discussion about her time in WWE, her post-WWE plans, her journey leading to professional wrestling and being released several weeks ago.

During the conversation, Kamela and I discussed that she was to be brought to the main roster but after being told she was being brought up, plans changed, leaving her in a vortex not only behind the scenes but in life, compounded by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.  After initially being told she was being brought to Monday Night Raw during the time period Paul Heyman was Executive Director of that brand, he exited and then there were plans for her instead to her to the Smackdown brand.

So, I was really excited. Especially to hear that Paul Heyman brought me up because I just look up to him so much when it comes to his storytelling, his mic work; and he's someone I would want to be like. So, that was definitely encouraging.  I had been in and out with Raw and SmackDown a few times, and then I think it was around March my lease was up in Orlando. So, I moved back to Arizona, and that's right when COVID hit. 

With all of WWE's Television production moved to Florida, Kamela was now on the other side of the country during a period where travel and everything else in the United States was up in the air.

They stopped bringing me into TVs. They were changing everything because that's when they were filming at the Performance Center. So, it was a whole different thing, and everyone had to navigate throug h that WWE, everyone else in their jobs and careers. Yeah. Then I sat home for, I want to say six months. So, that was tough as well.  I think it was April, May, June, July, August until finally when COVID was calming down, they did bring me back in with Chelsea and Santana; and they told us that we were going to be in a trio, which I was super excited about because anytime you're working with other people that closely, it's fun to be able to bounce ideas off of one another. Everyone thinks differently, and so we were excited about that. Then we also got our main rock roster contracts at that time, which was also another super exciting thing because it's something we all work so hard at. So, that was that.

Kamela, who noted during our conversation that she'd like to see improved communication between WWE management and talents, saw the plans for that trio go by the wayside.  Instead, Kamela was scheduled to be brought to the main roster as part of the now-defunct Retribution stable, but commented that when she asked more about what the group's origins would be based on, she found her call-up reversed.

So, I got that news, and obviously I was excited for the potential to finally be on TV for something. But I also had a lot of questions. I wanted to know what the group was all about, how I fit into this group. I had some concerns with it as well, just because during this time there was a lot of stuff going on in our country when it comes to violence. We're watching all of this stuff unfold on TV, and it's not pretty things to see. So, I just wanted to know if this group was mimicking all of that. That was going on, but I just had all of these questions about it.  And I did express some of those concerns; but ultimately, I want to do whatever I'm told, of course. That is my job. So, I went home that week, was getting ready to potentially be a part of this group, trying to figure out, okay, how can I add? How can I help? How can I make this group better? Within that week, I got a call from [Mark] Carrano that said, "Well, we are not going to have you be a part of Retribution anymore, and we are going to pull your contract since you're not a part of Retribution or you're not doing this anymore. You're getting sent back to NXT."

Kamela stated during our conversation that she made it clear to WWE after they sent her back to NXT (which was a "kick in the gut") that she was on board and was willing to do anything they wanted.  But, she now had a new issue.  WWE's NXT talents are required to be in Florida while Kamela had just relocated to Arizona...in the middle of a pandemic.  So, she waited, and waited.

After finally speaking with WWE's Canyon Ceman and explaining that she was willing to move back to the Sunshine State, she was flown to the WWE Performance Center and returned to the ring for the first time in almost ten months.  Despite feeling that her work was fine and being happy at returning, timing was again against her as Kamela was diagnosed with COVID-19 while there, requiring her to be driven back to Texas (where she has family) from Florida. 

Kamela stated that after this, she was never brought back to the PC again and had no communication with anyone until she reached out to Triple H via text.  At that point, she began having conversations with writers from the NXT brand, but she never returned and was released several weeks ago.  

During our conversation, I made reference to the fact that in some ways, she was like Charlie Brown having Lucy pull the football away time and time again due so many unfortunate turns of fate.  Kamela agreed but stated that she intends to continue with professional wrestling and is currently working on what her post-WWE persona and ring name would be as she prepares for the future. 

You can find out more about her plans at www.DanielleKamela.com as well as following her on Twitter @VanessaBorneWWE

You can listen to the entire conversation now featuring Kamela discussing her release from the company, sitting in suspended animation for 18 months after being called to the main roster but not utilized, her social media response to her release, who initially wanted her called up, how plans changed, the WWE act she was almost a part of, why she never debuted, her path to the business, the WWE Performance Center, learning under Serena Deeb and Sara D'Amoto, thoughts on Triple H, the Mae Young Classic, her pairing with Aaliyah, thoughts on how WWE could handle things better, the unfortunate twists of fate in her WWE journey, advice to those dealing with adversity, her future in pro wrestling and beyond, whether returning to WWE is the goal, Vanessa Borne vs. Danielle Kamela, Bianca Belair, negativity of some fans and how talents react to it, favorite moments, taking part in Wrestlemania weekend, Florida loops and tons more at www.PWInsiderElite.com.

 

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