Doudrop wrestled under the ring name Piper Niven during her time in NXT UK. Vince McMahon changed Niven’s name following her WWE main roster debut. At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on Saturday night, the Scottish wrestler returned as Piper Niven by entering the Women’s Royal Rumble match as the 18th entrant.
While speaking to My San Antonio ahead of the Royal Rumble, Niven discussed the evolution of her character in WWE.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On being given the Doudrop character: “When I was given Doudrop, it really took me a minute to figure out who she was supposed to be, and I felt I had just started to get into the swing of things with her. I am a plus-sized JoJo Siwa. And I was like, ‘I can do that.’ Then they were like, ‘Hey, I need you to be a heel.’ And I was like, ‘What?’ So, it was kind of difficult to change up that character. With the time away, something I didn’t realize is quite common is that when athletes get injured, they go kind of crazy, because you are sitting at home, and you don’t have your outlet. So, it really did a number on me mentally and made me do some therapy work and delving into my past to help me realize some things. It’s been an interesting few months, and I am looking forward to bringing the real-life experience I had and making it a part of my storyline. And I hope it raises awareness with a lot of people, because I think it is something a lot of people go through.”
On pitching ideas to Triple H and creative: “It was really nerve-wracking actually, because I have never pitched anything to creative before. I’ve done matches, but nothing ever like real big character things. So, this was really nerve-wracking, because it came from a real-life experience, and because it is something I am passionate about. I just didn’t want it to be rejected when I approached them. They called me in and were like, ‘Hey, do you have some ideas?’ And I was like, ‘Well, this has been going on in my real life, and I think it would be cool to work that into a storyline.’ And luckily, they were so receptive and really, really liked it. So, it is very exciting.”
On the jump from NXT UK to the main roster: “It was crazy, because no one has ever gone straight from NXT UK to the main roster before. So, I was literally delving into the unknown. Even things like moving were difficult because when you move from NXT UK to NXT there are a lot of people there that have been through the same thing and process so they can advise and help you in what you need to do. But I was going from NXT UK to the main roster, and not everyone is based in Florida, and they have never been in my shoes. So, I felt like I was going at it alone. It was the pandemic, so my husband couldn’t come with me, and I was living on my own in Florida for six months, just literally winging it. It was a lot, but it was cool. It was cool to feel a little bit like a pioneer.
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