When former WCW star Daffney appeared on TNA Impact last week, it was the first time she had been on a prime time cable wrestling show since 2001. Initially playing the role of David Flair’s stalker, the gothic scream queen was one of the more unique and entertaining characters during the last years of WCW.

I spoke to Daffney earlier this week to discuss what she’s been doing since WCW went down, her match against Awesome Kong on Impact, her time in a WWE developmental territory and her thoughts on the current state of women’s wrestling.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen you on TV before last Thursday’s Impact. Where have you been wrestling?

I recently moved to Charlotte. I’m from Atlanta, so I wrestled all over the Southeast, and now I’m all around the Carolinas. I was very lucky to have had the first-ever women’s singles match at PWT in California. I consider that a great honor and I had a lot of fun. I think that federation is wonderful. I wrestled a lot in Texas at Anarchy Championship Wrestling. Probably the greatest honor I have is wrestling with SHIMMER Women Athletes. If you want to see women’s wrestling, the cream of the crop, watch SHIMMER.

What are your thoughts on the state of women's wrestling? Specifically, what do you think of WWE's women's division and TNA's women's division?

I was very, very happy to hear that TNA was going to form a women’s division last fall. It was so nice to see a lot of my close friends get recruited and join the women’s division in TNA and be able to be on national television. It seems as though they took women that have worked hard and have a true passion for being wrestler, and have given them an opportunity to shine. WWE seems to me to have gone back to the state they were at when their women’s division was on top. They’re making their divas really learn how to work. They are focusing on the women that started off in the indies that worked their way up. They’re giving them the belt and making them shine. I’m really happy to see that it’s kind of come back around. For a while it was focusing on the diva search, but now it seems to me that they’re focusing more on the wrestling and the girls that worked their way up through wrestling. Like Mickie James – I’ve known her for years.

You two were roommates at one time, correct?

Yeah, but we were friends before that and we still are. Beth [Phoenix] was in SHIMMER before I was. Melina – she tried out at Tough Enough and then worked her way up. Victoria – she was signed to developmental and wanted to wrestle. So it’s really nice to see that they’re focusing more on the wrestling and trying to teach the girls that were in the diva search to focus more on wrestling and less on being divas.

What is your opinion of the bikini models and fitness models who got into the business by winning contests?

Well, I’m not really one to speak because I got into it through acting. But then I went to the Power Plant [WCW’s training center] on my own on my off days and worked my way into earning my spot. If you get discovered that way, [it’s OK as long as] you work hard and you show a true passion and you’re not there for the fame and the fortune but for true love of the sport, and there’s no complaining and no “I broke a nail” and “I don’t want to do this.” There are weird strokes of luck of how you get into the business. I think it’s all in the attitude and the dedication that you put into it once you’ve gotten your spot.

When you and the other women in WCW were being trained by Madusa, she had a reputation for being very hard on all of you. What was that training like?

That was way after I had started my training. I was at the Power Plant and I was lucky enough that Molly Holly [Mona in WCW] was there, so as soon as I started to show up on my own, I think she saw that I really wanted to learn. So she took me aside and just started showing me things. And then she moved back home, so I was the only girl. I was in there training with all the guys. I was still going to TV early and getting in the ring with Crowbar and Shane Helms. Terry Taylor was really nice and got in there with me if I had a spot in the match. I would just get in there and anybody that would show me something, I would just try to learn. So, when the time came that Vince Russo said that one day a week we’re flying [the women] to the Power Plant and you have to learn, I was kind of used to the drill. Yes, she was hard on us because you had girls there who really had no experience and training, like a lot of the Nitro Gils that were professional dancers. It was difficult to train with girls that didn’t have much experience, and they were kind of thrown into it – poor things, it was kind of thrown at them all at once, so it was kind of shocking.

When I talked to Madusa back then about the training, she said that she sent some of the girls home in tears. I’m guessing that you weren’t one of them?

No, I wasn’t. I don’t want to call them a wuss because they went home crying, because it’s tough. There have been 400-pound football players that didn’t last a day. So those girls tried. But Madusa is a tough lady and she was really tough on us because it’s a tough business.

You mentioned Melina earlier. What did you think of her screaming gimmick in WWE? Did you see that as gimmick infringement?

[Laughs]. I used to get so many e-mails: “Who do you think screams louder, you or Melina?” My answer used to always be: “Who’s Melina?” Actually, she’s a very close friend of mine now, and I’ve lost my voice, so I really can’t scream like that anymore. I stole her entrance, and she can scream if she wants.

Wow, you not screaming is like Ric Flair not doing his “Whooo!”

I don’t really do the crazy thing anymore. I’m different than your everyday average girl, but … I like to be taken more seriously as a wrestler. People are like, “Oh, we want to hire you as a manger.” And I’m like, “Well, do you want me to have a singles match?” They’re like, “Oh, do you wrestle?” Yeah, I’ve been wrestling now for eight years. When I get in the ring, I take my matches very seriously. There’s a little bit of screaming going on, but it’s not the crazy screaming for no reason and laughing maniacally and doing that sort of thing. My character has taken on a little more serious role.

I think we saw that more serious aspect during your match with Awesome Kong last week on Impact. You came out with the mouth guard and the gloves like you were prepared to fight.

Yeah, that was the point. You’re there to try to win $25,000 and the belt and you’re fighting Kong; it’s such a challenge and you’re trying to protect yourself. Yeah, I wanted to be taken seriously. I’ve heard from so many people, “Well, we didn’t like the scream.” I wanted to show that I don’t really do that anymore. I don’t think people believe that, so I’m like, “Well, just watch and see.” And I spoke in a normal voice, which I didn’t do for years.

Had you ever worked with Kong before? Were you prepared for how stiff she works?

Yes, I have worked her before. To be honest with you, she is a complete professional. I don’t know if stiff is the right word. You don’t leave a match with her going, “Oh my God, I can’t walk” or “I’m hurt.” She is a very talented woman. I think that every woman that she gets in the ring with, if given the opportunity to do what she wants to do, she elevates the person. Me being fortunate enough to know how to work her, I was prepared for how she works.

You had a WWE developmental deal in Ohio Valley Wrestling about five years ago. What was that experience like and why do you think it didn't lead to a WWE contract?

Yes, it was in 2003. The experience for me was not very positive because it was right around that time that they let all the women workers go. It was right when the WWE women’s division was at the top of their game and then it seemed to me that they decided to go in another direction. Gail Kim got let go; Molly Holly got let go; Jackie got let go; Ivory got let go. They let all the girls that could work go. And then it was diva search, diva search, diva search. I was there to be a wrestler, and I was not really given a chance to show that I could wrestle in the developmental program. I was put in a managerial role with talent that was not used to having a manager, that I had no chemistry with and that wasn’t really interested in creating chemistry with me. There are just some people that you work with that you don’t click with.

I would make suggestions. I really wanted to be with, at the time he was Carly Colon, and my character was Lucy. They were dead set against me being Daffney. I wanted to do the Lucy-Ricky Ricardo thing. And I was like [speaking in an exaggerated Hispanic accent]: “Do the Hispanic accent like this. Talk like this.” I pitched that. They shot it down, and next thing you know he’s on TV and he’s Carlito. And then I pitched [an idea for] Mark Magnus. He’s Italian, but I was like, “Man, you look Arab. You should do an Arab thing. I’ve got dark hair. They should put me in a burka and I should be called Dottie. It should be like the Macho Man-Miss Liz thing. No heat between the countries, but heat as far as you being mean to me. And then one day I rip off the burka.” Next thing you know, I get fired and then he’s Muhammad Hassan. It’s not like I didn’t try. It’s not like I didn’t pitch everything under the sun because I was so unhappy with what they gave me creatively. That’s why it was not a good experience. Their answer was: "We don’t have anything for you creatively.” And then everything that I pitched creatively was done without me.

That must have been frustrating.

Yes, and that’s why I was out of the business for a little while.

What made you want to get back in?

To prove myself to myself, because OVW pretty much sucked the life out of me and made me feel like I wasn’t any good. All the fans in WCW that would always say, “Oh, we like your character, we’re such a big fan of your work,” that was all taken away from me. I just did a few shows and I got such positive responses from people saying that it was so good to see me again that I was like, “Oh I’ll do a little bit more.” And then it just kind of snowballed. So it turned from wanting to prove myself to see if I could do it to wanting to do it for the fans.

What memories stand out from your time in WCW?

Getting schoolboy-ed by Ric Flair for him to become the world heavyweight champion for the 15th time. Then immediately afterward, taking the figure-four. Taking a piledriver from Terry Funk in England. Becoming the second woman to be cruiserweight champion. Just being part of the company and the whole experience. Being on the road – it was all just a very surreal experience.

I don’t recall the Ric Flair thing. How was it that he pinned you to win the title?

You know, suspend your disbelief. There was a bunch of us in the ring, and I don’t remember who he was fighting, but it was like, “He’s going to schoolboy you, 1-2-3, he wins the belt. He pins you, but it’s still a big schmazz in the ring and then he grabs your foot and puts you in the figure-four.” I’m like, “OK, cool.” At the time you’re green and you don’t really realize.

What are your goals in the business moving forward?

I guess just to ride the wave for as long as possible. Women’s careers are a little shorter than the guys, but I just try to do every show I can, try to keep booked pretty much every weekend.

Well, I know that you have a loyal fan base that was happy to see you on the TNA show last week.

It was real nice when I did Impact to get a lot of people saying, “Hey, it was so cool to see you; hadn’t seen you on TV in years.” It made me feel really, really good. My ODFs – Original Daf Fanatics – are true and loyal. Like I said, why did I get back in? Because of them.

Photo courtesy of Shannon Spruill