Priscilla Kelly, the former Gigi Dolin in WWE, has made her way back to the independent scene after her release from the company at the beginning of May, and though things are different for her in the indies now than they were five years ago, it doesn't seem as though she's missed a step. Kelly recently spoke with Dave LaGreca on "Busted Open Radio" about how things are going for her now, as she remains booked and busy in her post-WWE life. She explained that WWE and the indies are "two different kinds of busy."
"With WWE, you're working your a** off. You're very busy," Kelly explained. "You're training every day when you're in 'NXT.' You're on the road. You're doing all this stuff. But, it is organized... You have a schedule. The indies, it's busy, but it's your own machine. Especially now versus when I was on the independent scene before WWE, now, it's much different. Because, before, I was just the young indie kid, very DIY, very just like 'whatever happens, happens. I'm just wrestling and making promos.' You do it a lot, but now, it's like, post-WWE, it's like I have to manage not just Priscilla Kelly, a person, but it's Priscilla Kelly, a brand."
She called the independents these days "a different kind of beast" now that she's doing it all herself. Kelly has most recently worked in MLW, where she was defeated by fellow-WWE release-turned indie darling Shotzi Blackheart. She also worked a House of Glory show alongside Allie Katch in a loss to Blackheart and Scarlett Bordeaux, and even lost to Danhausen in a recent GCW match.
Kelly hasn't been shy about sharing her thoughts about her time in WWE, both the good and the bad that comes with working there. She spoke on "Busted Open" about the rush of emotions that came with the call notifying her of her release. She said she was "all over the place."
"It doesn't matter if you loved WWE, it doesn't matter if you hated working at WWE, when you first get released, there's always a mix of emotions," she said. "There's always a little bit of that self doubt. There's always a little bit of that excitement that, 'Oh my God, I can do whatever I want now.' But, then there's always the 'Oh my God... it's all up to me to do it...' Like, it was bittersweet. I was a little bit relieved."
Kelly said she was glad to not have to wake up to "go bump her a** off at 9 am," but said she knew she was going to miss it, as well as the friends she had made along the way, including her former tag partner, Tatum Paxley. She also explained the relief at knowing she could go back to making her own schedule.
"I don't have to have panic attacks every time someone calls my phone because I think I'm being told that I have to make a flight in a few hours to go to 'Raw' or I'm being told that I have to stop everything I'm doing to come in and film a promo," she said. "Not that I wasn't grateful for those opportunities, but it adds a lot of pressure to your day-to-day life."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
