Naomi Talks Being Away From WWE Due To Family Issues, Facing Bayley In Saudi Arabia
In just 24-hours, Naomi will go one-on-one with Bayley for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship at WWE Super ShowDown in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Before her match, Naomi spoke with WWE's The Bump panel about how excited she is to be part of history.
"I'm just super excited," Naomi exclaimed. "I'm super happy for this opportunity, and to get my championship back, you know? This is an amazing experience. I remember last year, when Natalya and Lacey Evans had this opportunity. I was at home watching these guys, and I was just so inspired and happy for them. So, to be here, it's really special. I had no idea that I would be here to have this opportunity and this moment. I'm going to take full advantage of it."
After stepping away from the WWE for a while, Naomi received a lot of love from the WWE Universe when she returned to this year's Women's Royal Rumble back in January. She never thought she was going to receive that much admiration from the fans when she returned.
"It feels like I never left," Naomi stated. "I was gone for a while, to deal with my family and losing a loved one, and a lot of other things. I really missed it [being part of the WWE]. The comeback was such a warm response. It gave me validation about myself and my career, that I do belong, I was missed, and I am loved."
Like many of the WWE Superstars, Naomi wanted to revamp her look when she came back. One thing she focused on was her entrance. As of late, Naomi comes out wearing an LED helmet. Naomi tells The Bump what inspired her to wear this helmet and how it was created.
"I'm always researching and trying to find anything different to revamp my entrance to keep it fresh and fun," Naomi noted. "So, I was able to find this helmet. It actually came from Russia. I saw it and thought that it would be very cool. There's also this DJ, who wears an LED helmet too, that I took inspiration from. The first time I wore it though, I couldn't see...I've had a couple more rehearsals with it, so now, I'm comfortable with it. It's still hard to see out of it, but it's awesome."
Panelist Evan T. Mack asked about Naomi's Instagram post she made this past weekend, after her LED shoes came apart during her match with Carmella on SmackDown. Naomi noted that the shoes have been thrown out.
"Man, I'm so mad because I was in such a rush to catch my flight out, that I didn't have time to fix them. I actually had to throw them away," Naomi sadly informed. "I didn't think to keep them, because they're special. But, I have about 150 pairs of LED shoes at home."
You can view Naomi's full interview above. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE's The Bump with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.