Kelly Kelly, a.k.a. Barbie Blank, signed a WWE contract in 2006. Following a brief stint in Ohio Valley Wrestling, she debuted in ECW as a member of Extreme Exposé in a non-wrestling role, alongside Layla and Brooke Adams.
The next year, she started actively competing in matches and finally won the Divas Championship in 2011. A four-month reign followed, and Kelly Kelly retired from WWE the following year. She's since appeared in WWE sporadically—winning the 24/7 Championship in 2019—and is one of only a few wrestlers to have been a babyface for their entire career.
Talking to Chris Van Vliet, the former Divas Champion confirmed that she was asked to compete at the Evolution PLE earlier this year. However, she also debunked reports that she'd been pushing for a singles bout.
"I wanted to talk about this, because it was a thing. So when I got the call, it was in Atlanta, obviously. Again, it was one of the weekends, the only weekend I had off, and my kids, I think they had something going on. And I feel like when I come back, I want my kids to see me there and they wouldn't been able to make it. I don't know. There were just a lot of different things that were kind of keeping me from going. Of course, you read the dirt sheets and this is another thing."
"Somebody on the dirt sheets was like, 'Oh, somebody in the higher ups said that she only wants to come back if she has a match', which could not have been farther from the truth. I didn't need a match to come back. If it was in LA, I would have been there no questions asked. But to fly across the country to do that, like I said in the beginning, with my kids, I'm very picky about what I say yes and no to right now. Maybe when they're six or seven, and they're grown or bigger and stuff like that, then I probably would have done it.:
"But it's just, like I said, that was the one weekend I had off. I didn't want to get them on a plane and do this. There was just a bunch of different things."
Adding that it was a "last-minute call" from WWE, Kelly Kelly went on to say that, had she been given more notice, it's more likely that she'd have agreed to step back into the ring.
She put that down to her husband being an engineer and the challenges that her returning to WWE while caring for her children would have presented, before elaborating on her current relationship with the company.
"WWE knows exactly why I said no, and they were totally [fine with it]. They were like, 'When we're in LA, you'll be there?' And I'm like, Yes, I will be there. So that was never a conversation like, 'Kelly has to come back, she has to be in a match.' Never, never. And it's like, they [dirt sheets] said, 'Oh well, the higher up said she hasn't been in the ring in 13 years.' When I've done battle royals and stuff, I've gotten the call a week before, and I got in the ring and I wrestled every day. So it has nothing to do with that. Everybody that I talked to in WWE knows the reason."
"So it's just like for people to come out and be like, 'Oh, she thinks she's better than sitting in the crowd, and she thinks that she deserves a match.' No, I would have gladly [appeared in the crowd]. When they came for the Netflix thing. I wanted to go to that, because it was in LA. So it's just different circumstances that happen, and life, right? At the end of the day, I have to thank WWE for my career. They’re who made me, I wouldn't have the career that I have if it wasn't for them. I am so appreciative of them."
Confirming that she's signed a WWE Legends deal with the company, Kelly Kelly mulled over what her dream matches would be with the current WWE women's roster.
"Oh, there are so many amazing women," she acknowledged. "I love Charlotte, I think she's amazing. I think Tiffany is amazing. Chelsea Green, I just love that she's bringing the Divas kind of era back a little bit. It's so cool to see that."
You can hear more from the former WWE Superstar in the player below.