Piper Niven teases her plans for her new character.
Niven, formerly known as Doudrop, returned to WWE at the Royal Rumble premium live event on January 28. She had been absent since September, as she had been battling health issues. The former NXT star recently opened up about how she had been dealing with a COVID-related scare.
In an interview with Nick Talbot of MySanAntonio ahead of the Royal Rumble show, Doudrop was asked about her looming return. She emphasized that, during her time away, she dove into her past and made some personal growth. Moving forward, she noted that she wans to incorporate the experience into her storyline. Niven also stated that she hopes the new story raises awareness with people, as she believes it’s a common thing.
“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,” Doudrop said. “I am a plus-sized JoJo Siwa. I was like, ‘I can do that.’ Then they were like, ‘Hey, I need you to be a heel.’ 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. I hope it raises awareness with a lot of people, because I think it is something a lot of people go through.”
Niven was also asked about the process of pitching her new ideas, and she admitted that she had never done it before, at least as far as her character is concerned. She emphasized her passion for the pitch, given that it was grounded in her real-life experience. She stated that the creative team was receptive, and they really liked the idea, so she’s excited.
“It was really nerve-wracking actually, because I have never pitched anything to creative before,” Niven said. “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?’
“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.’ Luckily, they were so receptive and really, really liked it. So, it is very exciting.”
