Backstage interviewers and broadcasters may not be part of the in-ring product in professional wrestling, but they do play a big role in the overall show. Certain interviewers can truly establish themselves on the shows with their personalities coming across well, and Cathy Kelley is a modern example of that.
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She is beloved by the WWE Universe, but because she’s not given the time to truly showcase herself as much as the wrestlers, there is still a lot that people don’t know about her. Considering how influential she is on the shows, Kelley is someone that fans should learn even more about.
UPDATE: 2024/11/19 22:00 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA
Cathy Kelley has had quite the journey in WWE. She began her career there from 2016-2020. However, it was not without its struggles. In 2020, Kelley took some time away from WWE and pursued other interests. But, she ended up returning in 2022. Since then, she has firmly established herself as one of the best backstage interviewers that WWE has seen. She shows her passion and knows exactly how to help sell a storyline. In addition, she also partakes in a number of other events such as pre-shows for WWE. Kelley has shown how great she is at what she does. With all of this being said, let’s learn a bit more about Cathy Kelley and her time in WWE.
Kelley Appeared On A Netflix Show
She Had A Minor Role On It
- #blackAF ran for one season.
- It aired in 2020.
- It had eight episodes.
Before she began her career as a broadcast journalist in WWE, Kelley did have a minor role on a Netflix show in #blackAF. The show only ran for one season, with a total of eight episodes. It starred Rashida Jones, Iman Benson, and Scarlet Spencer. She had a role as a flight attendant in the show.
She Never Watched Wrestling Growing Up
Kelley Was Only Allowed 30 Minutes Of TV Per Day
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- She didn’t watch any wrestling until she was an adult.
- She was only allowed to watch 30 minutes of television a day.
- It was due to “The Bachelor” that she saw Raw.
A lot of the people who wind up working for WWE tend to be lifelong fans, watching the product from a young age and opting to pursue that dream as a career. However, that wasn’t the case with Cathy Kelley, as she never watched WWE growing up.
She didn’t watch much television at all due to her mother restricting her to just 30 minutes of television per day. However, she ended up being involved in a podcast based on “The Bachelor,” and that show aired at the same time as Raw which led to her watching for the first time.
She Has No Interest In Wrestling A Match
Kelley Has Previously Taken A Bump
- She did a little in-ring training at Championship Wrestling From Hollywood.
- Kelley knocked the wind out of herself with two bumps.
Anybody who is part of WWE’s televised product could wind up being involved in storylines at points, and that has led to plenty of non-wrestlers competing in the ring at times over the years. The likes of Michael Cole, Jim Ross, and Gene Okerlund are all examples of that.
However, Cathy Kelley has made it clear she has no interest in joining that list. Fans shouldn’t expect to see her wrestling at any point, having stated it isn’t something she wants to do after being bruised for a week from her one training experience.
She Worked For Maria Menounos
It Was Early In Her Career
- Maria Menounos has worked in a variety of different projects.
- She is also an ambassador for WWE.
- Kelley grew in the positions and responsibilities there.
Early on in Kelley’s career, she was working for very little pay as she was trying to get her foot into the door. This led to her first job working for Maria Menounos’ podcast network, where she hosted a number of different reality dating shows. In addition, Kelley also ended up working in backstage roles. She did editing and also Talent Booking while he was there.
She Has Numerous Influences
She Looks Up To Various Women In Entertainment
- Kelley has listed Olivia Wilde, Patty Jenkings, Greta Gerwig, and Ali Wong as influences.
- She has spoken very highly of them.
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Before WWE, Kelley had a long career in media that saw her wear numerous hats. While she currently works for WWE, her career has seen her taken on various roles related to acting and social media. There are various people that she has looked up to in her career. One of them is Olivia Wilde, who has done both acting and directing. In addition, Kelley told ClichéMag,
“Patty Jenkins, Greta Gerwig, Ali Wong… I have girl crushes on all of them too!”
Cathy Kelley Is 5ft 7in
She’s Taller Than Several Wrestlers
- She can often be seen as bigger than some wrestlers backstage.
- Backstage interviewers often stand wider-legged to appear smaller.
The height of wrestlers isn’t something that causes too much concern anymore, but when it comes to backstage interviewers WWE is typically a little more selective. Those backstage segments are normally set up to make the wrestlers are physically imposing as possible.
That is why the interviewers are normally much smaller in height, but that’s not the case with Cathy Kelley. She’s taller than several wrestlers in the women’s division, and a few in the men’s as well.
She Is 35 Years Old
Cathy Kelley Could Have A Long Stint Ahead Of Her
- She studied journalism at Loyola University Chicago.
- Originally joined WWE at age 28
Age tends to be more of a factor in wrestling for those who are competing inside the ring due to the physical nature of the job. It is less important for those working behind the scenes, considering that they’re not pushing themselves to the maximum inside the ring every week.
At 35 years of age, Cathy Kelley is in a great spot for WWE as she has the chance to work for a long time, moving forward, allowing the company to invest in her.
She Loved Following Becky Lynch’s Career
Kelley Saw Lynch At The Beginning Of Her WWE Journey
- Lynch’s WWE contract expired in 2024.
- She was a multi-time World Champion.
- Lynch won the first women’s main event in WrestleMania history.
While she might no longer be with WWE right now, there is no doubt that Becky Lynch had been one of the biggest names in the promotion over the last few years. She was a multi-time champion and put on classic matches. It was a long journey for Lynch from the days in NXT. And it was a journey that Kelley had a ton of fun watching. She said, speaking about whose career was the most exciting to watch,
“I would have to say Becky Lynch. My tryout with WWE took place during the very first NXT special (NXT Arrival) and she was a small part of another Superstar’s entrance. Seeing how far she’s come and how much she has put the Women’s Division on the map has been incredible.” (h/t ClichéMag)
She Left WWE Due To A Lack Of Main Roster Opportunities
Cathy Kelley Is Now Part Of The SmackDown Brand
- She considered leaving for over a year.
- She didn’t feel there was a career trajectory at the time.
- She left WWE in 2020, but returned in 2022.
Cathy Kelley was with WWE originally from 2016 to 2020, with her work primarily taking place on the NXT brand. She was also involved in regularly interviewing Triple H which were popular on social media, but that wasn’t enough for her.
She wanted to be part of a main roster show, and at the time didn’t believe that was possible for her. This is the reason Kelley quit WWE, which was a big decision for her, but something that paid off in the long run.
She Struggled During Her First WWE Stint
It Was Difficult To Navigate
- Kelley has been very open about her mental health struggles.
- She felt like she wouldn’t move up in WWE.
- She left the company for some time.
The professional wrestling business can truly be something difficult to navigate. There is a lot that wrestlers, referees, backstage personalities, and more need to learn. For Kelley, it was especially difficult as it took a toll on her mental health. She told Out Of Character,
“I remember having a conversation with Michael Cole, who wasn’t even my boss at the time, but after doing all of these live hits with NXT and being told that it wasn’t gonna happen. It was really defeating. I remember the last few months, I was crying every single day, my close friends and my family knew that. I smiled through it at work most of the time, I think there were like one or two times that I broke. It felt like the dream that I had, and whether or not that was promised at the beginning, it wasn’t gonna happen there. I was told at the time that I’d have a job there until I’m 87 if I wanted it. I could have coasted doing the digital stuff and producing and creating content, but that ultimately wasn’t my goal.” (h/t Fightful)
Kelley also spoke very openly about her struggles with anxiety and how they affected her in WWE. Eventually, she took a break from the company before she returned.
Kelley And Rhea Ripley Are Close Friends
They Love Sharing Videos With Each Other On Social Media
- Ripley is a former Women’s World Champion.
- The two share exchanges on X and TikTok.
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It is not uncommon nowadays to see many of your favorite WWE stars sharing videos on social media. It is fun to see these larger-than-life stars have fun outside their in-ring personas with their friends backstage. And Rhea Ripley and Kelley love joking around with each other.
Kelley and Ripley have constantly been jokingly flirtatous with each other on social media and always love messing with each other.
She Was Helped Out By Cody & Brandi Rhodes
One Of Her First Assignments In WWE Was Working With Them
- Michael Cole initially told her not to act like a fan.
- Cody & Brandi Rhodes decided to leave WWE the week they helped her.
Starting in WWE is always going to be a nerve-wracking experience, and that was certainly the case for Cathy Kelley when she started for the company. She revealed that Michael Cole didn’t want her to act like a fan, so that left her unsure how to behave in terms of shaking hands and all the unwritten rules that come with the business.
However, Cody Rhodes and Brandi Rhodes stepped in to help her when she was given an assignment with them. It’s something that helped Kelley as they advised her on what to do, which impressed her given that they had a lot going on personally due to them quitting WWE at that time.
Her Relationship Status Is Kept Private
Cathy Kelley Is Believed To Be Single
- She jokes online about being in a long-distance relationship with Samantha Irvin.
- She is believed to be single.
Wrestling fans might be interested in learning about Cathy Kelley’s relationship status, but dating is an aspect of her life she tends to keep very private. While people have learned about some of her previous relationships, even then details were often scarce about what she would provide.
Right now she is believed to be single, but that is not confirmed as fact.
She’s Previously Dated Within The Business
Kelley Has Dated Finn Balor
- She dated Finn Balor for around a year.
- She was rumored to date Velveteen Dream.
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While Cathy Kelley’s current relationship status is unclear, that doesn’t mean that people aren’t aware of her history when it comes to dating. She and Finn Balor used to be in a relationship for around a year, with the couple proving to be a hit with audiences.
There were also rumors that she had dated former NXT Superstar, The Velveteen Dream, however, they were something that Kelley shut down on Twitter by claiming they didn’t speak outside of work.
She Plays The Guitar
Kelley Hasn’t Played A While
- Kelley grew up in Chicago, Illinois.
- She was in a band called Quixotic.
- She also did choir.
While Kelley hasn’t shown it on WWE television, she was involved with music when she was younger. When she was in high school, she was in band called Quixotic, a play on the novel Don Quixote. She played the bass with the band and also was a part of choir. However, she is admittedly not as passionate about music as she is with broadcasting.
Cathy Kelley Has A Passion For Writing
This Was A Focus After Leaving WWE
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Cathy Kelley has a degree in journalism, so she was able to train in different aspects of that outside of just broadcast. That’s a muscle she began to flex during her time away from WWE, as she spent time writing a movie, some television pilots, and treatments for other projects.
While it’s unknown if any of them were picked up or will be in the future, she was able to scratch that itch and gain some experience in a different field.
WWE Offered Her A Variety Of Roles To Return
Stephanie McMahon Played A Big Role In Bringing Her Back To The Company
- A birthday text to Triple H initially started conversations about returning.
- She was offered the chance to train as a commentator.
- She was also offered the chance to be a writer and liaison.
Since Cathy Kelley returned to WWE in 2022 she has been back to her role as a backstage interviewer, which she did during her first stint with the company. However, this time she has been on the main roster having worked on Raw first and now being part of SmackDown.
However, during her initial comeback talks which happened with Stephanie McMahon, she was offered a variety of roles. McMahon was open to Kelley being a writer, and a liaison for WWE’s Community program, and she even offered commentary training, but it was the main roster backstage interviewer role she wanted and once that was offered, Kelley snapped it up.
