Candice Michelle knows firsthand how brutal wrestling fans and dirt sheets can be after mistakes happen in the ring, but during a conversation with TMZ’s Inside the Ring, she made it clear that wrestlers can’t allow one botched move to completely destroy their confidence.
While discussing fans constantly calling out botches online, the former WWE Women’s Champion admitted she’s dealt with embarrassing mistakes herself and understands how painful it can feel once clips and criticism start spreading everywhere.
“Well, I think the fans, you know, lead the show, so they’re going to say what they want to. As a wrestler, I have botched several moves and nothing is more embarrassing than reading it on the dirt sheet.”
Now working backstage as a producer in TNA Wrestling, Candice explained she recently dealt with a wrestler who became hesitant after messing up a move during a match. Instead of letting the wrestler overthink the mistake, Candice pushed her to immediately try again before the fear became permanent.
“I had a girl recently botch a move and I was like, ‘Yeah girl, let’s get it in this next match.’ And she’s like, ‘Well no, no, no, I’m going to practice some more.’ I was like, ‘Well okay. But if you wait too long now, you have a whole complex about one move.’”
Candice then summed up her philosophy in a much more direct way, saying wrestlers need to stop mentally spiraling every time fans criticize them online.
“When you botch something and somebody calls you out on it, it’s like, girl, go get your shit together and like, let’s go prove them wrong.”
In today’s social media era, botches can instantly go viral across Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube within minutes, which has made fan criticism even louder than it was during Candice Michelle’s WWE run. Still, she clearly believes confidence and resilience matter more than pretending mistakes never happen.
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Do you think wrestling fans have become too obsessed with botches, or is criticism simply part of being a performer today? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
