Cathy Kelley On Why She Turned Down WWE Diva Search

Cathy Kelley serves as a host, backstage interviewer, and correspondent for WWE, marking her comeback to the company in 2022 after a brief departure in early 2020.

Her beginnings with WWE were explored during an episode of the Lightweights Podcast. Kelley recounted that her involvement with WWE began while she was at AfterBuzz TV. Ryan Katz, her then co-host and now NXT Manager of Creative Operations, was working on the production of the WWE Diva Search and invited Cathy to participate.

However, she declined the offer. Despite recognizing it as a potential career milestone, Kelley doubted her athletic prowess to compete effectively.

"It was because I feel like AfterBuzz (TV) had several people who either were previously at WWE or had gone back to WWE so they had a really close relationship. Obviously, Maria Menounos had worked with them as well and one of my co-hosts at the time, his name was Ryan Katz, he actually went and did what was called the Diva Search back in the day and helped produce that and he wanted me to come in for that but I was too scared. I said no. I know (that it could’ve been my break), but also, I knew while I wanted to be on-air and while I really love WWE, I don’t know that I had the athletic ability to become a superstar and I knew that about myself and so I didn’t want to take away that opportunity from someone else… A couple years later, they did end up having an audition for broadcasters and there were about 10-to-12 people in that. We all went to Orlando and myself and one of the other guys, we were both offered the job after that and one other audition at a live event and then, I think there was like a hiring freeze or something and so it took two years until I actually started."