Lacey Evans On the Origin of Her ‘Nasty’ Catchphrase
Lacey Evans was a guest on Busted Open Radio late last week and discussed how the military prepared her for WWE, the origin of “nasty” and more. Evans revealed that the term comes from her time in the Marine Corps and also talked about how her struggles in life steeled her mentally for the rigors of the WWE schedule.
Highlights from the discussion are below:
On where her ‘nasty’ catchphrase came from: “The term ‘nasty’ came from the Marine Corps. When I was in boot camp, it’s three months long of hell. And you walk in there, thinking you are — whatever you thought you were when you walk into boot camp, you leave the complete opposite. They completely rip you down physically, mentally and emotionally, and they build you up to be a competent United States Marine. Now, while you’re in boot camp, you are called the nasty. Because for example, if you have a three mile run and you are anything but first place — even if you are in first place — you are nothing but a nasty, because you could have done it better. You could have done it faster. If you get a grade on a paper that you had to do while you were in the military and you were tired and you did the best you could, you nasty thing, you could have done better. In the Marine Corps, you are always considered a nasty because you can always give so much more of yourself. So if you’re a lazy person, if you’re an unmotivated person, if you procrastinate, if you don’t give every bit of yourself as a mother, as a wife, as a husband, as a human being, no matter what job description you stand in, you are a nasty thing. So, Lacey Evans is here to set the prime example and show the world what women are capable of because she is not a nasty … I just took that term because it means a lot to me. Because while the average person thinks of ‘nasty’ as dirty or whatnot, that’s not always the case. A nasty person, it’s the way you conduct yourself, you carry yourself. It’s your mindset.”
On her military career preparing her for life in WWE: “The military and being a Marine has set me up to be and do what it is I can do, considering I don’t have any of the experience as a sports entertainer. I didn’t watch the product growing up. I came from literally nothing into this. But you have to be ready at all times, you have to be at airports at 3 AM, ready to hit the road. I have my daughter at my hip, I have my husband, she’s in school. There’s a lot of things that I juggle. And a lot of it’s intimidating and it can be a lot. So you have to have the drive, dedication, and the initiative to meet these challenges and go forward. But the military set me up from that aspect; it’s a mindset. It’s a strong mind.”
On persevering in the face of life struggles: “I have been through a lot of things in my life. I lost my father to addiction [and] depression, I have seven siblings. I’ve been juggling a lot of hard, hard things in my life. I’ve had early mornings, late nights. And not that WWE or sports entertainment isn’t hard because it is, but it isn’t anything that I cannot handle. Because I’ve been through hell; lots and lots of it. And for the first time in my life, you know, my father’s gone but I can sit back and say that I made it, that I’m okay. Because I don’t have to wake up, and put my gear on, and go out and worry if I am going to get shot at or take out a threat. Yes, the days are early, the mornings are early, and flights are long. But you know, I am prepared for that. I am a strong, motivated woman who has been through a lot. And not that this is a break, but man, it has been an amazing adventure and time for me where I can sit back and really be blessed that I get this opportunity to be in.”
