Piper Niven made her return to a WWE ring over the weekend at the Royal Rumble event. She was out of action since September.
Entering into the match at the number 18 spot, Niven was no longer named Doudrop which is something that many fans have been wanting ever since her name was changed. Never having a run in NXT, Niven came directly from NXT UK and was paired with Eva Marie and given the name Doudrop. Her history in NXT UK was also not mentioned at the time.
Now, with the name change, Niven is talking about how she plans to change her character moving forward. While speaking with MySanAntonio prior to the Royal Rumble event, Niven spoke about how she handled receiving the name Doudrop.
“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. I am a plus-sized JoJo Siwa,” said Niven. “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 continues to talk about new pitches she made for her character moving forward.
“It was really nerve-wracking actually, because I have never pitched anything to creative before. 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,” said Niven.
Niven revealed what primarily kept her out of the ring for the past several months. While talking with Denise Salcedo she mentioned she had COVID pretty bad and it was a concern for her heart. She had not received a clean bill of health and is ready to dominate.
What are your thoughts on Piper’s return? Discuss below.
