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John Laurinaitis once told Francine she needed to learn how to politic backstage if she wanted to be more successful in WWE.
Best known for her time in ECW between 1994 and 2001, Francine worked for WWE as part of the revamped ECW brand in 2006. Shane Douglas’ former valet found it difficult to receive television time and left the company after just five months.
Speaking on her Eyes Up Here podcast, Francine mentioned how WWE’s Head of Talent Relations had some harsh words for her behind the scenes:
“Johnny Ace, Laurinaitis, pulls me in his office, ‘You’re like watching paint dry.’ I said, ‘Excuse me?’ He goes, ‘Not your work. I’m not talking about your work.’ He goes, ‘You’re not politicking. What are you doing?’ I said, ‘What do you mean what am I doing?’ He goes, ‘You’re in your locker room where no one can see you. You’re hiding.’” [14:40-15:07]
Laurinaitis thought Francine needed to make more of an impression backstage to improve her chances of being featured on television. The ex-ECW star clarified that she was not “hiding” and that she always made a point of speaking to people in catering.
Francine disliked working for WWE
While Francine enjoyed her time in ECW, she could not say the same for her brief stint in WWE.
The 50-year-old felt physically ill traveling to work during her five months with the company. She also said that she struggled to sleep due to the mental exhaustion of the job:
“I woke up having to get on that airplane with a stomach ache because I didn’t wanna go, and I forced myself every week to go, and every week I would come home exhausted whether I worked or not because it was mental.” Francine continued, “It wasn’t just the travel and work and not sleeping. It was the mental aspect.” [16:09-16:44]
Francine added that she constantly felt as though she needed to prove she was capable of adding something to the show. The Queen of Extreme previously revealed that Vince McMahon had never seen her ECW work before he hired her.
Please credit Eyes Up Here and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
