411 Wrestling Interviews: Rima Fakih

Rima Fakih is the current reigning Miss USA pageant winner. Though you might also know her as the fiery and spunky native New Yorker who recently appeared on the new season of the WWE reality series, Tough Enough, on USA. Rima was unfortunately cut from the series last week in the fourth episode. Also last week, we got the chance to catch up with her to talk about her time on the show and her experience training with WWE greats like Stone Cold Steve Austin, the host of the show:

Jeffrey Harris: How are you doing?

Rima Fakih: I’m doing good. Of course like everyone else, I’m disappointed. I wasn’t ready to leave the show. But I know that Stone Cold and the rest of the trainers were only looking out for my best interest.

Jeffrey Harris: What have you been up to as of late?

Rima Fakih: What everyone doesn’t know is that Tough Enough was pre-taped from February to March and then I had to go back to my Miss USA work. And it’s a pretty busy life. Last week on Thursday on was The Soup. I did a thing with Yahoo.com, a video interview. I was on Good Day LA. It was just a media week actually. And I walked the red carpet at the Tribeca Film Festival this weekend. I’ve been quite busy with Miss USA.

Jeffrey Harris: You and your family came to the United States from Lebanon, and now you’re a Miss USA pageant winner and a reality TV show contestant. I think if anyone defines the American dream it’s got to be someone like you and your family.

Rima Fakih: Thank you, that’s what I say. I say I’m a perfect example of the American dream. I used to have this T-shirt when I was a kid and it said, “American Dream” on it. Yeah my parents are very proud. My dad, he told me “there isn’t a day I don’t wake up at the middle of the night to go get water or just wake up and go, ‘wow. My daughter is Miss USA.'” And I used to always tell my dad, “Dad. One day I’m going to be something. I’m going to be something positive and I’m going to be in the history books.” He said, what are you going to be, the president?” I went, “You never know.” So I’m just happy that I can talk to my dad and my mom and hear the pride in their voice.

Jeffrey Harris: You won the Miss USA pageant. What made you want to go on to Tough Enough and try and be a pro wrestler and WWE diva?

Rima Fakih: Well you know it’s kind of odd when they hear that Miss USA is a wrestling fan. But I’ve been a fan since I was a kid, you know Bret Hart, Stone Cold, the Rock, Shawn Michaels. Of course it’s weird, but why? I used to stand outside the WWE store in Time Square with my little brother, freezing cold, hoping that I could get an autograph from one of the wrestlers who might be visiting or something. And when this opportunity came up I asked District Films and asked Paula Shugart, our president, for their opinion and they gave me the green light to leave the crown at home and go out there to try and compete.

Jeffrey Harris: How did you get the chance to be on the show? Was it previous appearance and association with WWE when you crowned Sheamus King of the Ring?

Rima Fakih: Before that, they were at a pageant. Sometimes there are scouters trying to reach out to find divas or something like that. And I saw from far way, that’s the WWE logo. So I was like “Why do they have a WWE logo?” So I ran up to them. And at the time, they were coming out with applications for people who want to do Tough Enough. But when I expressed interest and told my organization; they got me to host a few events and I had already entered to be one of the contestants on Tough Enough. So like everyone else, I had to go in and audition. And the producers and the people doing the show when they heard Miss USA, they were like, “What?!” And they warned me when I got there, “You’re going to be picked on. You sure you want to do this?” Like nobody thought I could do it, and that made me want to do it more.

Jeffrey Harris: In the first week you weren’t in the bottom 3 on the chopping block. Ariane who was eliminated in the first episode was asked her what her favorite match was by Stone Cold, Ariane said Melina vs. Alicia Fox. And Stone Cold wasn’t impressed with that answer.

Rima Fakih: Yeah. I wasn’t either.

Jeffrey Harris: If Stone Cold had put you on the spot and asked you that question, what would your answer have been?

Rima Fakih: I would say Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13.

Jeffrey Harris: You had some trouble dealing with the wrestling moves and technique on the show but you showed some athleticism doing a good job on the run and you beat a lot of the guys and also the roller skate test. Did you have fun doing the other athletic challenges?

Rima Fakih: I enjoyed everything on that show. Yeah it was painful but everyone else was a wrestler and they were in pain as well. I enjoyed everything. I pushed myself to the limit. I wasn’t in shape but that’s what they saw. Even though I travel extensively, I’m on the road every day, I don’t ever have a day off. Very rarely I would get a day off from Miss USA. But no matter where I am or what hotel I’m in, whether it’s China or anywhere, I was in the gym and I was pushing myself. And you didn’t see this on the show, but we were doing cone sprints. And the first time I came in second after Luke. And the second time we did the sprints, I had the best time overall over everyone. That’s running. I was in the gym in the morning, I was in pain, but the only thing I needed help with was wrestling because I knew that I can do it. Michelle left. She misses her daughter, yeah, but I slept next to her. Her bed was next to my bed, and I saw her cry and I saw her weakness come out. She couldn’t take it. A lot of people were scared. But I wasn’t. I loved it. And Miss USA always tells us to be fearless. That’s what helped me win Miss USA and that’s what helped me be on Tough Enough. There’s something you need to know that many don’t know. I got three fractured ribs the third week. The week that Michelle left, I’d already been injured. I didn’t know it was a fractured rib. They didn’t know it was a fractured rib. I didn’t say I was in pain, I never complained because I didn’t want them to say, “Oh look. Miss USA is complaining. Look she’s giving up.” But when I finally told them after crying to Bill because Bill sat on the same rib that was fractured, Bill looked at me and said, “Rima. There’s a difference between being strong and being stupid.” And I feel that that’s why they sent me home, for my best interest. After I left, I went and got an x-ray and found out that ribs 5-7 were fractured. But you never saw me quit. And if they never would’ve kicked me off the show, I didn’t care if I had a fractured rib, I would’ve still been in there kicking some butt. I’m not going to lie. Call me crazy, but that’s me.

Jeffrey Harris: In the first episode there was a little heat on you when you put the pad on your butt when you did the running the rope exercise. Booker T came to your defense when they said you were cheating and said, “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.” What do you think he means by that?

Rima Fakih: He knew that I would do anything to stay in that ring and that’s passion and that’s what he told me. He would tell me that at the beginning of training days when I came in and putting on my shows. He’d look at me at me and like – one time he pointed at my heart and said, you got heart kid. And that made me want to tear up with happiness. And I think he saw that. He saw my passion. And at that time, I have to say something; I didn’t know there were rules against this. One of the guys gave me his elbow or knee pad. It was so big on me. I’m like I don’t need this for my elbows or my knees. I need this for my butt on my right cheek. So everyone went home and I had to stay in the ring and I kept working on the running and I stayed and that made the bruise get worse. So the next day, in front of everyone, I put the knee pad underneath my shorts. And I felt, “Good. This should help my butt.” And then, I wasn’t gonna lie after they asked me what happened and I thought about it, “Oh no. I should’ve asked if it was OK before I did it.” So yeah, the butt thing hurt, but everyone that was running the ropes – a majority of the people in that house were not in shape and Luke says it. If you ask me, the only people that were in shape, I thought I was in shape. I thought Luke and I thought Jeremiah and I thought that’s it. I would say AJ was in shape. And Martin came along. Martin came along well.

Jeffrey Harris: Are you still determined to get a job with WWE? Stone Cold Steve Austin had nothing but nice things to say about you after you left the show. And he thinks you have a future in WWE. Do you want to start training formally and make a run at this?

Rima Fakih: Yeah actually, after the show, the trainers were very kind and they came up and they said bye to me. I told Stone Cold I asked Bill about a training center in New York. He told me there was one in Brooklyn. Stone Cold went, “You’re not doing anything until you heal. Because you have a future you’ve got to get your body healthy again.” With a fractured rib, you really can’t do much. You have to have some rest and let it heal. After my rib is OK and the doctor tells me I’m to start lifting weights and doing more, I’m going to go where Bill DeMott told me to go and I want to learn how to wrestle. I pray that I can get an offer and go to Tampa and get the proper training, but that’s just a dream and we’ll see.

Jeffrey Harris: All that said, for women especially the job of wrestling is extremely hard. You work full time all year long with little breaks really—

Rima Fakih: I know and Stone Cold said that, “Are you sure you can do this?” But that’s my job as Miss USA. I’ll give you an example. Last week, I came home from Boston at 11:30 in the morning. I got home to my apartment and I had an interview at 12:30, so I had to do my hair and makeup. I had to be back at the apartment, the car was picking me up to go to Los Angeles at 2 o’clock. This is how my life is every single day. Like right now, I could leave you and they are telling me I’m going to Haiti. There’s a possibility I might be leaving to Haiti. That’s been my life. The difference between this and WWE and Miss USA, is that WWE would be easier and more enjoyable because you travel. You have cooks with you and hair and makeup with you. And you get to work out. Me, I haven’t slept since May 16 when I won. It’d be dream. I know I can and I told Stone Cold, I already lived that life.

Jeffrey Harris: I understand what you are saying here, but after going through the training sessions and getting your ribs broken and doing those matches and sessions day in and day out. Trish Stratus has had multiple surgeries. Edge is a young man and he’s retiring because his spine has narrowed from all the punishment he’s taken over the years. Are you prepared for the physical challenge your body would face as a WWE superstar?

Rima Fakih: I realized that the first day in the training center that wrestling looks fun on TV and everyone thinks it’s really cool but they don’t know the pain that you go through. By the fourth week, my rib might’ve been fractured but my body was feeling great. And Stone Cold said, when you are in the ring with someone who doesn’t know how to wrestle, you’re life is at risk. That’s what happened to me. Michelle kept pretending that she knew wrestling and that she had 11 years experience, when it really it was 11 years AGO. So she got in the ring with me and I asked questions and I practiced. And we had to do a roll. So I had to throw her over my right shoulder and she kept falling on my rib. She was too tired and didn’t know how to roll back. After four times – she might’ve looked petite, but she’s got a big booty – she kept falling on my rib and I heard the crack. So that’s where I got injured. I’m on the road . . . I’m going to be in the ring with someone who is a professional and knows what they are doing.

Jeffrey Harris: But even Stone Cold Steve Austin was in the ring with Owen Hart who was a great wrestler and Owen still dropped Stone Cold on his head and broke his neck.

Rima Fakih: Here’s the answer to your question. I’m willing to take the risk to have a WWE championship belt.

Jeffrey Harris: Did you make any friends on the show?

Rima Fakih: I did, I did. Me and Christina are really close. We have nicknames with each other. We got to be really close. Luke called me the other day and we were talking about the show which was pretty cool when he and Stone Cold and Luke were in the ring. Martin is a cool guy too. We stay in touch.

Jeffrey Harris: Any romances brew on the show?

Rima Fakih: No comment.

Jeffrey Harris: Thanks so much for taking your time to speak with us.

Rima Fakih: Thank you.

Rima finishes her reign as Miss USA on June 19. New episodes of Tough Enough are broadcast on USA on Monday. Thank you to Rima for graciously taking some time out of her schedule to speak with us.