Leva Bates On Which RAW Tag Team Helped Create "Blue Pants", How Her NXT Debut Happened
Leva "Blue Pants" Bates was a recent guest on Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling podcast. Bates journeyed through how her NXT gimmick spontaneously became popular. Overall, Bates stated that she appeared in the WWE around 15 times, including on the Dudley Boyz DVD. Typically known for her cosplay, Bates was able to expand her career even further with the Blue Pants character, as its success has opened many more doors for her.
Bates stated that she was contacted by WWE shortly before she debuted, as her name was on a recruit list that the company retains for purposes of calling on someone to be an enhancement talent or a prospect for the WWE Performance Center.
"I was supposed to be talent enhancement," said Bates. "So, I showed up, and even at the time it wasn't a thing. They were going to call me down because it was a tag match and it ended up being interrupted. And they were like, 'Hey, we have time Carmella. Do you wanna wrestle?'" Bates would lose to the debuting Carmella in October of 2014.
Bates credits Enzo & Cass, as well as Sara Del Ray, for creating the Blue Pants gimmick.
"It was a joke that Enzo and Cass were going over their promo in the ring," Bates explained. "I was waiting to find out what I was going to do. I sat next to Sara Del Ray, actually. I was waiting to see exactly what I was going to do. They were going over their promo, and at the time, I was wearing blue pants because I forgot workout pants, so I threw on [blue pants] with a t-shirt. They said, 'Hey, girl in the blue pants, come on down!' [Sara] leans over and says, 'Well, I guess you're wearing the blue pants tonight.' I'm like, 'You got it!' So, that's how it took off."
About a year after her NXT debut, Bates was no longer used by WWE after her match with Nia Jax in late 2015. Bates continues to perform under cosplay gimmicks, as she recently appeared as "Sister Nero" for the Wrestle Circus indy promotion. She credits the fans for getting the Blue Pants character over, stating, "If it wasn't for [the audience] going nuts over the whole Blue Pants thing, I wouldn't have come back."
You can here the full interview by clicking here.
To use any quotes from this transcription, please credit the Art of Wrestling Podcast with the h/t of Wrestling Inc.
Source: Art of Wrestling Podcast