Lillian Garcia’s Chasing Glory Recap – Replacing Howard Finkle, Almost Running Away From WWE, Toni Storm’s Leaked Photos, More!

This week’s episode of Chasing Glory will be a question and answer session with Lillian Garcia.

Before getting into some questions, Garcia addresses the passing of Mean Gene Okerlund. She points out that Okerlund was a light in this world, and everytime he saw her he gave her a big hug. She dedicates this show to Okerlund and says she’ll miss him dearly. She urges everyone to live every day to the fullest and to treat everyone with respect.

Garcia also points out that she was furious this week when some of Toni Storm’s private photos were leaked online. She notes that people who leak these photos are clearly unhappy with their lives, because anyone who’s happy don’t do that kind of thing. However, she was very happy to see Storm receive a lot of support online following the leak.

A listener writes into the show and notes that at SummerSlam 2002 Garcia kicked Howard Finkle in the genitals. The listener wonders how that storyline came about. Garcia starts out by saying how much she loves Finkle. She points out that she was basically taking Finkle’s job in the company at that time and he couldn’t have been more supportive.

Garcia notes that she started commentating Monday Night RAW the next night and she was absolutely terrified. She was told 20 minutes before she went on air that she wasn’t allowed to use cue cards, and she thought it was a bad joke. She admits that she almost ran that night because she was so scared, but she’s glad that she didn’t because her life would have been so different. She had to memorize everything on her cue cards in 20 minutes and that was the way it was during her entire run in the company.

Getting back to the question, she informs that she was in a storyline with 3-minute warning at that time. Rosie and Jamal got into the ring one night and Finkle pushed her into them and she was the recipient of a splash which legitimately knocked the wind out of her. She admits that she didn’t know how to take a bump at that time, even though they rehearsed that spot in the afternoon.

After being out of action for some time after that, she returned at SummerSlam and kicked Finkle in the genitals as a form of retaliation. She reiterates how kind Finkle was at that time, and she also says it’s sad that both Rosie and Jamal have since passed away.

Another listener writes into the show and asks Garcia what she would have done if WWE hadn’t called her with a job offer in 1999. She points out that she was working really hard at that time to become a professional singer, and she was conflicted as to whether this opportunity aligned with her goals enough to pursue. She’s glad that she took that chance because she was able to sing quite often during her time working for WWE, as she sang multiple National Anthems all over the world.

In addition to that, Vince McMahon actually sponsored a full Spanish album for Garcia during her time in WWE. She’s still very grateful for that and notes that it’s still available for download if anyone wants to hear it. She informs that she’s very excited to start writing music again, and her goal is to write 18 new songs this year.

A listener writes into the show and asks Garcia what it was like to travel overseas with WWE. She says she loved travelling to places like England and Japan. She loved the energy in England. She points out that the fans in the U.S. are great too, but when you work in the same country for the majority of the year you start to take it for granted.

Lastly, a listener writes into the show and asks Garcia to name the most special moment of her entire career. She says she’s been lucky to have a number of special moments over the years, but being able to sing the National Anthem live on Smackdown the day after 9/11 was very special for her. She was able to use her voice to heal that night, and that’s something she’s very proud of.

That sums up this week’s episode of Chasing Glory. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap!