Sharmell Sullivan might not be a familiar name to wrestling fans. You probably know her better as "Paisley", the WCW valet who accompanied Kwee-Wee and prior to that The Artist. She also had a prominent role as "Storm" in the Nitro Girls. Recently, WCW let most of their female talent, including Sharmell go. In this exclusive 12Q Interview, I asked Sharmell about the release, as well as her thoughts on her various roles during her time in WCW.

MP: What made you want to audition for the Nitro Girls?
SS: I was touring with James Brown at the time when I saw these females dancing on national television. I thought it was great! I wanted to be a part of the group. A couple months later, my friend Vanessa (Tygress) became a Nitro Girl. I told her to let me know when they had another opening. A couple months later, the Nitro Girls were looking for another dancer and Vanessa recommended me. I auditioned for the position and the rest was history.

MP: How did you feel the first time you went out with the Nitro Girls on live T.V.?
SS: It was tremendous! I'm used to dancing in front of hundreds of thousands of people. However, I'd never experienced the type of energy that the wrestling crowd has. I knew this was something special.

MP: How did you enjoy performing with the Nitro Girls?
SS: It was one of the greatest experiences of my life!

MP: The first time you were put into storylines, it was an angle where the Nitro Girls split up into two factions. What did you think of that angle?
SS: Initially I was a little disturbed by it because I was so used to us being a unit. However, I realize that things must change and it actually led to me becoming Paisley.

MP: How did the transition of you becoming "Paisley" come about?
SS: Paisley came about over night. On a Friday afternoon I was told that the following Monday on Nitro I would be Paisley. That was it. I didn't have any more preparation than that.

MP: For most of your time as Paisley you were paired with The Artist. How did you like that run?
SS: I loved that run. For one thing Mike Hayner (Prince) is a great guy and a great worker. Also, I'm a huge fan of the singer Prince! I couldn't have asked for a greater gimmick!

MP: I believe during this run, is when they started having the women train to wrestle. How was it going through the training?
SS: Training was very difficult. It gave me a new found respect for the wrestlers because I actually got to experience a fraction of what they put their bodies through. It's brutal! Yet, it was a lot of fun.

MP: This led to you having matches. Did you like actively wrestling?
SS: Wrestling was fun to me. It was never something that I dreamed of doing so it became a challenge to me.

MP: When The Artist was released by WCW, you were paired with Kwee-Wee. How did you feel about that?
SS: This was something else that I had no prior notice of. I showed up at Nitro one Monday and that's when I learned that The Artist was released and that I would appear on the show with Kwee-Wee. I had a blast working with Alan (Kwee-Wee). He's a really fun guy and an extremely good worker.

MP: Recently, WCW released most of their female performers, including yourself. Did you have any idea it was coming?
SS: I had no idea it was coming. I was actually just coming from the store where I purchased about 6 new Paisley outfits when I received the call that I was released.

MP: Currently you are involved in a new project, a music group called Diversity 5 with Nitro Girl alumni Melissa(Spice)Bellin, Teri(Fyre)Byrne, Vanessa(Tygress)Sanchez and Chae. How did that come about?
SS: It was always meant to be. The 5 of us have a chemistry that we couldn't ignore. We decided to explore other projects together and singing became the answer.

MP: Finally, would you like to return to the wrestling business at some point?
SS: I'm leaving my options open.