When it comes to the Divas Division, how do you want to leave your mark, so to speak?
I call myself the “Hybrid Diva.” I’m kind of a mixture of all the different women that we have on the roster. I’ve got this tomboy-ish thing about me, but I can be a “girl,” and I can wear heels, though I don’t like to. I don’t fit any sort of mold. I know a lot of the girls don’t these days, but I truly want to be the first Hybrid Diva. It’s what I want to be known as when they look back in the WWE history books.

Most people forget that you were a last-minute addition to your season of NXT. Take us back to how it all transpired. What happened?
It was a Friday, and I was driving to the gym after practice at FCW. I’d been there for four weeks and hadn’t even been in my first match yet. I didn’t have a pair of boots, and I didn’t have a dress or real wrestling gear. I got a call, and they said, “Hey! Guess what? You’re going to make your TV debut in a few days.” I had to get on a plane and go straight to my first live Raw that Monday, and then I debuted on SmackDown. I only had two days, so I literally had no time when I got home. I didn’t know how to dress. I wish I could show you some of the stuff I bought that first day.

The WWE Universe loves underdogs. Do you feel that term applies to your career thus far?
Oh, absolutely. That’s like my life story, as far as WWE goes. I was the last-minute replacement, and I had some really big shoes to fill. Like, literally giant shoes to fill. Even when I won, I sensed that some people still didn’t feel like I deserved it as much as someone like AJ. But I always felt like nobody ever expected anything from me, and I always felt this need to prove myself. I was stuck behind the scenes for nearly two years, just learning and gathering advice and experience, and then, when it was finally my opportunity—when I won the No. 1 Contender spot in the Battle Royal—that was the beginning of everything.

When did you first start feeling comfortable in a WWE ring? Has that even happened yet?
I definitely feel more comfortable now just because I’ve been in the ring and gotten more experience working live events and pay-per-views. But there’s always fear. Sometimes I get in Gorilla before I go out and I think, “Why did I choose this? What am I doing? I don’t want to do it!” And then we’re 10 seconds away, and it becomes, “Oh, I gotta do it.” But as soon as I get in front of the WWE Universe, everything kind of disappears, and it’s live, and it’s just kind of a surreal moment.

What’s going through your mind when you hit the Spear? Is there a noise you’re hoping to hear from your opponent?
It’s like the breath leaving their body. [Laughs, somewhat maniacally.] The moment that I have the opportunity and know that I can hit it, it’s silence—I don’t hear anything else. I can’t hear the crowd, I can’t hear them, and I just hear silence. And that’s pretty much when I know.

Both you and AJ have smooched Dolph Ziggler on WWE programming. Have you two ever compared notes about The Show Off?
That’s something we don’t talk about…ever. It’s like the elephant in the room. My policy is, “You can have that.” But I won’t say a word because honestly, I don’t know what she’ll do.

To read more from Kaitlyn’s exclusive interview including what high school clique she was in, how she talked to her Diva’s title, and what she said about Hugh Jackman, pick up the all American issue—featuring John Cena now or SUBSCRIBE HERE and save 70 percent off newsstand sales price.