Former ECW Star Francine Reveals Original Plans For Appearance At Recent WWE NXT Show

It's always good to be remembered, especially within a deep roster like the original ECW crew. For Francine, she was one of several ECW legends to be showcased earlier this month when "WWE NXT" made a special appearance in the 2300 Arena, a place the former "Queen of Extreme" knows very well. On "Eyes Up Here," Francine recounted how her in-crowd appearance came to be.

"I was sitting at home, it was 9 o'clock at night ... on Thursday, October 17 ... When I saw my phone ring, I was like, 'Oh, must be WWE calling for something," Francine began. "John Cone, who I knew back in 2006 with the fake E-C-Dub ... they initially contacted me because 'NXT' was working the ECW arena ... and he wanted to run something by me. I was being cautious ... who's ribbing me? But, it wasn't a rib." Francine then read the original text message Cone sent her, in which he asked if she would be interested in serving as the guest referee for a match between Jaida Parker and Lola Vice. With excitement abounding, Francine received a reality check from her husband, who reminded her of the multiple surgeries she had around her abdominal region in recent years. From there, Francine came up with another idea on how she could be part of this historic crossover.

"Then, I pitched an idea about me being a timekeeper ... I hadn't heard anything in two weeks ... At this time, I went to Rhode Island ComicCon for four days, and I talked, and I talked, and I talked, and I lost my voice," Francine said disappointingly. "So, on Tuesday, they sent me a script to be, like, a backstage interviewer ... I can't do this either; my voice is shot!"

Despite losing her voice, Cone, "NXT" lead writer Johnny Russo, and "NXT" boss Shawn Michaels refused to let Francine miss out on the occasion. After a conversation with her the day of the show, Michaels came up with the idea of having her in the crowd, watching the new prospective talent.

"He said, 'We appreciate you coming today. Thank you for being here.' I said, 'Thank you for including me,' in this weird voice, and he's looking at me like, 'Oh, okay.' I don't know if he got the memo that my voice was shot," Francine stated. "But I did say to him, 'I apologize for my voice being like this.' His response was, 'You can stand there and look pretty.' The 19-year-old in me squealed ... My point was they were just so accommodating to me."

Although it was not in the cards for Francine to get her in-ring moment like most veterans get when returning to WWE, she noted she would have loved to do more, but because of her voice going out, appearing was enough for her to enjoy a moment she'll remember for years to come.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Eyes Up Here" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.