AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH TNA KNOCKOUT ROXXI LAVEAUX
By Gerry Strauss

"I don't want to conform. I don't want to be like everyone else. I'd rather be different. I'd rather be� me."

So says Roxxi Laveaux, TNA's most eccentric competitor. While the locker room down the hall is abuzz with activity in preparation for the evening's huge TNA iMPACT event, we sit alone in the far corner of a distant stairwell, shrouded in shadows. I can't help but notice the overwhelming look of sadness on her face, an expression that she can't seem to shake.

"I've seen so much pain, even before it happens," she sighs. "I've never been able to explain it. I can feel what lies in the hearts of those around me. I can sense what will happen in their lives, and all the different ways that they are bound to hurt themselves…each other.…and me."

Laveaux experienced personal pain firsthand, thanks to the tumultous break-up of the Voodoo Kin Mafia, the team that introduced her to TNA.

"B.G. thought that I could bring something special to the team," says Laveaux. "He liked that I march to the beat of my own drummer, and he kept true to his word that I would never have to compromise my beliefs or identity, no matter what other people thought."

Kip, as it turned out, didn't agree with B.G.'s stance. Roxxi revealed to me that he constantly belittled her during them time as a trio, demanding that she wear more stylish clothing and conduct herself in a more "womanly" fashion.

"It was the same thing I've dealt with my entire life. He verbally abused me because I look and act differently than most other people. Then he fired me from the group. I felt shame, but I quickly realized that I am truly meant to travel life's path alone."

Laveaux's preference towards solitude was further reinforced by a humiliating encounter with "Velvet-Love Entertainment" on iMPACT.

"They had approached me earlier in the day, and were very friendly. Velvet Sky kept telling me how interested she was in learning more about me, and Angelina persuaded me to let them help me gain acceptance. Usually, I can predict when people have bad intentions, but they were so convincing that I let them in."

When Roxxi had second thoughts about their attempt at giving her a makeover, Love and Sky attacked her on national TV, belittling and insulting her in the process. One week later at Lockdown, she gained a measure of revenge by defeating Love in the Queen of the Cage match, and for the first time in her life, she heard the cheers of a supportive public.

"It was a reawakening," says Roxxi. "I realized that there are good people out there that don't care if I look or speak differently. They respect me for being true to myself because they understand the struggle I go through every day."

A week ago on iMPACT, Roxxi got a shot at Awesome Kong and the TNA Knockouts Championship. Her competitive performance proved to the world that she is a force to be reckoned with.

"I see a little of myself in Awesome Kong," Laveaux reveals. "Just like me, she isn't a typical Knockout. She is an outcast just like I am, but she chooses to deal with it by causing as much pain as possible. Hopefully, I will soon get another opportunity to face her, so that I can prove that might does not necessarily make right."

Despite being on her own, Roxxi takes a self-assured tone when discussing her future in TNA.

"Right now, I don't need a partner or support system. Now, I fight for everyone who feels shunned by society. I fight for everyone who has the courage to live a lifestyle that they want, instead of one that is handed to them. I fight for everyone who sees the evil in people, but takes the time to look for the good."

"Most of all," she whispers, coming ever so close to smiling. "I fight for the right to be myself."

She wouldn't have it any other way.