WWE Superstar, U.S. marine tag teams with Military Makeover to help Florida family
WWE Superstar Lacey Evans, a U.S. military vet, teamed with the cast of “Military Makeover” with Montel to give back to a deserving widow of a U.S. military hero.
Known as The Lady of WWE, Lacey was delighted to help rebuild the Florida home of Gold Star widow Cody Patron for “Military Makeover,” hosted by well-known TV talk show host Montel Williams.
Cody’s home in Panama City in the Florida Panhandlewas severely damaged last year by Category 4 Hurricane Michael.
Evans, who has experience in that field, joined the team to work on the project. While active duty in the military, she and her husband started a construction company. Prior, while growing up, her father worked in construction, too.
The episode with Evans drop kicks-off Season 19 of this popular home improvement series via brand partners The Home Depot, Simon and Goodman Manufacturing. It will be broadcast 7:30 a.m. Friday on Lifetime channel. You can also watch anytime at www.militarymakeover.tv.
A veteran herself, Evans was introduced to pro wrestling while serving as a military police officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
In my audio interview with Evans, she discusses “Military Makeover,” her rough childhood, joining the U.S. Marines, Sgt. Slaughter, Vero Beach, Terry Taylor, WWE Performance Center, Sara Amato, inspiring others and more.
Evans, who overcame a rough childhood, served in the U.S. military, earning the rank of sergeant in the U.S. Marines. Her tour of duty included Paris Island, South Carolina, the actual home military base of WWE Hall of Famer Slaughter.
Evans, 29, the Sassy Southern Belle, is from Vero Beach. She is a graduate of Vero Beach High School, where she wrestled against girls, qualifying for nationals. She competed against boys, too, in various tournaments.
Terry Taylor, a coach at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, also graduated from Vero Beach High School, giving that area two WWE talents.
Speaking of the Performance Center, Lacey is an alum of the WWE Performance Center, under the tutelage of assistant head coach/producer Sara Amato (Sara Del Rey).
More about Cody Patron and her hero husband
From the Military Makeover website
On Aug. 6, 2011, Cody’s world came crashing down. She received word that after serving more than a decade in the Marine Corps, her husband, Sergeant Daniel J. Patron, was killed in Sangin Valley, Afghanistan.
Through his time in the USMC, Daniel dedicated himself to saving as many lives as possible, earning The Purple Heart and The Bronze Star Medal for his heroic service.
In the years since Daniel’s passing, Cody has worked to pick up the pieces with her daughter, Layla.
However, tragedy struck again in October 2018 when the Patron home was decimated by the catastrophic Hurricane Michael, which made landfall as an unprecedented Category 4 and destroyed much of the Florida Panhandle region. After sustaining devastating water and wind damage, Cody’s home in Panama City Beach is barely livable. With bare concrete floors, hanging ceiling debris, and a torn roof, the home is in desperate need of some tender loving care.
The first step in helping Cody and Layla start anew is giving the family home the renovation it so desperately needs. That’s why Evans is enlisting in “Military Makeover” and its compassionate team of volunteers, partners and supporters to transform Cody and Layla’s home into a place of healing and happiness.
More about Lacey Evans
Evans enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at age 19 and served five years, including a stint as a police officer with the Corps’ Special Reaction Team. Afterward, she successfully transitioned into pro wrestling/sports entertainment, but she knows how difficult it is for veterans to make it into civilian employment.
Evans began her pro wrestling training under the direction of Tom Caiazzo at the American Premier Wrestling training facility in Statesboro, Georgia. She made her debut for the promotion in 2014 and later won the company’s championship, before signing with WWE in 2016.
Evans, 29, competed on WWE’s NXT on the WWE Network, before making the move to WWE Raw. Catch the Sassy Southern Belle on Raw on Mondays, beginning 8 p.m. live on USA Network.
NXT is moving to USA Network on Sept. 18, going live each Wednesday at 8 p.m. from Full Sail Live at Full Sail University in Winter Park, near Orlando, where Lacey now calls home.
About Montel Williams
Noted for his patriotic efforts in the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy, Williams was honorably discharged after 15 years of military service.
He is a former American television personality, radio talk show host and actor. He is best known as host of the long-running daytime talk show The Montel Williams Show, which ran in syndication from 1991-2008.
Williams, 63, is active with the nonprofit MS Foundation, which he founded after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999.
All aired episodes of Military Makeover with Montel can be found at www.militarymakeover.tv.
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This story was originally published August 29, 2019 at 3:13 PM.
