I'm not going to lie - whenever someone brings up Nicole (Snooki) Polizzi, my answer is always the same: I can't wait until she's back where she belongs - maybe bagging groceries at Stop & Shop.
I'm not alone.
That's part of the appeal of MTV's "Jersey Shore," and one reason the folks at WWE hired Polizzi to join Sunday's "WrestleMania XXVII" pay-per-view event, at upwards of $55 a pop.
The WWE has hired the diminutive Poughkeepsie native to be part of a six-person tag team, guaranteeing some will fork over cash to see a couple hours of big-name grapplers - and Polizzi.
The naysayers are part of the package, Polizzi says.
"If you don't have haters, then you're not doing your thing," she says. "The more and more I get haters, the more I know I'm doing an amazing job."
Shoot, sounds like I'm part of the problem - and just helping her market her brand even more. And can we talk about what qualifies as "an amazing job" later?
What Polizzi does have going for her is momentum - even though, in a sea of giant wrestlers, the biggest brand in the room only comes up to their hips.
Indeed, she's coming off another round of nasty barbs stemming from her being on the cover of Rolling Stone and the subject of a revealing story.
"I got a lot of controversy about it," she says. "People were like, 'Why is she on the cover, blah, blah, blah. For me, that was good. Any controversy is good.'"
She gets a ton of offers for work outside "Jersey Shore," and she says she goes after the stuff that interests her.
"I don't like to say yes to everything, because you're just overwhelming people and they get tired of you. So you like to just select certain things that are good for your career," she says. "And this ['WrestleMania'] is definitely a good step into where I want to be."
Yes, she said that, unleashing a flurry of images in my head ranging from her pickle Halloween costume to the unfortunate New Year's Eve ball drop.
She says now could see herself as a WWE Diva down the road, should the reality show career go toes-up. All the "Jersey Shore" crew know that scene won't last forever, though she hopes to get a few more seasons out of a spinoff after "Shore."
She wants to show people different shades of Snooki, not just the one we've been laughing at, and yes, hating on.
"Hopefully, in the future, I have a lot more opportunities to show people my family side, and just me, the quiet side. There's more to me than just going to the clubs."
Sunday, she'll roll around the ring for a bit and add to her bankroll, while the haters sling barbs. There will be time Saturday for rehearsal, she says, though she's confident she'll be okay. She did gymnastics and cheerleading in school, and her antics on "Jersey Shore" should help.
She says the negative comments that will undoubtedly come Sunday - along with those that came before - don't matter.
"If it got to me," she says, "I wouldn't be here right now."
With that, she's off to the WWE press event. Me, well, I'm probably a step closer to working at Stop & Shop than she is.
rhuff@nydailynews.com
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