Spotlight/Q&A with Flex Kalifah

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

1. What inspired you to become a professional wrestler?

I’ve wanted to wrestle since high school during the attitude era while watching Jaqueline and Chyna. I didn’t start wrestling until over a decade later while I was a fitness model/competitor and I noticed that a few women that were competing in bikini/figure competitions like Kaitlyn and Alexa Bliss were getting signed so that inspired me to research training dojos in GA and decided to start training while performing as a valet. 

2. How did your friendship/alliance with Rache Chanel begin?

We both trained at DFW All-Pro in TX and our trainer Lou pointed out that our gimmicks were similar so we got paired up in one of her matches where I did a run in to help out my good Bougie sis. The rest is history and hopefully, we’ll make more together one day.

3.Tell me how you and Rache came up with the name Bald and Bougie? 

It’s definitely a play on the term “Bad and Boujee” I was already using the phrase “Bald & Bougie” when I debuted as Flex Rated in Texas. But since we both had bald/short hairstyles at the time and we’re both fabulous in and out of the ring, we realized it was a perfect tag team name so we immediately decided to start shooting content/promos together which was so much fun.

4. Tell me something about yourself that many fans don’t know? 

I was an Opera singer for 7 years and I have a Bachelors Degree in Music Performance.

5. What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about being a professional wrestler? 

My favorite thing is performing for the fans and giving them and myself an escape from the trials and tribulations that we all face in our daily lives. My least favorite thing is COVID keeping a lot of us out of the ring for now. Hopefully, that will change sooner than later.

6. What’s some of your favorite tattoos that you have and what meaning do they have?

My favorite tattoo is my jellyfish leg sleeve which symbolizes “deadly beauty” I also love my chest piece which is a clock and a butterfly which symbolizes the phrase “time flies” because life is so fleeting.

7. What’s your favorite cheat meal? 

I love street tacos! 

8. What inspired your t-shirt design “Queen of Pops”?

Now that I’m known as Flex Kalifah I’ve evolved from the Bald & Bougie Baddie known as Flex Rated, to a full-fledged Queen. Pops has a couple meanings, I “pop” my opponents with a superkick or a punch (notice the punch/fist-shaped marshmallows on the shirt lol) but I also “pop” the crowd with amazement with a flip of my hair after a Hurricanrana. 

9. Growing up, who were some of your favorite wrestlers? 

Chyna, Jaqueline, The Rock, Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero.

10. If you could only have one more match, who would you want to it be against and why?

Sasha Banks because she puts on stellar matches and has become so flawless when telling the story in the ring, not just physically but emotionally as well. You can see the emotion and passion in her face and she’s such an amazing athlete

Spotlight/Q&A with The W.O.A.D

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Double D Rose aka The W.O.A.D has been one of the sweetest and most inspiring wrestles that I have ever encountered since I've started O-Face Wrestling. She has had a disadvantage as a wrestler because of her missing an eye. She hasn't let that hold her back one bit and has so far had a very successful career as a professional wrestler. She strives to motivate and inspire others to go for their goals and to not let anyone tell them no just because they are different.

1. What got you into wrestling and what made you decide to become a professional wrestler?

Growing up with 16 siblings, wrestling was always a huge factor in my life. What got me into it was the first time I saw it; Randy Savage doing his classic elbow drop took my breath away and I was hooked ever since.

2.What did you find was the most difficult part about training? 

Learning to keep my eye on my opponents at all times. Not being able to use my left side at all really made me improvise on keeping them in my sight.

3. What was the best piece of advice you were given upon becoming a professional wrestler?

“You can’t do it”- from everybody

4. What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of professional wrestling? 

I love to stea- I mean “work” with dogs! I just love love love steali- “working” with animals. I even use to work at the zoo before they “allegedly” caught me trying to steal a baby panda.

5. Who is your all-time favorite wrestler and why? 

Myself. Why? Because there’s no one else like me and I hope to inspire generations upon generations just like me.

6. How do you generally prepare for your matches? 

I put on some Megan Thee Stallion (or whatever music I’m feeling- mostly Megan) and I whisper to the WOAD, “It’s showtime!”

7. What is one thing you wish fans knew/understood about professional wrestling that they may not know? 

Respect us and what we do. Respect and understand boundaries.

8. What wrestler would you love to have a match with that you haven’t already done so?

EVERYONE! Mainly Kong (Aja & Awesome), Rikishi, Jessika Havok, Jazz, Jacqueline- literally EVERYBODY! Anybody can get these Bunz!

9. Favorite thing about being a professional wrestler? 

I get to show the world what a 1 Eyed Thick Thighed Weapon REALLY is.

10. What is your ultimate goal as a professional wrestler? 

To make history, to leave my mark, to inspire more people like me, and to make the WOAD brand a worldwide conglomerate.

Spotlight/Q&A with A.Q.A

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

A.Q.A is a young and upcoming female superstar who is sure to be the next BIG thing in professional wrestling. Only in the beginning stages of her in-ring career, she has already captured Diamonds Division Championship twice. She has wrestled against established stars such as Thunder Rosa, Robyn Reid, and Kylie Rae. Expect to hear her name a lot of time goes by.

1. What inspired you to become a professional wrestler?

I just fell in love with it after catching an episode of RAW and Smackdown with my grandfather, and at ten-years-old, I made up my mind that wrestling was what I was going to do with my life. It's also the one thing that I can truly say I've ever pursued with all of my might. Through all of the naysayers, and people trying to get me to change my mind, and personal things I've been through, my determination to become a professional wrestler has been the one constant that has never left my mind.

2. Tell me about your experience in training with Booker T at Reality of Wrestling?

It's great, it's always been great since day one, we're all like one huge family and that's how he wants it. It's a place where you not only get trained, but you're surrounded by people who truly have your back, I wish everyone could experience being at ROW. Booker is a phenomenal mentor, he's very hands-on, very approachable, and he always has the right answers to all of your questions. I could tell from day one that he really loves teaching the art of wrestling just by the way he breaks things down, the way he dives into psychology, and ring awareness and presence, he can literally tell you something that is about to happen in a match before it happens. There have been plenty of times during a show where I would be backstage at ROW sitting next to him and he would lean over and say, "watch this kid, he/she is about to do this" and then that person would, and I'd be blown away, that just goes to show that he not only knows what he is talking about but really knows his students. I really appreciate that he practices what he preaches, everything he tells us to do or not to do, you can see it in his own matches. Or if we're having film study, he'll pause on one 10 or 20-second spot and give us a 10-minute lecture behind the art of it. Me personally, my favorite thing is when he stands up and physically demonstrates things, especially when he really gets into it, let me just say, it is quite the sight to see [Laughs].

3. How did it feel becoming a Diamonds Division Champion?

Honestly, the first time I won it, it was one of those things where I wish I would have been more in the moment, soaked it in a little bit more, truly realized what I had accomplished. It's not every day that one gets to wrestle two of the top female talent, Hyan, and Kylie Rae, for the championship only 9 matches into your rookie year. And afterward, Kylie came up to me and said "Hey, make sure you enjoy and cherish these moments and appreciate that (the championship), they don't just give that to anyone." At the time I was so into my own head, and so critical of every little thing I did, that I didn't allow myself to enjoy that moment the way I should have. The second time around I definitely appreciated it more and was in the moment more. I got to be in the main event with one of my best friends and mentor Hyan, and we made history that night. Not only were we the first women to main-event at Reality of Wrestling, but we were the first women to main-event inside of a steel cage at ROW. That match is the highest viewed match of all time for ROW, I believe we're currently sitting at 26 million views, I'm extremely proud of that.

4. What does AQA stand for?

It's my full name: Angela Quentina Arnold. I always thought my initials were pretty cool, so when I was a kid I decided that it would be my wrestling name. I've run into the issue of announcers or other talent mispronouncing it though, calling me either "aqua" or "a-qway" so I changed it from AQA to A.Q.A to hopefully help people out a little bit [Laughs].

5. The Shooting Star Press is known as one of the most dangerous moves in wrestling. How long did it take to master the move? What does it take to perform this move so well? What goes through your mind prior to performing this move each time?

Okay, let me just say this because I do not want to come off as if I'm bragging because I assure you I am not. But I've only done that move twice, and honestly, when it comes to any sort of flip, it doesn't take me very long to figure out the mechanics of it. I love being in the air, and I would jump on my trampoline for hours and hours on end each day as a kid teaching myself tricks, so when it comes to flips, I can usually look at a video two or three times and have it down pat. I remember when I was 12 I saw Matt Sydal, who was Evan Bourne at the time, perform the Shooting Star Press on RAW. I remember saying out loud to myself, "Hmm, I can do that" so for the next couple of days I went outside and practiced it a few times on the trampoline until I got it. Once I got it, I stored it away in the back of my mind and told myself if I ever got a chance to do it in a match, then I would, so when the opportunity arose 10 years later I took it. I was originally going to do another move, but I said nah, I need something big, this is a steel cage match, I have to go all out, and in that moment I remembered I always wanted to do a Shooting Star Press. So I showed up the night before, practiced it about 4 times to make sure I had the correct positioning and everything, and then the next night I went out and performed it. I wouldn't say I've mastered it, there are few things that only I can see when I watch it that I would really like to tweak, but once I get that down, I'll be able to perfect it. To anyone who wants to do it, my advice is to watch Matt Sydal, his SSP is the only SSP I would strongly advise you to study. In my opinion, he has the best SSP there is, it's always crisp and clean, and he makes it look like the coolest move ever. So for me, I knew if I was going to do it, I needed to do it right, so I studied him. In terms of performing it, after you jump forward and lean back into the flip, the key is to grab your ankles, that's what really gives it the illusion of a "star" so whenever I see people just flip without grabbing their ankles, it really irks my soul a little bit [Laughs]. As far as what was going through my mind when I did it, I was thinking mid-flip "Can I come down already?" [Laughs] honestly, I felt like I was in the air forever.

6. Being a highflyer wrestler, what do you do to keep in shape considering the toll that style of wrestling takes on your body?

To be honest, I don't do anything special, I do a regular workout like everyone else, I do my best to strengthen my wrists and ankles though because I'm always coming down from the top turnbuckle hard or walking on my hands from time to time. One thing I've learned though is that if I'm hurting I need to immediately treat it right away instead of trying to tough it out like I used to. Speaking of that, fun fact alert: I sprained my knee really badly when I hit the Shooting Star Press in the steel cage, I couldn't walk for a week, and eventually, I ended up being out of action for a majority of the year because I kept trying to perform on it after taking only two months off, which of course prolonged the injury. If you watch closely, you'll see my left knee extend and then bend in a way that it shouldn't, and my first thought was "oh my god, I just broke my leg" [Laughs], that's why I need to tweak it, my timing was off. Another way I avoid getting injured is now I make sure whatever moves I perform, that I can perform them 10 out of 10 times, that's what Booker teaches us, and it was a lesson that I learned the hard way when I first broke in. I just thought if I did it well 2 or 3 times in training that I'd be fine, so when the time came, and if you go back and watch my earlier matches, you'll see that I would either botch the move completely or just make it by the skin of my teeth. So anytime I would not perform something to the best of my abilities, it would eat me alive because I'm a perfectionist, and even though I'm aware that no such perfection exists, I loathe the thought of messing up, especially on something I really want to do. So this time around I'm learning to slow down, take my time, and make everything count.

7. What is something about you that you are proud of that is non-wrestling related?

I have two, and let me just start off by saying this is in no way going to be anything fancy or inspirational [Laughs], just something I find cool about myself. So this first one is going to sound corny, but I'm proud of the fact that I am a good, self-taught chess player, and I taught myself in the fifth grade, I own a few chess sets and I want to grow my collection. Now with that said, I'm not advocating that someone put me up against a world champion or anything, but I can hang in there with most people. The second one is, that same fifth-grade year, I wrote a book for the school library, but because it was too mature for our age range, they refused to publish it [Laughs]. So while everyone else was writing about their favorite food or superhero, I was writing about real-world issues that I was nowhere near experiencing yet, and shouldn't have been talking about, but my mind was ahead of its time. I don't talk about it much, but I've always loved writing, I have a plethora of posted stories, and movie scripts, and tv scripts that no one knows about except for me and my readers, I feel like it's our little secret. Writing is my getaway, it's my escape, and it makes me proud to see others enjoy my work, no matter how critical I am of it at times.

8. Who are some potential opponent’s that you are eager to step in the ring with one day?

I'll answer that in two parts.

Someone that I would really like to wrestle again is Kylie Rae. The first time I wrestled her in a singles match I was still super new to all of this, and I had not found my rhythm and flow yet, and I was just going through the motions instead of being in the moment and enjoying locking up with one of the best ever. This time around, I feel like I would have more confidence and assurance in myself and would be able to have a better match. Don't get me wrong, our match was good, Kylie was great as usual, I just felt I personally could have done better. To this day I've always felt like I didn't help that match live up to what it could have been, and it's always bothered me.

As far as other opponents go, I truly believe that representation matters, and it's extremely important to me. I say that because when I grew up watching wrestling, I didn't see a lot of female wrestlers who looked like me, wrestling other females that looked like me. So I would love to wrestle the likes of Ember Moon, Bianca Belair, Sasha Banks, Naomi, Big Swole, Kayden Carter, etcetera to show other little black and brown girls that there are women out there that look just like you and are doing what you love, and you can do it too. My goal, even if it's just one, is to be able to inspire another little black girl to lace up a pair of boots and live out her dreams, and hopefully lockup up with whomever that maybe one day.

9. Being a professional wrestler, people want your autographs, photos taken with you, podcasts want you on their show. How does it feel being in such a spotlight and have many looking up to you?

It's extremely exhilarating, I am still in the very beginning of my career and I haven't even begun to show what I can really do. So for people to look at what I've already done and want to take a picture with me, or draw pictures of me, make shirts, or walk up to me and tell me I've inspired them to become wrestlers or that I'm their favorite, not only warms my heart, but it keeps me humble and grounded and seeking to achieve more. I want to be better for them, I want to give them more, if they're having a bad day, when I come through the curtain, I want to be the reason they have a smile on their face. A majority of the time I'm very shocked by the things people tell me. I remember being on the RingSide Society podcast and they told me I was the reason they started their podcast and it truly blew me away. Another time and I won't say her name because It's her story to tell, and she might want to go more in-depth with it one day; but one of our wrestlers at ROW, extremely talented and on the rise, once told me that I was the reason she wanted to start wrestling and that's why she moved to Texas to train at Booker's to do so. And when she told me that, my heart just filled, I never in a million years thought that what I was doing would have that sort of reach, it's humbling in the very best of ways.

10. You get an opportunity to main event WrestleMania, you can choose ANY opponent on the planet, as well as a stipulation, who and what stipulation would you choose?

Charlotte Flair, hands down. She's an opponent that I aspire to wrestle in any main event match. I am not a huge fan of stipulation matches, they have their place, and are great when needed, but I feel like sometimes it takes away from the beauty of wrestling. It's easy to pick up a chair and whack someone across their back, or beat them with a kendo stick, but can we captivate the audience with just our story? Can we draw them in with wrestling alone, nothing extra, nothing over the top, just a pure wrestling match that tells a beautiful story. I've always said my goal is to be able to wrestle in a match that stands the test of time, one that people can go back study, one that is played in all the video packages, one that is always talked about for years and years to come, and if given the opportunity with Charlotte, I believe it could happen. I also strongly believe it could happen with Sasha Banks, two black women in the main event of WrestleMania? Man, just the thought of that gives me goosebumps.

Spotlight/Q&A with Gia Scott

Instagram

Twitter

As a teenager, Gia Scott sat in the crowd as a fan at MCW cheering on her favorite wrestler Amber Rodiguez. Finally, at the age of 18, she started her training to become a professional wrestler at MCW. Now almost four years later she is a 3-time/current MCW Women's Champion. At such a young age she has already accomplished a lot, and she is nowhere near done to adding more accomplishments to her resume.

1. What inspired you to become a professional wrestler?

When I was young, I would always watch WWE whether it be on Mondays or Fridays, but my mother only really allowed me to watch it on Fridays. I would always watch the latest Raw or Smackdown with my uncle. I eventually ended up seeing bra & pantie matches, pillows fights, bikini fights, etc.… and as a little girl you probably don’t want them to watch that but I was more interested not what the women were wearing but what they were doing, they were wrestling like the men and I thought that was so cool! After watching it for so long I knew I either wanted to become a model or a professional wrestler.

2. How did you feel when you became the MCW Women’s Champion for the first time?

I was overall happy. I felt like everything I was working towards finally paid off and I was trusted with stamping my name with other women who had held the championship, though it was bittersweet… I was not able to share that moment with my mother because she passed away before I started my wrestling journey.

3. Amber Rodriguez being your top dream match, if you could pick a stipulation for the match what would it be?

A last standing man match. I want to go toe-to-toe and have an all-out war with her to see who is standing tall at the end while bringing their full A-game.

4. Outside of Amber Rodriguez, who is your second top dream match on the indies?

Sumie Sakai (again), Kimber Lee, Jessicka Havok, Angelina Love (again) and Taya Valkyrie… I could go on for days! I fought both Angelina and Sumie before and I had a blast which I would love to do again but for the rest of the other ladies, I have never fought before. Kimber Lee is someone I want to face since I first saw her at an MCW show and I have not given up on that dream. Jessicka Havok… I do not know, something in my body is saying “You have to face her” to go up against someone like her just screams fun. Taya Valkyrie, I mean how could I not want to face the former Women’s Knockout Champion? I’ve been watching her matches since last year and she isn’t one to mess with, but I hope to one day face off against them. There are definitely more I would love to face that I’m forgetting about but the sky is the limit and I would love to face anyone. 

5. You are a 3-time MCW Women’s Champion, Renee Michelle is a 4-time. Is it a goal of yours to surpass her record?

It has been a goal of mine since I first won the women’s championship and if I could not surpass her, I would love to be the one who has the longest reign surpassing Melina. 

6. What is your opinion on intergender wrestling?

I find it interesting. How can I get the crowd into it? How can I make the match more than just it being your typical “big strong man vs helpless woman”? I’ve literally in my 3 years on training have fought men countless of times and honestly some of the things I did not think I could do I learned from practicing or wrestling with them. I do not have much of an opportunity to train with the women at the MCW school which is why the majority of the time I wrestled with the guys. I can understand why some people do not like it, but I feel as though if you tell a story with it, you cannot go wrong.

7. What about yourself that you would want your fans to know about you that is non-wrestling related?

I love to play video games and I love to roller skate and I am also creative (it can be towards a lot of things) I just have a really creative mind. Before this pandemic hit I would roller skate whenever I could because besides going to the gym to get a workout, I would go skating to keep me in shape. You would be surprised how much it wore me out once I finished skating 4 hours straight. It really helps to keep your mind clear, burn a lot of calories, and it was fast pace but the only thing I did not like was bobbing and weaving through kids, adults, and slow skaters.

8. What are your plans for life after wrestling?

I honestly do not know. I’ve asked myself this question many times before and I did say I want to still be involved with wrestling, whether it be me being a coach or anything more after that I still want to be involved but I do want to wrestle until my body says I can’t. Wrestling has been a big part of my life and I cannot see myself completely forgetting about it.

9. What have you been doing during the pandemic to get ready for wrestling?

I roller skate to pass the time, you would be surprised how much of a body work out it is. I was not able to do it as much because wrestling was happening left and right plus on my training days, but it feels good to at least do it once again.

10. What is one thing that you want to be remembered for when your career as a wrestler is finished?

I want to be remembered for how great I was and what I brought to the table as a black women’s wrestler. You barely see or hear about people like me who try and prove someone with their in-ring work and that shouldn’t be the case, I also want to prove that women can also go toe-to-toe and survive in this wrestling business.  

Spotlight/Q&A with Camron Bra'Nae

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Camron Bra'Nae is a young upcoming wrestler who started wrestling in 2018 at the age of 20. Camron has wrestled for Evolve, WWN, Rise, Respect Women's Wrestling, as well as WWE when she competed versus Lacey Evans, on Smackdown Live in October of 2019. She has also competed against some great talents such as Blair Onyx, Sierra, Mickie Knuckles, Marti Belle, and Tootie Lynn Ramsey.

1. What inspired you to become a professional wrestler? 

The thing that truly inspired me to be a professional wrestler would have to be seeing the feud between Randy Orton and Triple H. As a kid and still to this day I talk to my cousin about when we went to the Sprint Center in Kansas City when Randy had handcuffed Triple H to the ropes and kissed Steph after hitting her with an RKO. How invested I was and how the crowd was booing so hard, in the inside I was telling my young self like wow!!! This is crazy, the man has everyone in the palm of his hand and I just knew that was the reaction, and the feeling I wanted to get. To have people invested in a story I was telling someone else!

2. How did it feel to have an opportunity to face Lacey Evens on Smackdown Live?

Having the opportunity to face Lacey was such a crazy and I mean crazy feeling!!! That whole day was honestly a big blur to me other than being inside the ring with Jason (the ref) and hearing her music hit. I legit was smiling so hard and I think it was before the camera had cut to my face. Once after that, I do not remember it was like a blackout moment for me in a sense, then after having Lacey sit next to me in catering and us both watching the segment/match together. I could not believe it was truly happening.

3. As a professional wrestler, you are looked at by many as an idol, what is it like to have so many fans look up to you, as well as wanting to meet you?

It's more of a shocker when I think of people looking up to me. I see it a decent amount of times and I’m like who? Camron who? Haha. And seeing little girls make fan pages of me or make their profile picture me, it’s insane, like to me I'm just a little nobody from Missouri. Did I really make a full connection with someone? Because as fans they don’t just connect with you on a wrestling level, they connect with you on a personal level, that’s why a lot of people have athletes that they love and that they hate because in some way or not they connect with that person if it's positive or negative.

4. Name one wrestler on the independent circuit that you are most looking forward to facing?

I WANT TO FACE KYLIE RAE!!!!... haha I will forever say it.

5. How did you come up with the name “Team Babe”?

So I'll make this kind of a straight to the point answer.

I was in Texas with a promotion and I had met the best ring announcer named Mitch Mccoy. We were joking around backstage about this jersey that I had bought from JCPenny because I was thrown into matches so fast, I didn’t know who I was or what I wanted to become. So I quickly took my work shorts because at that time I was working at Hooters. Took the white print off and went to the store and found the jersey that said team babe on it. It was mesh, I was like cool let’s buy it, it's cheap. Back to the show, Mitch had said so what is team babe I shrugged and said I do not know and told him my story. He then says it would be funny to call you the captain of team babe. We all laughed said sure and he did it one day at a show in Texas, Next thing I know I was getting gear, merch, and signs with team babe posted on it. From there I thought to myself who am I, how do I relate to the word babe that my fans came as well because in my eyes everyone is

Beautiful

Has Attitude

Blessed

And Educated

Soooooooo... Team BABE was born.

 HOT QUESTION! Gummy Bears or Wrestling???

*crying* sadly gummy bears lol no wrestling…yeah panic…wrestling but can I still have gummy bears on the side??.. Let's talk about this...

6. What about you that is non-wrestling related would you want fans to know about you?

Umm, nothing really, I truly feel like I am a very open person when it comes to my fans, they see just about every crazy thing that I do. I normally have no problem telling people embarrassing moments. For example, me falling down the stairs into catering at WWE RAW in STL.

7. During this pandemic what have you been doing to get yourself ready to get back in the ring?

Eating right, hitting workouts at kickboxing and lots of cardio, inside and outside of the ring.

8. After your wrestling career, do you have any wrestling related plans? Such as commentary, owning a promotion, in-ring manger, etc.

To be honest anything that has to do with sports if that’s manager, commentating, talent relations, creative, announcer, medic, anything to keep me involved and that also goes for other sports as well.

9. What is your favorite and least favorite thing about being a professional wrestler?

The most favorite and ill keep it simple, the connections we have and get to make with the fans.

Least Favorite will have to be for sure the creepy old men asking if I want a sugar daddy or trying to kiss me at shows, hugging for a long-time, stuff like that. I’m super friendly and love everyone but when you make me uncalmly then it's like wow we are hitting a whole new level haha.

10. What are your thoughts on intergender wrestling?

Love it 100%. Its equality between both genders I feel. Equal opportunities and also a lot of things men can do that woman can't and also vis versa which is why those matches are key to talent and to fans. In my opinion.

Spotlight/Q&A with Trish Adora

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Trish Adora Spent eight years in the United States Amry before starting her career as a professional wrestler. She started wrestling in 2016 and since then she has made a huge impact on the independent pro wrestling. She has wrestled all over the world. Including making an appearance in NXT in a match versus Kairi Sane. Trish trained at Team 3D Academy. Back on February 16, 2020, at F1ght Club Pro Wrestling Trish Adora became the first-ever (current) Pan Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling Champion.

Q&A with Trish Adora

1. When you became the PAWDWC Champion, how did that moment feel?

I can’t even explain it to you, it was literally unreal!! I felt throughout the night, throughout the tournament, the energy of the entire crowd. I could feel them getting behind me and getting louder during my opening match with Eel O’Neal. Throughout my match with O’Shay Edwards, they got louder and louder… it was nearly deafening… but I could still hear every chant. My heart was beating so fast, time was whizzing by and by the time I hit Darius Lockhart with Lariat Tubman, I could barely hear the referee counting.  AND THEN THE ROOF CAME OFF THAT PLACE! The reaction from that crowd once I won the title is something I will never forget. I’m honored to have been able to share such a career-defining moment with the locker room and my city that evening. And you all should definitely be on the lookout for F1ght Club Pro Wrestling in the future. 

2. I remember you having a match with Kairi Sane in NXT back in 2018, how did that opportunity come up?

It’s really funny because it somewhat happened out of the blue. The entire day was very chill and I’ll always remember her being extremely kind to me and giving me very nice compliments… then she gave me an InSane Elbow so hard I swore it went through me! It was a pretty cool opportunity and I’m thankful to have had it.

3. Last time you were in MCW, you had pinned the women’s champion, Gia Scott, are there any plans on challenging her for the title?

I did pin the MCW Women’s Champion Gia Scott and I absolutely planned to challenge her for the Women’s title, but of course, with the state of the world, I won’t be able to do that for a while. That’s extremely unfortunate, but I respect Gia a lot and I know that one day we’ll get to lock up 1-on-1 again. In the meantime, I do have my 2nd Pan Afrikan World Diaspora defense against Timmy Lou Retton on August 15th for F1ght Club, so you’ll have to keep an eye out for that.

4. During this pandemic, what have you been doing in order to get yourself ready for wrestling?

Since a few of the local gyms and my Capoeira studio are both closed, I’ve focused my efforts more on what I can mostly control still, my food intake. I just got my first piece of home workout equipment, so I’m excited to sculpt up while at home. And I’ve been keeping my mind sharp by studying some matches from different eras and soaking up as much as I can. I’m super thankful for IWTV’s streaming service for getting me through this whole pandemic!

5. As a professional wrestler, you are idolized by many. How does it feel to be looked up to by so many fans?

That’s really nice of you to say. I don’t know if I would say ‘Idolized’, but I appreciate all of the love, I really do! I’m very shy and introverted by nature, so lots of praise and attention is still a foreign feeling, but I’m getting used to it….somewhat, haha. But I strive to lead by example professionally and set the tone for my peers and fans alike. 

6. You are in the main event of WrestleMania, who would you want your opponent to be?

My mother because honestly, she could use the check and I could use the rub.

7. What are some hobbies you enjoy that are non-wrestling related?

I have such a loaded bag outside of wrestling! A FEW of my non-wrestling hobbies includes modeling, Capoeira, cooking, reading, writing, playing video games, and drawing.  The key to me deciding which hobbies to give my time to, is basically whether they’ll enhance my wrestling career in some way, or help me destress and keep my anxiety in check. God bless them if they can do both!

8. Who is your favorite current WWE wrestler?

My favorite current WWE wrestler is the woman who deserves better and much more, Naomi. We all KNOW that she is a top tier performer in the ring. In-ring performance is something that is stated but almost overstated as what’s necessary to ‘make it’ in the business, up to the highest level. But it is important to acknowledge in the social media age, that how you conduct yourself outside of the ring is just as important. Poise, Grace, especially under UNNECESSARY fire, and being well respected by your peers is why Naomi is so unsung in my opinion. I look at her… and adjust my crown a bit. 

9. After your in-ring career, do you have any plans on starting your own promotion?

Post-in-ring career, there are a lot of things I am interested in parlaying my wrestling knowledge into. But as far as a promotion goes, I’ve seen Jonny Xross (PAWDWC founder) go through a lot with starting a promotion from the ground up and it was quite strenuous. Maybe being a trainer at a wrestling school would be more my speed. But who knows? I’ll follow the universe wherever she takes me.

10. What is your favorite part about being a professional wrestler?

My favorite part about being a professional wrestler is honestly… that satisfying feeling of seeing something through. I have ALWAYS wanted to be a professional wrestler since I was a little girl and I honestly can’t believe some days that a shy girl like me actually packed up her things in Washington, DC, moved to Florida, and trained for years all over the world! To know I was strong enough to see my dreams through all the way to what feels like the Pinnacle, yet just the beginning, is mind-blowing! I've got so much more to give.

It is honestly such a crazy feeling! I’m grateful for every single day. Thank you for the interview. 

Goddesses of War

On Friday, July 24th, 2020, my wife and I attended our first ever TiTan Championship Wrestling: Goddesses of War event in Ocean Gate, New Jersey. This was a highly anticipated event for us considering Holidead is our favorite wrestler, and this was also our first ever all women's wrestling show. On top of that, due to COVID-19, this also was our first experience attending a wrestling show outdoors. When entering the event, we were quickly greeted by the owner of TiTan Championship Wrestling, Billy. He was a super friendly guy and made sure we were taken care of and that we didn’t have any issues checking in to the show. He seemed very appreciative of the fans and was really passionate about wrestling. After taking our seats, we really enjoyed being able to sit and enjoy the atmosphere of being at a wrestling show since early March. The opening match really set the tone between Debbie Kane and Kaia McKenna. I ended up meeting Kaia at intermission and she was a joy to talk to. Holidead vs Gabby Ortiz followed, and as per usual, Holidead killed it. Always talking smack during her matches while almost losing her voice. We got a killer triple threat between Karen Bam Bam, Nevaeh Chantalle, and Adriana Mosley. I was very impressed with all three of these ladies. I was already familiar with Nevaeh Chantalle because of her matches with Dabria X at Dojo Wars. I ended up really becoming a big fan of Adriana Mosley during this match. As it got darker out, we were introduced to a chilling but amazing match between Anastasia Morningstar and Moth Endless. The setting was definitely something to remember. These ladies put on a great match and really had me at the edge of my seat. I am a huge fan of both of these women now. Vita Vonstarr vs Riley Shepard was also a very entertaining match that really had me intrigued. I also had the pleasure of meeting Riley Shepard at intermission, and she allowed me to hold her awesome sword during our selfie. The main event was between Vicious Vicki and the Goddess Champion: Notorious Mimi. These two ladies put together a fantastic match that just topped off the night. I became a huge fan of Mimi during this match. After the match, Notorious Mimi was attacked by the new number one contender for the Goddess Championship, Courageous Christina Marie, to leave us with a cliffhanger for their upcoming match for the next night.

Going into this event, I honestly was not too familiar with many of the women outside of Holidead and Nevah Chantalle. But afterward, I have now become a fan of many new women wrestlers. This was definitely a treat for my wife and I. We for sure will be attending more TiTan Championship Wrestling show and we are looking so forward to what the future holds for this amazing promotion.

Spotlight/Q&A with Sophia Lopez

When I started my podcast back in June of 2019, one of my goals was to eventually start having wrestlers on my show. I honestly wasn't planning on even trying to reach out to any wrestlers until about a year or two in the future just because I wanted to build my brand and gain a reputation first. A few months later in October, I ended up deciding that I wanted to try sooner than expected. I had just recently become a fan of the wrestling promotion called WOW Women of Wrestling, and I noticed how engaging the talent was with their fans on Twitter. So I ended up tagging Sophia Lopez and a few other women from WOW in a post asking if any of them were interested in guesting on my show in the future. Sophia ending up responding saying that she would love to.

We ended up exchanging a few DMs which led to us setting up a date to record together. The day officially came and when we started recording I'll be honest, I was super nervous. But Sophia was so sweet and talkative. She really carried the show. After we were done I personally thought I wouldn't have another talent on the show in a while. But without even asking or hinting Sophia brought up the idea of helping me get some of the other women from WOW on my show. She suggested Thunder Rosa and Samantha Smart. She told me to tweet Thunder Rosa telling her that she was gonna be on my show, not asking but telling. She then gave my phone number to people who work for WOW. I was contacted by a member of WOW and they scheduled interviews for me with Jungle Grrrl and Beast!

Ever since then I've been having so much luck on getting wrestlers on my show. This is truly a dream come true for and I can't thank Sophia enough for helping me get my show established.

Q&A with Sophia Lopez

1. What are you passionate about outside of wrestling? I am passionate about traveling, When I was 21 years old I was so blessed because I was chosen to work in Disney world at the Mexican pavilion (Epcot center) I met people from all over the world and I was able to go and visit I them in their home country like Norway Italy France Germany Canada Also, I went to Russia, Brasil, Guatemala and whenever I have the chance to travel I don’t even think about, I have one foot in the airplane 2. If you had to change your character what other gimmicks would you be interested in trying? I would say something similar to the Joker, I guess we have Holidead and she is doing great, but something around that character, something unique, different, dark, but always clever 3. Name one wrestler you would like to manage who you’ve never managed before? Inside WOW, The Beast Outside of WOW, Ronda Rousey, I like rebels and man, of course, Rey Mysterio, I love the mask. 4. How does it feel to be a role model in the eyes of others? It’s a great feeling because is a dream come true, for me being able to inspire others is gold 5. What’s your favorite thing about WOW as a promotion? My favorite thing about WOW as a promotion is the diversity, David Mclane is a genius and a carrying owner, sometimes I compare him with Hugh Jackman character (P.T. Barnum ) from the movie the greatest showman, with WOW promotion you gain a family

Spotlight/Q&A with Holidead

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Hey everyone, thank you for checking out my very first article for my blog for O-Face Wrestling. To start things off, I want to talk about how and why I became a MEGA Holidead fan. So I first discovered her while watching WOW (Women of Wrestling) back in the fall of 2019. In the first episode that I had ever watched, I saw a match with Holidead tag-teaming with her partner Siren. I instantly became a fan of both of them. But something about Holi really stuck out to me. Me being an old school fan, I loved the whole face paint look and her weirdness attracted me as well. In time, I started following her on social media and I always found her posts and videos to be extremely entertaining! I also quickly noticed that she was very engaging with her fans. This has always been a big deal for me, seeing wrestlers engage with their fans always wins me over. But hey, let's get to the good stuff. Want to hear about the #QueenOfDarkness Holidead, right? Let's go!

Holidead, at an unknown age, started her training under former WWE Legend Gangrel! (Yes, the guy who poured blood all over everyone in the '90s.) She made her in-ring debut for KnokX Pro Academy where she spent two years with the promotion. She has also wrestled for other established promotions such as World Wonder Ring Stardom, Ring of Honor, WOW Women of Wrestling, Hoodslam, and even for WWE. She has also had two matches in WWE under the ring-name Cami Fields. Her first match was against Bayley on Monday Night RAW on October 10th, 2016, and then again on NXT against Io Shirai on August 18th, 2019. Holidead is always traveling all over the world to entertain her fans. It seems like every week I see a new event that has her advertised on the poster. I mean, who wouldn't want to book Holidead? Her matches always give a fun and creepy vibe. The way she crawls out to the ring can give you Grudge (the horror movie) vibes. She was also ranked #95 in the PWI Top Women Wrestlers.

I reached out to Holidead and was fortunate enough to be able to ask her some questions. Keep reading to find out more about her, such as why she got into wrestling, wrestling for the indie circuit, how she got her character, and more.

Q&A with Holi

1. What inspired you to become a wrestler?

Love at first sight. After watching a squash match at my first ever live show, I fell in love with wrestling. Yup, a 1-minute match between Virgil and Yokozuna was all it took. Everything about the theater and storytelling aspect immediately reeled me in as a kid, and I've been in love ever since.

2. Growing up, what were some of your favorite wrestlers?

The Undertaker always will be my fav, I really do love the dark side, it's not just a gimmick lol. And also Razor Ramon and Macho Man Randy Savage, definitely my top three.

3. What's your plan for life after wrestling?

I definitely want to be involved in the fitness community. Since wrestling, I definitely have developed a new love for the gym, health, and fitness, it's extremely therapeutic. Even after wrestling, I know it's something I will keep with me. In the end game probably looking at starting my own gym, with several different aspects from my personal life, that I won't really go into, but things I think that could help others being attached to a fitness/wellness facility. 

4. What opponent, was your favorite to work within the ring?

Ahh, that's always a hard question. I can't say just one. Off the top of my head, some of my favorites have been Thunder Rosa, just getting to do what you love with your best friend it's always a different feel because you have a level of trust, and you want to keep pushing each other and you know automatically you're going to go balls to the walls.

Ray Lyn is another favorite, that's another good friend of mine. And we are very similar in that we are always wanting to get better and up to our game, and just looking for the opportunity to show what we can do. So again whenever we work, it's a thing we want to work, we want to top our next performance and push each other.

I'll throw in Gisele Shaw as well, we've worked a couple different times, and our styles are so different but the contrast actually compliments our matches I feel.

Some others, that I've only worked once Sammi Jayne, Toni Storm, and Lana Austin, all UK talent, but I feel we've had great matches, pushed each other and I'd love to work them again for sure. 

5. Where did the name Holidead come from?

Have, no cool backstory, sorry. My trainers

6. How long does it usually, take to put on your face paint?

I don't wear face paint. My face is similar to that of a mood ring. It changes with the times.

7. How did you come up with your character?

Again, no cool backstory. My trainers came to me one day and was like we need somebody to do something dark, different, with face paint and crazy, can you do it? I said yea, honestly, in the beginning, it was all pretty random and there was no initial blueprint. But I always remember Gangrel saying that, whatever you do, you have to believe it. Whatever you present to the people it has to be real and genuine, and if not they'll see right thru it. He always challenged me to go to that dark place and bring that person out. And in all honestly Holidead today is not a character. She is 1000 percent an extension of the person behind the wrestler. She is legit my other half in a deep dark place, and thankfully to wrestling, I'm allowed to release this person and express this instead o keeping it all bottled in. Holidead is no character, she's the Mr. Hyde to my Dr. Jeckyl. 

8. Besides wrestling and working out, what are some other things that you are passionate about?

Haaa, I really do need to find other hobbies, honestly, I know I'm too consumed in wrestling as a whole and it can lead me to bad places, but again there is nothing and I mean nothing that has these feelings that I do about wrestling, it's a bit scary at times but there is no other passion or love like I have for wrestling. I have hobbies like hiking, doing puzzles, video games, museums, etc. But passion wise, wrestling and working out are top priorities. If I'm going to put forth my energy full swing into something I better feel it.

9. What is the proudest moment of your wrestling career?

I have no idea lol. Idk, just the fact that I get to tour the world and provide for myself doing what I love. Seriously I've had jobs where I was miserable and became depressed and went down dark paths. But just being able to do this, seriously, just being in the ring is a different type of high, and I just live for that shit. Hopefully, that answered the question. 

10. What are your ultimate goals for wrestling?

...thinking.....ha, I'm still figuring it out I guess. Like I said I'm able to live off doing what I love, that's ultimate in itself. At this point knowing what I know, and being on the inside I can't say that my dream is to work for _______ company, cause it's not. Idk, I typically make yearly goals, I can't say I have an end all be all at this point. In another interview, someone asked me, what do I want my legacy to be? And I was stumped because I didn't even know people thought of me in a category of even leaving a legacy, that was a wild thought to me.

Ultimate goals? I still haven't answered the question lol, I guess I'll still figuring that out, but I guess for now I'd just like more people to recognize what I bring to the table, and what I have to offer.

11. Tell me a little bit about being a wrestler on the indies.

Ahh, I'm bad with vague questions so I'll do my best. Again not sure what the question is looking for but I do compare it to independent contracting, it is, I'm an independent contractor, I'm the owner of my own business and brand which is Holidead. The indies can be good and bad. If you do work hard, hustle your ass off, and never stop the grind it can be rewarding. I hate when I hear people who have never done anything talk about how people on the indies don't make money. Like there's a $20 dollar and hot dog joke as to say that's what everyone makes on the indies. Again, I'm my own business, so starting like any business I have to establish my worth, build up my name, and know what I bring to the table as far as my worth. With all that rambles, I'm saying that to say this is my job, being an independent pro wrestler, it pays my bills, nothing else does. I get to travel the world and do what I love for a living. It is a hustle though like I get my own bookings, I don't have any kind of agent or anything, it's all me. So whatever I get or book, its because of the work and hustle I put in. Some people feel weird or a certain way about reaching out to promoters for work, but again this is my job. Whatever your profession, if there is a job you want, you'd inquiries about it. Wrestling is no different. Unfortunately in the indies, there are typically no contracts, most of the time you are going off someone's word, so you will come across shady promoters and people who don't keep their word, you learn a lot along the way and adjust with time and experience. 

12. Tell me about wrestling for WOW. How did you get noticed by them?

I love wrestling for WOW, it's a different feel for sure than the independent scene. We do shoot for television, it's a specific company that knows what they want and how to portray things, they have that GLOW vibe ya know, as the creator of WOW created GLOW, overall it's fun. I got noticed them by reaching out to them. Again this is my job, you gotta send out resumes and job inquiries. It was actually while I was on my first tour in Japan along with Santana Garrett, she suggested reaching out to them, that they are very character-based, and she thought I'd be a good fit, so I reached out. 

13. What does wrestling mean to you? 

Too fucking much haha. I don't want anything else in this world but wrestling. It makes me feel alive, it is my life, my love, I know I'll be lost without whenever it's time to part. It's my first and only true love. It's similar to a drug. It gives me the best highs in life, and then when I come down it's usually bad and I just want that high again. It's also like an abusive relationship I refuse to get away from lol. We put our bodies on the line and it does affect us day to day, and wrestling, the business is not fair, it's not always about being the hardest worker or being a good a person, it just doesn't work like that. So emotionally and physically it absolutely takes it's toll but still, I don't want anything else.

14. Tell me about some of the top companies that you have worked for, and what titles you have won in the past?

Ehh idk about the term "top" companies, but some of my favorites I've worked for, one on the top is EVE, a female promotion in the UK. As an independent, I don't really have a home, I'm a bit of a stray, roaming from place to place, but I can say without a doubt, when I'm at EVE, in another country, I feel home there, they a so welcoming, about women empowerment and just rights for workers in general and being accepting of people as they are. I love that place. Another company I've enjoyed getting to be at is Shimmer, another all women's company, I feel they try to scout the top women's talent and I love to be challenged and put on a stage with the best of the best to show what I'm capable of.

Titles? Honestly, that's not something particularly important to me, but uh I've held a Resistance title in Chicago, RWA in PA, Crossfire in Canada, tag titles at Shine, Sabotage, and the former NWA International tag titles, I believe there was another title in Cali that I actually beat Thunder Rosa for. But again titles aren't that big a deal to me, but in this business, they do establish certain clout, so of course, they are very much important in that aspect.