WWE SmackDown women’s champion Bianca Belair recently spoke with ITNWWE to hype up SummerSlam later this month, and discuss a number of different topics including how she played many sports growing up, and how excited she was to work with Kairi Sane in the first Mae Young Classic. Highlights are below.
How she grew up playing many other sports and how that helped her wrestling career:
“I play almost every sport in the books since the age of 5. I have done tracks, gymnastic, cheerleading, soccer, and then CrossFit and powerlifting right before I got into WWE. So, I always say that all of those things like really lead up to where I am today and I was able to pull a little bit from each one to help contribute to success here. Just athleticism, being coachable, being able to pick things quickly and I try to really translate some of that into the ring. So, when I was powerlifting, or pressing weight over my head, now I am trying to power clean press with girls over my head. So, it really helped my success. And really being the EST of WWE, I call myself the strongest, the fastest, the toughest, the roughest, and the best. It all comes from my athletic background and all the sports that I played.”
Talks her performance in the Mae Young Classic:
“So, when I first heard about Mae Young Classic, I was so excited to be part of the first one. It was an all-women tournament. It was really my first big moment in WWE. I was pretty new at that point. I think I was maybe a couple of months in, or almost a year in, something like at that point. I was super excited to be introduced to a bigger audience and a bigger crowd. It was my first taste to what it feels like to be on a big stage. To be part of Mae Young Classic is – it was women competing and trying to win, and showcase themselves. It was really good opportunity, not just for women inside of WWE, but also for women around the world at that point of time.”
On getting to work with Kairi Sane during the tournament:
“But for me, I was nervous, I was anxious. But I was super excited because I got to be in the ring with Kairi Sane. Once I found out that she is going to be my next round. I just know that I got to be in the ring with someone that’s so talented like Kairi and had so much experience like her. As an athlete, I’ve always wanted to get the ring with someone that’s the best because it makes me the best. So, going out there and showcasing who I was and giving it a taste of who I was.”
