Independent wrestling star Killer Kelly, who was recently announced for IMPACT Wrestling’s Knockouts tag title tournament, spoke with Fightful about her NXT UK departure and how the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down her momentum post-release. Highlights are below.
Opens up about her NXT UK departure:
“It was something that I really didn’t want to talk about. I didn’t want to emphasize. There were a lot of people that left NXT UK, and that made a big fuss out of it. I don’t like to go to every corner and shout, ‘Hey, guys! I’m out!’ I strategically started, like, ‘Okay, what’s my plan?’ I want to do more wrestling. ‘Cause I didn’t do much on NXT UK. I loved, love, loved the PC, training with people, meeting new people and especially William Regal, like learning from the best. So, once I left, I was like, ‘Okay, I need to reorganize my career. I want to wrestle all over. I want to continue wrestling for WXW.’ ‘Cause I love WXW, it’s my home promotion. Without WXW I wouldn’t be here. So, I quietly and slowly started picking out places and like, ‘What should I do? What should be my big announcement and my big coming out?’ Then there was WrestleMania week. I was like, ‘I’ve never been to one of these things.’ The closest that I’ve been was to SummerSlam in Canada where I was allowed to wrestle because it was Canada and not the United States. But, I had a knee injury, so I couldn’t wrestle.”
On COVID-19 affecting her Bloodsport match with GCW:
“I was so mad. So, so mad. I watched all the shows, but I was so mad. This was my big opportunity. I was like, ‘I need to see what shows are on and what I want to be associated with.’ Then I saw BloodSport, I was like, ‘That! That’s the thing that I want to do.’ The other shows that I had came after that. But, BloodSport was my number one. If I only had BloodSport that week, I would be thrilled. But, then, a lot of places, a lot of big surprises as well, and then COVID hit and my career was like, ‘There’s no big coming out.’”
How the pandemic ruined her post NXT UK plans:
“I was mad, sad, regretted everything. ‘Cause once I left, I was like, ‘Oh! So, many opportunities. So much can happen.’ Then that big punch to the nose that was COVID. It left me broken because I was so happy and so many plans and nothing came into fruition.”
How the pandemic slowed down the industry:
“Right now it’s very, very difficult. I have been talking to some people, but the main issue is the VISAs. Because right now, with COVID, everything is super slowed down. Everything. Even getting married, that I’ve been looking into it, it takes a while. A long, long while. Because there’s like embassies that are closed or minimal hours and just getting paperwork through is just super, super hard. With the people that I’m talking to, we’re working on solutions and I cannot say to whom I’m talking. It’s difficult but, I’m trying really hard to make something happen. It’s so difficult. Literally my plan was, ‘Okay, I’m going to have a run in the US. I’m going to have a good showing at the Collective, which I had, I’m very, very proud.’ Now, I want everyone to come talk to me, but they’re afraid because I am from Portugal and they cannot legally have me. I’m like, ‘Oh, goddamnit, I really want to do something. Please!’”
