In PWPonderings’ latest exclusive interview, Kristara (@_kristara) sits down with Scott Mitchell (@scott44mitchell) to talk about learning under Speedball Mike Bailey, her time at the Lodestone Seminar hosted by WWE’s Bayley during WrestleMania week, C4 Wrestling, her recent debut at TJPW, her upcoming match with Isla Dawn at Sans Restriction, and much more. You can watch the interview in its entirety down below, including more about her beginnings.
You’ve got to train under ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey. What was it like to learn under Speedball, and did you get any advice from Speedball?
“I think the number one thing I always think of is, he always says that wrestling is 50/50. Sometimes people go out there and say, ‘this person didn’t do this,’ or ‘this person didn’t do that.’ Sometimes he asks questions like, okay, maybe I hit a strike, and the person sold it wrong, and he asks, Did you show it to them?’ or ‘Did you practice it with them?’ or Did you watch their other matches and know they could do this move?’ Even if you said yes, sometimes you should know better. He’s never one to blame things, but he’s very much like, I have my part, and you have your part. I really like that train of thought that he has. Wrestling is 50/50.”
During WrestleMania week, you got to take part in the Lodestone seminar with WWE’s Bayley. What did this mean to you?
“The seminar, I was so nervous to go to because it’s very out of my comfort zone. I think that’s why it’s important that I went to it. I had to go somewhere and be uncomfortable, because when you’re always in your own area, it’s comfortable and it’s easy. So, I was so nervous because I wasn’t with the people that I know. But that’s why it was so important that I did that. But also, be around different women. There were women from so many different countries, Canada, the states obviously, Chile, the Philippines, like it just brought so many different minds of wrestling together and different stories. I feel like we all have this support system globally now. So, if you go somewhere else, into whatever country, and there’s a girl from Lodestone there, they have your back, they’re supporting you, you share something, and all the girls from Lodestone are commenting. You don’t really see that in wrestling. It really just brought us all together, more so, obviously, we learnt a lot, but it was more so the community aspect that I’ve never felt before. I’m lucky that there are some women’s wrestlers in my area, but some women who came to Lodestone, where they trained, only trained with guys, so it’s really important and life-changing for a lot of people to just have so many girls, and we all want to see each other do well. We’re not competing, we’re just like, yeah, go girl. Come over here, come to my town. Let’s wrestle each other. It’s been really a crazy experience that was hard to process.”
What advice did you get from anyone there, such as Becky Lynch, Lyra Valkyria, CM Punk, or Bayley herself, that you’re able to take with you?
“Yeah, so one thing I tried, and I did it in my first match back, it was funny. I wrestled Nicole Matthews in C4, the day after Lodestone, and I flew back to Ottawa right away. And she asked me, ‘Is there something you want to do that you learnt?’ It was something like not planning everything. Being more authentic. How would you react to things? How would your character react? It was actually CM Punk. He was talking about it. I think the quote or the inspo he had from it was from The Godfather. They would have lines. He would kind of read them, but he wouldn’t memorize them because he wanted to say them as he felt them, and not have it be so planned. I think that’s a problem now. Everyone wants to plan everything; they want to know exactly how your head is going to be, your body is just going to be in different places, and you have to be comfortable with that. I think that’s just something I’m trying to push myself more in. I know my stuff, and my opponents mostly know their stuff as well. So, just giving those moments to be yourself and have fun as well. If you’re having fun, the crowd is having fun. So, if I’m not in there overthinking and I’m just in there being myself, that’ll give a more authentic and better performance.”
You were also very recently able to take part in the Canadian debut for TJPW against Yuki Kamifuku. What was your mindset when you found out you were going to be a part of this show, and what was it like to work with someone like Yuki?
“So, it felt like a dream come true, and not in a corny way. It’s not something you’d think you’d be able to do in Canada, as well, like to do TJPW so early in your career, and go to Vancouver, as well. It just felt like so many cool bucket list things checked off. I remember I was studying Japanese, as well, so I could know a little bit of words, then when I got there, I was so nervous, and she obviously speaks really good English. I was just, I have to do everything I can to prepare for this moment and impress. Working with her, she’s so kind, she’s very generous, she’s very humble. She’s been wrestling a lot longer than me and was asking, ‘Oh, is this okay?’ or ‘How do you think?’ and she never made me feel anything less. She made me feel very comfortable. So, it was just nice to enter a space and feel so welcome when I was obviously very nervous. She’s so charismatic, has great character work, so to try and go up to that level in the match and show people, hey, I can do this. I’m not just good at home, I’m good globally, as well. That was a big challenge for me. It was another situation of when you’re by yourself and not in front of a crowd who knows you, you may doubt yourself a little bit. But, in those moments, you really grow.”
Let’s get into it. On Friday night, you’ll be teaming up with Nixi XS to take on Layla Wilde and the C4 Wrestling Women’s Champion, Alexia Nicole, at C4 Wrestling’s big event, “A Better Tomorrow.” What is your mindset heading into this match?
“So, I was really flattered to even be in the position, because the way that it’s being marketed, Alexia and I were in the finals for the C4 Women’s Championship, and she beat me. So, it’s interesting to be able to revisit this in this tag match now. It will be interesting to see how we’ll interact. She beat me, obviously; she won the title. I’ve never beaten her in a singles match, on a spot show, all these years that we faced, the few times we did wrestle, she’s always beaten me. I’m excited to see how I’ll navigate this and if I’ll get another shot at the Women’s Championship as well. Alexia is an awesome wrestler, as well. I’ve never wrestled Layla Wilde either, but she’s been blowing up. The level, for as long as she’s been wrestling, maybe a couple of months, not even a year, she’s been really performing well and rising to the occasion. So, I’m excited to wrestle her. Nixi as well. She’s not from Canada, so I never thought I’d get the chance to work with her. She’s from Missouri, so that’s kind of far from here. So, that’s cool to be able to interact with someone new, especially because she has such an online presence. So, to be able to perform alongside her, I’m really looking forward to that. There are so many different elements, and that’s what C4’s all about. You get to meet so many different people and wrestle so many different people. It’s going to be fun.”
Back in February, C4 Wrestling held it’s all women’s show, “Bring It On.” This show was historic in every way possible, including crowning the first-ever C4 Women’s Champion. What did it mean for you just to be a part of this night?
“So, this was their second all-women’s show. I’m so glad they did it again. The first show, everyone just had so much fun. It brought a lot of singles matches that everyone would have never had the opportunity to have. As well as this year, it brought together a lot of people who may not have wrestled otherwise; there’s only so many spots on a card. I’m so glad they did it again. I’m sure now they’ll do it again, especially now that we have the women’s title. The division is growing because women have always been booked at C4, but now they’re really focused on having a women’s division. You’re just seeing more women on every card. It was very special. I was super glad to be on the second show and in the main event for the title. Alexia is someone I really look up to in wrestling. Which is funny because I think we’re the same age. But she’s been in wrestling a lot longer than I have. So, she’s always been someone I want to measure myself against. I started wrestling a little later, while she started wrestling a little younger. Yeah, I just always wanted to be someone who was considered a good wrestler. So, it felt like another thing knocked off the checklist. Now, it’s what’s next, and I have to add something else.”
Another big match you have coming up will be on June 6th as you get ready to face off with Isla Dawn at Sans Restriction. What is your mindset heading into this one?
“So, my mindset is saying, I need to do a lot. Of course, I’ve been consistently training, so I think that I am prepared for this opportunity. But, I want to sharpen up on some of my skills as well, because of course she’s such a high-level talent, and I want to be able to rise to her level, and give the best of my performance, especially if they’re giving me such a big opportunity. I’m just really looking forward to picking her brain, learning some things, and probably being uncomfortable a little bit, because I’m nervous a little bit, I’m facing a big talent. But, I need to just be uncomfortable because I want to get better.”
Looking ahead, what are your future goals?
“My personal goal is I want to travel again. I got to travel a lot last month. I need to be uncomfortable again. When I’m at home, I’m comfortable. The fans know me, they know my stuff. But I want to go to places where they don’t know my stuff. So, definitely to travel more. Do more women’s matches as well. There are only so many women in my area, so if I travel more, I can work with more women, as well. I just really want to do a women’s show at IWS in Montreal. So, that’s a goal of mine as well. To be a part of something like that, even if it’s a one-off. That’s something I think our scene could do now because there are so many women here, as well. So, just to do a women’s show, but also travel. I love to learn… Last year, my goal was to go to Europe, and I did that. This year, I definitely want to go back, but my biggest goal is just to do TJPW again. That was just, that’s what I want to be doing. Whether I have to go over there, they come back here, or they go to the states, I would love to be a part of that again because it’s just my type of wrestling. I love silly wrestling. They have a really diverse show, plus it’s an all-women’s show. So, I would say TJPW.”
Do you have any opponents you’d like to share with?
“Yeah. I really want to wrestle Johnnie Robbie, and I’ve never wrestled B3CCA either, so I really want to wrestle both of them. Johnnie Robbie is obviously killing it; she’s in Japan, and she’s all over the place. B3CCA, her social media is hilarious. I’d love to pick her brain as well. How she comes up with these situations, you’re just watching the whole promo, and that’s very hard to do nowadays. Nobody watches a full promo, but I watch all of her full promos. I’d love to face her, as well.”