In PWPonderings’ latest exclusive interview, Taylor Yorke (@taylor_yorke_) sits down with Scott Mitchell (@scott44mitchell) to open up about her time at Rising Stars of Women’s Wrestling so far, including her upcoming match with Dolli Darko at Saturday’s show. She also spoke about Future Stars of Wrestling in Las Vegas, and matches with Veronica West, Brittnie Brooks, and so much more. Watch it in its entirety below.
Who is “The Pumped Up Princess” Taylor Yorke, and how would you describe her to fans who may be new to your work?
“I would say the Pumped Up Princess is like a girl who is a girlie girl and loves all that stuff, but is also a bro in the gym. If I put it as brief as possible, a spoiled girl who does CrossFit and throws tantrums… Now is the best time (to jump on the bandwagon), because when you like this band, and all of a sudden the band becomes super popular, and everyone knows who they are, you can be like, ‘I liked them first. I liked them before it was cool.’ And then you feel special. I think that’s the best reason because someday, I’m going to blow up and people are going to be like, ‘Wow, I remember her when she was just starting.’”
Let’s jump right into it. Next Saturday, on September 19th, you will be making your return to Rising Stars of Women’s Wrestling right here on Long Island to face Dolli Darko. What is your mindset heading into this one?
“I think, last time I was kind of like, ‘yeah, whatever.’ I know that she’s a tough girl. I know that, and I did know that before the last match. But I think I kind of overlooked her a little bit just because I was like, ‘Oh, she’s smaller than me, a little bit,’ and I’m me. But, I think at the same time, I respect her tenacity, and I think she has a lot going for her right now. I think she’s honestly doing very well, and just in general. I’ve known her for a while, and she came to Phoenix Championship Wrestling, the promotion my school runs. I picked her up from the airport; this was before I was wrestling. So, I knew her since before I was having matches. It’s really cool to see her growth, but at the same time I want to prove to her, myself, and everyone else that I’ve grown too. I’ve come a long way too. I think that’s where we both have this will to fight. I know she’s tough. I know she hits hard. My mindset is, I’m just going to hit her harder. I really feel like last time we didn’t get that definitive ending. She kind of laughed at me. I don’t like that. I don’t like people laughing at me. It makes me angry. That’s also going to be in the back of my mind when I see her in New York. I’m bringing everything I have, and throwing everything and the kitchen sink at her.”
The last time you were here at Rising Stars, you and Darko went to a double count-out. Now that you’ve had some time since that day, what is going through your head coming out of that match?
“There was definitely that frustration and anger. I think I’m someone who, sometimes, I just get too upset and too into it. I’m just like, seeing red. That’s kind of what happened there; it was just kind of like wanting to one-up each other and hit the other one harder. We just lost track of what we needed to do, which is not to get counted out, right? But I think this time around, I’m just going to make sure I keep that in check. I get a little emotional. That’s kind of my thing. When that happens, sometimes I lose track of everything else going on and all the other things I need to worry about. I’m just trying to figure out, when I get in that mindset and start seeing red, how to bring myself back to reality.”
Dolli is someone we’ve gotten to see evolve into a very talented wrestler. What has it been like for you to work alongside her and see her growth?
“It’s really, I love watching other people grow. I am someone who I’ve messed up a lot. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I look back on those matches when I started, and like, ‘Oh my God, who let me wrestle? What am I doing?’ I look at people who have been working really hard. I’ve seen her physical transformation alone; it’s incredible. I have to give her props for that. She looks great right now. I know she’s been working really hard in the ring too, and seeing that improvement as well, it inspires me, but I also see that as a challenge. Here’s someone who’s gone and worked really hard, and I want to try and keep up with her. That’s what really drives me and makes me a little crazy about trying to prove that I can at least, if she’s going to improve, so am I. I want to be on her level, no matter how much better she gets.”
What are your future goals at Rising Stars?
“I get so excited being around a bunch of girls. I train with just one other girl. So, being in a locker room full of only women, I want to work my way up the card. That is my main goal there. It’s cool because instead of it being, ‘Oh, you’re just in the women’s match,’ or two of them- maybe there are two of them if you’re lucky- it’s like, now it’s like, okay, my first few matches there have been opening the show. I see it as, now I want to work my way up. I think they bring in some really cool names. One of these days, I want to be in there with the Indi Hartwells, Zoey Serranos, Kay Lee Rays, Ruthie Jays; it’s such a talented locker room. I just see it as: I just want to work my way up the card. I just have to keep working on myself and work on getting better in the ring and being able to keep up with those types of people and get on that level. That’s a goal of mine.”
What’s it like to work for a promotion like Rising Stars, an all-women’s promotion, run by arguably one of the best women’s wrestlers to do it, Mercedes Martinez?
“It’s really cool. I definitely flex that Mercedes is someone I see as a mentor. I’m so lucky to have that in my life. She has just been through all of it. The career she’s had has been amazing. She’s so sweet. She’s like the nicest person ever. I think that getting to do this all-women’s show is so exciting; I love it. I think we need more all-women’s promotions out there. Mercedes does a lot behind the scenes, and she’s a total girl boss, and she gets it all done, and I love it. I look up to that. I hope to, someday, do what she’s doing and run an all-women’s promotion. I think the world needs more of them. For someone like me, there’s not a ton of girls out here on the West Coast, so trying to go to the East Coast and, well, here’s this locker room full of women. It’s nice to feel that you’re not the women’s match of the night; you get to be the opener. I rarely ever get to open shows, which is a really fun spot to be in. You get to get the energy up for the crowd; it’s really nice. It’s nice to be like, cool, I’m not just one of two girls here. It’s refreshing to be around other girls.”
You’ve also become a bit of a mainstay at FSW. What’s it been like working for one of the biggest independents on the West Coast?
“I am very grateful for FSW. When I was first starting, that was the first place I was really getting reps in at. They have a really great setup with the cameras, so you get good footage. FSW Arena, it’s nice to work at. It’s not a crazy crowd, but it’s a good crowd that’s into it, because they care if you get them to. I’ve been really grateful because, at the same time, there are more girls there. I’ve gotten the chance to work with other girls more. I love Las Vegas, I really do. I’m getting married there in January. I love the vibe of that place. I’m very grateful for all of the opportunities I’ve gotten because of FSW.”
The last time we saw you at FSW, you came up just short against Veronica West back in July. What was it like to work with her?
“I’ve worked with her a few times. The first time I ever worked with her, we were at this Boys & Girls Club on a reservation in Arizona. We had to put this match together; she was running late, we had to put this match together, and she was like, ‘Alright, cool, I have to go back to work.’ I was like, ‘It was nice meeting you.’ Then, we worked together at a promotion in Prescott, Arizona, northern Arizona, and then we had that match at FSW. I am always impressed by how she improves. I just think she has such a great charisma about her. I say it all the time: I’m her biggest fan. I know she’s really young. She’s got a bright future ahead of her. I see the work she puts in, and I see that as, ‘Okay, I want to be on her level.’ It’s aspirational in a way. I’m always just happy for her with whatever she does. It’s fun getting to be in the ring with her, get to throw her around a little bit, because she’s small, but she’s great. She’s great. She got the win over me, so.”
You also got to work with Brittnie Brooks for the FSW Women’s Championship back in December of 2025. What was it like to work with her?
“I think that December match I had with her is either my favorite or second favorite match I ever had. I think that out of everyone I’ve worked with before, Brittnie is the best person I ever worked with. Again, that’s someone who I see, and I’m like, I want to be on her level. I see all the success she’s having, and she 100% deserves all of it. She works really hard. I’m always cheering her on. She is the sweetest person ever, but she will also kick your butt; she will. She kicked my butt like twice, so.”
Looking ahead, what are your future goals?
“I just, my whole life I’ve been a performer, and I just want to keep on performing as much as possible. I’ve been very fortunate this year. I feel like most weekends, I’m booked. It’s kind of rare and weird when I’m not booked on a weekend, then I’m like, ‘What am I going to do with myself?’ Then, I’m like, ‘It’s good to have those. It’s good to get stuff done.’ But I just want to stay busy. The harder I work, the better I get, the more places will want to book me, and then I’ll get better bookings. I just want to keep working my way up and keep performing. I just love being in front of a crowd, so much. That’s kind of what I live for. I want all the opportunities I can get to be in the ring, in front of a crowd, doing my thing. I want to go to all of them. All the states and other countries. Just see how far I can take it, where it leads me, and just hone my craft and just see what I can do with this.”
Do you have any opponents that you’d like to share the ring with?
“There are so many. You see those other girls out there who do it, and you follow them on social media, and they’re out there, killing it, and it’s just like, ‘Oh, I’d love to work with her someday. If the opportunity comes up, I’d love to work with her.’ There’s a million names that come to me right now. I will say that, people who are Rising Stars regulars who I want to cross paths with one day. Like Lu Lu La Reina, I’d love to work with her. Amity LaVey, I think she’s so good. Scary but she looks awesome. So good. I’d love to work with her one day.”