Year: 2022

Why Kamille Must Defeat Taya Valkyrie at NWA 74

By Paul E. Pratt

“TO BE THE best, you’ve got to beat the best.”

These are words one might expect from a challenger looking to fulfill championship destiny. Coming from Kamille, though, they hint at a National Wrestling Alliance Women’s World champion with something to prove.

“Even though I’ve beaten some incredible people, I think I need to step it up a notch,” admits Kamille.

Strange to hear from a woman who, during 400-plus days as the NWA Women’s World champion, holds wins over some of wrestling’s best. Yet, somehow, “The Brickhouse” is frequently overlooked in conversations about the sport’s preeminent competitors—conversations that unquestionably do include many she’s beaten during her reign.

It speaks to how slow the wrestling world at large is to embrace the powerhouse, perhaps simply due to lack of awareness. That could all change when Kamille defends “The Burke” against “La Wera Loca” Taya Valkyrie on night one of the two-day NWA 74 anniversary extravaganza in St. Louis.

“That’s a marquee match-up people are going to pay to see,” declared Kamille, in what seemed unintentional understatement. An ample number of fans might consider the August 27 pay-per-view bout a “Dream Match.”

“This clash of giants is something the wrestling world will be talking about for a long time,” agreed Valkyrie, calling a chance at the NWA Women’s championship “massive.”

“‘The Burke’ has been held by legends and trailblazers, and I want to be part of that legacy,” Valkyrie told PWI. “Kamille’s a total badass, but she knows there’s a target on her back. At NWA 74, I will cement myself in the record books when a new champion is crowned.”

Though stakes are undoubtedly high for the challenger, they’re arguably higher for the champ. Whereas Valkyrie seeks to etch her name in history, Kamille needs to “cement” her place in the now.

Even after excessive needling, the NWA champ declines to speculate why others—Jade Cargill, for example, whose dominance as AEW TBS champion she praises—receive greater attention and accolades. She dismisses questions about her weekly Pro Wrestling Illustrated ratings (“I don’t pay much attention to rankings. They’re obviously flawed.”), outright refusing to consider the upcoming PWI “Women’s 150.”

Though she’s unlikely to ever admit it, the perceived snub must rattle a competitor of Kamille’s caliber. Accustomed to the facts-driven worlds of other athletics, the one-time member of the Legends Football League found pro wrestling to be an entirely different … well, ballgame.

“My whole life, I’ve played sports—and I’ve been very successful,” noted the former Division I softball standout. “In sports, you become recognized by the things you do, your stats. I never had to ‘put myself over’ to get recognition.”

While “to be the best, you have to beat the best” is wrestling cliche, “perception is 99-percent of reality” when it comes to audiences (and perhaps media). It does not benefit a competitor like Kamille, who prefers that success speak for itself.

“You have to start the trend, and that’s not who I am,” said Kamille of being her own hype woman.

“I’m not saying any names, I’m not giving that tea, but there are plenty of people who put themselves out there like they’re the greatest of all-time—and they’re clearly not,” she continued. “But people buy into it, start believing just because the person says they are so much.”

Rather than proclaim greatness on Twitter, Kamille points to her track record. And, to be blunt, her stats as NWA champ rival any.

Kamille bested current AEW Women’s World champion Thunder Rosa for a shot at the NWA World Women’s title, defeating Serena Deeb for the strap June 6, 2021. She’s since defended against Chelsea Green, “Legit” Leyla Hirsch, Melina, Kylie Rae, KiLynn King, Kiera Hogan, Taryn Terrell and more. And that’s just within the NWA.

“I’m not just sitting on my hands, waiting for matches to fall into my lap through NWA,” Kamille asserted. “I want to go out, work on my game, make a name by going all over the U.S.—and, soon, out of the country—and get the NWA name out there, too.”

Outside NWA, she’s overcome Deonna Purazzo in XPW, Allysin Kay, Shalonce Royal, Layla Lennox, Laynie Luck, Christie Jaynes, and more. While impressive, this list scarcely scratches the surface.Last December, Kamille defeated now-ROH Women’s champion Mercedez Martinez under Battleground Pro Wrestling’s banner. Game Changer Wrestling’s Allie Katch came up short at Capital Championship Wrestling in March. At “The Gathering III,” Rachael Ellering became her most recent conquest.

“Even though it’s 2022, it’s still the NWA,” Kamille stated, alluding to the company’s history of traveling World champions. She’s carrying on a long tradition while adding her own legacy to the historical record.

Though she’ll likely never confess it, Valkyrie presents potentially Kamille’s greatest opportunity yet. Defeating the AAA Reina de Reinas, MLW Women’s Featherweight, and one-half of the IMPACT Knockouts tag team champions on NWA’s biggest night could be a tide-turning statement.

It would veritably force inclusion in discussions about today’s top stars. Unlike Deeb, Martinez, and Thunder Rosa, who had not yet reached the height of their current successes, Valkyrie is red-hot now … a fact nobody, particularly Kamille, can deny.

“Since leaving NXT, she’s been winning titles everywhere she goes,” said Kamille. “People are really behind Taya, both as a wrestler and a person. Facing her on pay-per-view is a blessing, the perfect opportunity to get people’s attention.”

It certainly is, especially for a champion looking to earn respect rather than demand attention. For Kamille, it is another step toward that goal.

“I’ve got to beat people like Taya Valkyrie, maybe go out and beat Jade,” she suggested with a laugh.

“I have to beat Deonna Purazzo, which I already have, but I need to beat her on more of a grand stage,” she concluded. “Then, rather than tell them, I’ll show everyone what I’m made of—and that starts at NWA 74.”

RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair Talks Equity and Obstacles During Virtual Summit Panel for Front Office Sports

WWE SUPERSTAR BIANCA Belair took part in Front Office Sports‘ “Trailblazing Pros On Breaking Barriers” panel on Thursday, June 23. The panel was one of several introduced as a part of this year’s “Title IX: The Next 50 Years” virtual summit hosted by the media brand. With Sports Innovation Lab CEO and co-founder Angela Ruggiero and Just Women’s Sports Content Strategist Haley Kopmeyer, who was also the acting moderator, Belair gave her thoughts on a number of topics, including the biggest obstacles she’s faced upon becoming a WWE Superstar, equity, and her future goals.

Below are the current RAW Women’s champion’s thoughts on those and much more:

When asked how she became a WWE Superstar:

“I was a collegiate hurdler at the University of Tennessee. (I finished up at the University of Tennessee.) After that, I missed that competitive atmosphere. I got into CrossFit, and I was really just expressing myself with wearing crazy outfits and outlandish outfits. Hall-of-Famer Mark Henry discovered me and said, ‘Hey, you have everything it takes to be a WWE Superstar. I see it in you. I can get you a tryout, but I can’t get them to hire you.’ It took me two tryouts, and now I’ve completely fallen in love. I never imagined myself being a WWE Superstar, but now I can’t imagine myself being anything other than that now. It was just a perfect fit.”   

When asked what was the biggest obstacle she’s had to overcome:

“I think there were two for me. Initially, it was coming into [the] WWE [without] any knowledge of what I was getting myself into. I didn’t really watch wrestling growing up, and I came in with zero experience. I’ve played sports since I was five years old, and I was able to pull from almost [every] sport to go into the other sport. With WWE, I just had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know the culture. I didn’t know the history. I felt like I was just constantly playing catch up and having to prove myself that I belonged there. For a while, I felt like I was stealing someone else’s dream that had maybe dreamed of being in the WWE since they were a kid, and that wasn’t me. My biggest obstacle was just really starting from zero and feeling like I had to prove myself and dealing with imposter syndrome throughout the way.”

“My second obstacle—I think that I came into WWE [at] an amazing time where women were beginning to get these amazing opportunities … I was in that time where we were having all of a sudden the first-ever women’s match for this occasion, the first-ever women’s match for this occasion, the first-ever women’s main event. I was having to rise to the occasion and [was] dealing with all that pressure and feeling like, Okay these moments aren’t just about me, it’s about representation, and it’s not just about letting myself down, but letting other people down. It was really just living up to the expectations of—not just my own expectations, but the expectations of others—and proving that women do belong in these spaces.”

When asked about her thoughts in regards to pay equity and improved facilities for women in the present and future:

“We’ve come a long way, but I still feel like we have a long way to go. With WWE, we’ve done amazing things along the way with women where we have grown so much. In WWE we’re at a time now where … we’re main-eventing on a weekly basis throughout our shows. We’re main eventing at WrestleManias. I was one of the first Black females to main event at WrestleMania, and that led to winning an ESPY. I feel like it’s now becoming where we’re celebrating women for doing these unprecedented moments, but I want it to get to a point where it’s now the norm. The conversation is shifting from, ‘That was the best women’s match I’ve seen, of all-time,” to, “That was the best match that I’ve seen, of all-time.’ We [WWE’s female superstars] have been able to go to Saudi Arabia and perform. In 2019 we had the first-ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia, and I was able to be a part, in February, of Elimination Chamber. So we’re always focused on it’s great for little girls and women to see us in these positions, but push the conversation that it’s even more important for little boys to see us in these positions and to see women represent in this way. Because, a lot of times, there’s a lot of men that make the rules or that open the doors and allow these opportunities, and we just need those opportunities. I just want the conversation to continue shifting from ‘What more do women need to do to have equal opportunities and equity?’ to [where] we don’t need to do anything more. We just need those opportunities because we always show up and we always shout out. We’ve just seen that with Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor, where they were able to main-event and headline in Madison Square Garden. It was amazing. I was able to be a part of that. It was considered the biggest women’s boxing match of all-time. But I can’t wait till it gets to the biggest boxing match of all time.”

When asked how WWE is currently supporting women and building the next generation of superstars:

“The amazing thing about WWE [is] any woman can watch and they will find someone on television or on the roster they can relate to. That’s what I love about [the] WWE. We don’t just put women in one box. We’re in a space [where] we’re comfortable to be ourselves and we represent what being a woman means to us. We’re putting women in prominent storylines. We’re all about storytelling—that’s how we reach our consumer, and that’s how we reach our audience, through storytelling. We’re continuing to push women out there. We have women that embrace their femininity. We have women that embrace their strength. We have women that come from all different backgrounds. We have women that have just had children and are coming back and showing that you can have it all. We’re really just continuing to push women in that direction and changing the conversation—that women can do just as amazing things as men sometimes and even … better.

A [recent] tweet that really touched me was from a mom that brought her son to a show, and her son said, ‘Look, Mom, look at Bianca Belair! She’s doing all the things that the men are doing!’ The mom responded, ‘Yes she is, and even better.’  

We have an NIL [Next in Line] program … where we’re able to recruit women and help them develop themselves into future potential superstars in WWE. For me, I kind of had to figure it out on my own. It took me a couple of years after being a collegiate athlete to get into WWE and find my way. Now, WWE has a clearer pathway for women to find their way into [the company].

It’s amazing. And I feel like, especially as a woman after college and [for] collegiate athletes, I feel like we don’t always have as many opportunities as the men in high-profile sports organizations or have a lot of higher pay. Having this clear pathway into WWE, I think, is an amazing thing, especially for women coming out of college.”

Thoughts on the best advice she’s ever received:

“I feel like I’ve gotten so much advice. [laughs] A lot of good advice. I think, for me, the one thing that sticks with me is a quote. ‘Don’t just learn history, but create history.’ I think we all, especially us women, go through the history of how far we’ve come. And I think that it’s great, and we need to know what people have done … the women, what they have done before us to pave this road for us. But also, be a part of that history. Create your own history. Be comfortable with trying. Try everything, because you may not know what you may be good at. I tried WWE. I had no idea that I would be good at this. But, because I tried it, I was able to discover a new part of myself. I’m all about being ‘The EST,’ and that’s what I represent when I walk into WWE. Being ‘The EST’—being the strongest, the fastest, the roughest, the toughest, the quickest, the greatest, the best—it’s just about being the absolute best version of yourself and trying and starting over every single day.  

You’ll eventually get to where you need to get to. Especially as a woman, you need to show up as your authentic self. You don’t have to choose one part of yourself to present. You don’t have to place yourself in this little box. You can be everything that you want to be. When you do that, people are able to relate to you and grasp onto that. Every woman needs to be able to look at the screen and see someone that they can relate to and that inspires them to just be themselves.”  

On what’s next for the WWE Superstar:

“For now, I am the RAW Women’s champion. For me, it’s just all about … finding my ‘why.’ My ‘why’ is to inspire people. I know my role models changed the whole trajectory of my life, so I just want to give that back to everyone else and inspire them and just continue to change the perspective of [the] female wrestler. We are everything. We’re not just wrestlers. We are athletes. We are performers. We are activists. We are representation.” 

Bianca Belair is scheduled to defend her RAW Women’s championship against Carmella, on Saturday, July 2, at Money in the Bank.

Please credit Candace Cordelia Smith/Pro Wrestling Illustrated for any use of the above transcribed text.