Safire Reed looks back on her July 2023 match against Mercedes Martinez.
Last month, Safire Reed defeated Miyu Yamashita to become the brand-new Pro-Wrestling EVE Champion. However, that wasn’t her only major moment in the company this year. Earlier this summer, Reed received the opportunity to wrestler former ROH Women’s Champion Mercedes Martinez at EVE’s Riot At The Yard Theatre — an event that marked Martinez’s official return to EVE. And while Reed ended up with a loss that night, the experience of wrestling Martinez is something she will never forget.
“It was absolutely insane,” Reed told WrestleZone’s Ella Jay. “I remember when Dan [Read] told me it was happening, and I was just like, ‘What? Say that again. Say it again.’ I don’t think I actually believed him at first, but obviously, it happened. Again, I was just so thankful that I was able to get that opportunity and learn from someone like her, especially where she’s been doing it for so long. She’s just so talented in every aspect of wrestling. It really helped me learn a lot within the match.”
“Just talking before [the match], it was scary because I was like, ‘Oh, I hope I can live up to how I’ve been hoping the match would be like. I hope it’s good, I hope I impress her, I hope the fans love it.’ And I was just kind of putting that bit of pressure on myself because I was so nervous. I was so nervous, but it was probably my favorite match I’ve ever had, and the most I’ve learned from. So yeah, I’m very grateful for that opportunity, especially it being her as well.”
Learning Opportunity
When asked about some of the things she specifically learned from working with Martinez, Safire Reed noted that the veteran performer showed her how to slow down her pace and be more spontaneous in the ring.
“During the match, [she showed me the importance of] living in the moment of the match, feeling everything around you,” Reed said. “Don’t rush, just take it in, and do what feels right. She very much helped lead of course. Throughout, I got a lot more comfortable with how the match was going. So there was a lot of things that were called on the fly, and in that aspect as well, I learned a lot. It doesn’t have to be so set in what you have to do. You can be free with it and be creative with it. So I think it opened my mind up a lot more to it doesn’t need to be super serious.”
“I’m just thinking back at it now, and it is crazy,” Reed continued. “Especially after the match as well, everyone was standing up and clapping. I was like, ‘Wow.’ It was such a surreal day. I was just so scared at first because I wanted to impress her and impress everyone else. She gave me good advice after the match and for the future. [Martinez said] ‘You don’t need to plan everything. You don’t need to think too much. Sometimes simple is better and you can do more with that.'”
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Watch our full interview with Safire Reed:
