Ashley Vega reflects on her Gut Check.
Last October, TNA Wrestling brought its Gut Check series to the United Kingdom. Similar to previous years, Gut Check offered independent wrestlers the chance to showcase their skills through a train of tryouts in front of an esteemed panel of judges. Winners of these tryouts received a developmental deal with TNA, which allowed them to train at the Can-Am Dojo in Windsor, Ontario, with the added possibility of later earning a main roster contract.
One of the indie wrestlers in attendance for TNA Gut Check was Glasgow’s Ashley Vega, who brings forth nearly a decade of experience. During a recent interview with WrestleZone’s Ella Jay, Vega looked back on her Gut Check adventure.
“That was such a cool experience,” Vega said. “It was the first time I’d ever done anything like that. It was a weird feeling because you didn’t know what to expect. No one really knew what to expect. But it was great to be able to wrestle in front of the likes of Gail Kim. It was just such a weird experience for them to be in Glasgow scouting talent and being able to just get the chance to show yourself in front of these people. A lot of people don’t really get the chance to say that they get to do that. And the fact that I did, it was emotional. I just felt really blessed.”
“When I started wrestling, I would never have thought of getting that far. So being able to attend that, I feel like now that I’ve got a taste, the next time, I want to win it. That was like the little taste of it, and now, I want to get there.”
Gaining Confidence
Digging deeper into her Gut Check experience, Vega noted that she was also greeted with a reminder to uphold her self-confidence.
“I learned confidence-wise, I just need to believe in myself,” Vega said. “Again, the past couple years, this whole redefining [of] Ashley Vega has been about confidence and believing in myself. So it was another little reminder to do that.”
“I feel like I have to still do some searching. I’m not quite where I want to be. I don’t think I will be for a long time. I’m getting there. I’m progressing, but I’ve not succeeded to a point where I’m happy that I can leave and be like, ‘Yeah, I’ve done what I’ve needed to do. I’m so far from what I can do. So to have that little taste, I just want more now.”
Watch our full interview with Ashley Vega below:
RELATED: Harley Hudson Wins IMPACT Wrestling Gut Check, Earns Developmental Deal
