NXT Superstar Bianca BelAir spoke with Jim Versallone of The Miami Herald on her upcoming match with Shayna Baszler at NXT Takeover: Phoenix for the Women’s Championship. Among the additional topics discussed, BelAir opens up about training at the NXT Performance Center, how she developed her gimmick and the most important accessory to her name: her hair.
Here are some highlights from the interview, which can be listened to below.
(Transcription Credit: Christopher McManus of WrestleZone.com)
On training in the PC compared to performing in other athletics:
“Being in NXT is an experience like no other. Growing up I played almost every sport in the book: from track, basketball, soccer, cheerleading, and CrossFit. Even though I have a great background that grounds me, I’m able to pick up on new things and be coachable. But that being said, wrestling is nothing like anything I have ever done before. It’s a skill in its own, it’s an art and it’s a craft. So stepping into the Performance Center two and a half years ago, I barely knew anything and I started from the bottom and worked my way to the top.”
On her hair and preparing it for shows:
“It’s a task [laughs], I’m not even gonna lie about that. I’m probably one of the last girls in the back to get ready. It’s a lot I put into the braids and it’s not something that everyone can do and that’s what makes it special. But all the work I put into the braids is definitely worth it, so I’m not going to complain about how much time I put into the braids.”
On how she started her “hair whip”:
“So when I first started, I was trying to figure out who I was going to be and how I was going to stand out. So I started with a long braid as I looked around and no one had a hairstyle like that. I was going back-and-forth of with wanting to wear my hair down and have waves and curls like everyone else or should I keep this braid. And my husband [Montez Ford] was actually the one that told me, ‘you need to keep that braid, it will help you stand out,’…And the first time I ever used it was against Ruby Riott in California and that was the first time it made that noise and I haven’t stopped using it since.”
On facing Shayna Baszler at NXT Takeover:
“I am 100% ready. Coming from an athletic background, I have been taught to always stay prepared so I never have to get ready…I know that Shayna comes from a great background. She’s bringing in a whole skill set that I know absolutely nothing about, but at the same time, when I think about it, I walked into this Performance Center two and half years ago knowing absolutely nothing about what I was getting myself into and look how quickly I have caught on. So I am going into this match 100% confident I am coming out of this match as NXT [Women’s Champion.”
