Taylor Wilde Spent Her Whole Career As A Squeaky-Clean Babyface, ‘Wilde Witch’ Is About Her Growth

Taylor Wilde is just getting started.

WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard recently spoke with Taylor Wilde, who is one of four participants in a Knockouts #1 Contender’s match at Hard To Kill on January 13. Wilde talked about the reception to her new “Wilde Witch” character, which is more grounded in reality than one might think. Wilde has embraced witchcraft and the occult in her personal life and said she wanted to evolve in the ring as much as she had outside of it.

“It’s been interesting. I’d say for the most part, positive. I’ve spent my entire career as a squeaky-clean Taylor Wilde babyface. Change is always going to elicit making people uncomfortable. But that uncomfortability is what allows people to grow, allows for character development. A lot of people who have followed my career and they follow me on social media, they know that this is really who I am as a person. This is me turned up to 1,000 and it’s me living my 14-year-old dream of watching The Craft one too many times and really getting to embrace that character and that side of my divine, dark, feminine personality. It’s fully a journey of my growth as a person,” Wilde said. “So, it’s not just a character, it’s who I am and where I am in my life. I always think when you’re doing well and you’re making a splash, you’re always going to get your quintessential haters. But to me, I love haters because that means I’m doing something that’s making people talk. Love me or hate me, you’re still talking about me, so thank you.

“You’re never going to impress everybody,” Wilde added. “There’s always going to be the people that say ‘we liked you as you were.’ Well, that’s great. I liked me as I was at that time in my life, but this is about growing, and this is about taking risks. I would say for the most part, people love it because it’s authentic and you can feel it. You can see it like, I really feel different and it’s cool for me. Like I said, you’re never going to impress everybody, but I would say from my brothers and sisters backstage to the audience, people seem to really enjoy the change.”

Wilde returned to wrestling in 2021, ending a ten-year retirement. That initial return was short-lived, however, as she was stuck in Canada due to COVID restrictions and changes in her personal life. Wilde once again came back to IMPACT at Bound For Glory 2022 and slowly began moving away from her self-proclaimed “All-American Canadian” and punk look and introduced her darker persona. Asked if there’s any match that highlights what she’s trying to do now, Wilde said every match tells a story and she’s just getting started.

“No, because I think every match tells a different story. It depends where you are in a storyline, and I think it’s just going to keep building, you know what I mean? It’s so new. I’ve really had two matches as this character, so I feel like we’re just getting started,” she said. “I’m just warming up.”

Check out our full interview with Taylor Wilde at the top of this post; Wilde will face off against Masha Slamovich, Deonna Purrazzo and Killer Kelly in a Knockouts #1 Contender’s match at Hard To Kill on January 13. Fans can order the event on FITE.

Read More: Four New Matches Announced For 1/14 IMPACT Wrestling Television Tapings