Fans are not taking Damaris Lewis‘ comments about pro wrestling too well.
After the bloody cage match between Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher, AEW needed to kill time before the main event to clear the ring. They sent Tony Schiavone to ringside to interview the director and stars of Queen of the Ring.
This included Damaris Lewis, who plays Babs Wingo in the movie. She was at ringside when she spoke with Schiavone and said something that nobody expected. She said that she learned that wrestlers know they’re going to win before anybody else does.
“One thing I’ve learned about pro wrestlers—you know you’re going to win before anyone else does,” Damaris Lewis said.
It seems that Lewis was trying to be inspiring, intending to say wrestlers believe they’re winners before fans do. However, the odd phrasing made it sound like she was pointing out wrestling finishes being predetermined.
It’s well-known that pro wrestling is scripted, but that didn’t stop the internet from reacting poorly to her on-air admission. The broadcast audio also catches someone on the AEW commentary team trying to stifle a laugh or gasp due to her phrasing.
One user claimed “That woman from Queen of the ring killed the crowd with that bombshell.” Another claimed she didn’t want to be there nor understood the wrestling business.
The Queen of the Ring cast and crew came to the defense of their co-star
After the snafu during Revolution, Sumerian Records attempted to clear things up by sharing a clip of Lewis on the Revolution Zero Hour broadcast. There, Lewis said that believing you’re a winner before anyone else does is something she learned from playing Wingo, one of the first African-American women to integrate into pro wrestling.
“[Babs Wingo] carried this motto in her that I learned from her. ‘I know I’m going to win before you know I’m going to win.’ And so, she had to carry [that] with her just like everyone else. And I’m honored to be playing her,” Lewis told RJ City.
Kamille also went on Instagram to defend her co-star, sharing that Lewis simply misspoke while the live camera was on her. She said Lewis was not trying to say wrestling was fake, but that the wrestlers had confidence in themselves and knew they were already winners.
Check out full results from AEW Revolution here.
Damaris Lewis highlights the biggest message to take from ‘Queen of the Ring’
Kamille and Damaris Lewis spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about their work in Queen of the Ring.
Lewis explained what she wants people to take away from the film, highlighting how things are much different today than in Burke’s era. Lewis said that you can achieve anything if you block out the noise and stay focused on your goals.
“The biggest thing at the moment is the importance of locking in and turning off the noise. I think in today’s day and age, there’s so much stimulation,” Lewis said. “We can see what so many people are doing, but we can’t see what they did to get there. Doubt is running rampant because you get on your phone and see what she’s doing, what he’s doing, and the success they have, what kind of bag she has. How much money they have, or how much money they don’t have.”
“The thing to remember when you watch this movie is that they didn’t have any of that, and they still did it,” Lewis continued. “None of it. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t always fun, but this movie shows you that it’s possible. So if you have a dream about anything, I want you to watch this movie and know that if you lock in and never lose sight of that thing, anything is possible.”
