Bianca Belair recently spoke with Newsweek regarding a handful of topics, including NXT TakeOver: Portland, the Royal Rumble, and Charlotte Flair.
Check out some of the highlights below:
On NXT TakeOver: Portland:
This Takeover is going to be the first where I can say for myself and the audience that I’m not considered the underdog in any shape or form, This Takeover is the first time when everyone has finally caught on and sees me as a true competitor.
On the Royal Rumble:
The buildup was the hardest for me. The easiest for me is when I get in the ring and my music hits. That’s the fun part. The hard part are the parts people don’t see. Getting into the arena early and hanging out hours before the show starts. But I had to make the most out of this opportunity. I knew this was going to be a make or break moment for me. Once I got in there I was fine. I just let my body take over and let it do what it does. Afterwards I remember having a huge sigh of relief that everything went well, and it didn’t hit me until the next day. First I was it’s over with, I’m glad I’m healthy, I think I did very well. I was in front of thousands of people, [laughs] and how I got highlighted. It was validation for me and everything I put into Bianca Belair in NXT and WWE, and it’s finally paying off. That’s the best feeling in the world. And it gives me more confidence than I already had.
On Charlotte Flair:
Coming into NXT I didn’t know anything. I didn’t watch the business growing up, so I was playing catch up from the very beginning. I remember starting to watch and following everything, and the first person who caught my eye was Charlotte Flair. She had that “it” factor. Her moveset, her presence, everything about her had that “it” factor. She was the one person that, if you saw her, that’s what you need if you want to be a superstar in this business.
Four years later I have that same person talking about me and saying all these good things. It gives me confidence, but, at the same time, I’m ready to be in the ring with her now. I want to be in the ring with the best, and doing that brings out the best of me. It’s crazy to think that the person I looked at when I first got to NXT is now talking about me. I don’t want to say validation again, but that’s a feeling of “you know what you’re doing, and you’re ready.” And I’m ready.
