During a recent interview with Essence, Naomi, Bianca Belair, and Ember Moon commented on African American women in WWE, and more. You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
Naomi on wanting to be an entertainer from a young age: “I did tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical and all the forms of dance. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be an entertainer. The ambition of doing Broadway or some form of theater was embedded very early.”
Bianca Belair on image issues she dealt with growing up: “I was always the bigger, muscular girl. Growing up, I was always told what I needed to look like to perform best and be accepted. I knew that I was naturally smart, talented, and athletic, but was often told to tone it down and not be as ambitious. So, I felt like I needed to shrink myself to soothe other people’s insecurities.”
Naomi on how Bruce Leroy and The Last Dragon inspired her feel the glow gimmick: “I was always inspired by the story of Bruce Leroy and how he didn’t initially believe in himself but the glow and the power was in him the whole time. He just needed to believe it. It reminded me of so many spaces I’ve been in where I was ‘the only’ and felt like I needed to adapt to what everyone else was doing instead of just walking to the beat of my own drum.”
Ember Moon on hearing the crowd cheer for you: “I remember having a match and the crowd erupted for me. It gave me goosebumps but also made me wonder, ‘Are they cheering for me?’ It made me swell with such pride that even though I’m the one in the ring, doing the moves, to have other people feel that elation, there’s no feeling like it in the world.”
