Taya Valkyrie (@thetayavalkyrie) is a professional wrestler currently signed to AEW and known for her time in IMPACT Wrestling, Lucha Underground, MLW, AAA and WWE. She joins Chris Van Vliet in Hollywood, CA to talk about signing with AEW, making her debut in Winnipeg in front of a Canadian audience, how they snuck her into the building, setting an intention in 2022 to show everyone how good she is in the ring, her match with Jade Cargill at Double Or Nothing for the TBS Championship, some of her dream matches in AEW, being ringside for her husband John Morrison’s boxing debut at Creator Clash 2, her clothing line LOCA by Taya Valkyrie and much more!
On facing Jade Cargill at Double or Nothing:
“Yes, Jade has been fantastic. I mean I’ve, you know, wrestled every type of female wrestler, man, everything, you know what I mean. And like, I’ve seen a lot of people commit to something and then, you know, they don’t get to that stage where they want to be in their career, they give up. And Jade obviously has not been in the business in a really long time. But her passion and determination, and her athleticism and like you can tell she’s an athlete, because and she just like, you can’t tell her sh*t either. Like, she’s just like, she really wants to prove herself and I’m happy to be in a ring with someone like that. And, you know, just to see that the business is going in a positive direction. And, you know, I’m excited for Double or Nothing. I’m not gonna take it easy on her.”
On possibly re-signing with WWE:
“I didn’t really think about it too much. Obviously, I have some friends that have gone back, for example, Chelsea Green is an example and she’s thriving, and she is killing it. I’m so proud of her. But like, I didn’t really think about it too much. I just knew that if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. And also I was kind of indifferent. I didn’t know if I wanted to subject myself to being in a space like that again. And I mean, it worked out. I couldn’t be happier about it.”
On AEW dream matches:
“I really want to wrestle Ruby Soho. I really want to wrestle Saraya, Jaime Hayter, Britt Baker, I mean, there’s endless possibilities there. And I also just think that I would love to do some mixed tag stuff with you know, Adam and Britt, me and John, me tagging with The Lucha Brothers. There’s a million things that I want to do and I just can’t wait to continue doing them and that’s exactly what we’re doing. That’s exactly what Double or Nothing is all about, and you better watch it on pay-per-view.”
On Taya Valkyrie debuting for AEW:
“I mean, I was a little bit nervous. I was like, please, Canada, please, please be there for me. Like, please cheer for me. You know, you never know, you always have those second guesses, like, are they gonna know who I am? Like, I don’t know. And they were there for me. So I’m forever grateful. And Winnipeg, thank you very much.”
On how Taya Valkyrie was received in the AEW locker room upon arrival:
“I was welcomed with open arms and it was such good energy. Everyone was just like surprised to see me. I think Britt knew, I’m trying to think who else knew? But yeah, it was just so positive. And I mean, when you’re starting a new job anywhere, it doesn’t matter where it is, you know, in a studio like this or if it’s in pro-wrestling or a restaurant, like you, you always have those kind of nerves because you never know what’s really going to happen. And it’s like walking in the first day of school. You know, like, catering, I’m like, which lunch table do I sit at? Like, you know, you’re still I’m still, you know, trying to figure that out. But honestly, everyone was like, so welcoming and excited. And it just made me a much more calm person and just felt like I belonged there.”
On sneaking into the AEW taping under the radar:
“Yeah. So I flew in and was actually flying on like the same flight as a bunch of people coming from LA like The Bucks and everybody. And like, as soon as we got to the Winnipeg airport to get off the plane, like I have put a hat on, I put a mask on, and like tried to like, cover myself up because like, as soon as you walked off, I walked off, like down the escalator. And there are fans everywhere. Yeah, I don’t exactly blend in. So I had to like really cover up and then, they actually had me staying at a different hotel than all of the other people on the roster. So that was a secret hotel, secret location, had a secret SUV pick me up and bring me to the secret backdoor. And yeah, that’s how it went.”
On Jon Hennigan’s AEW appearances setting the wheels in motion:
“I mean, I think that, you know, everything had to take its time properly. Like, I feel like people were like, Why didn’t you go there sooner or later? It’s not up to me, contrary to what people think you actually have to be offered a job and like things have to be, you know, at the right place at the right time. And there had been talks over the last year all of you know, 2022 about and speculation and rumours and things like that. But I just knew that, like my work was going to speak for itself. And when the timing was right, I would get that chance. And that’s exactly what happened. Like, I became undeniable in 2022, I really put myself out there. You know, won awards, biggest comeback of the Year by PWI. And multiple, you know, five different championships across the world., I put in the work. And so I knew that that would pay off. And it did.. And you know, when we had a meeting when AEW was in Los Angeles, in January, was when I was able to speak to Tony face-to-face, because we had spoken through texts and things like that. But you know, I sat down with him and it just kind of went from there. And I just had to wait for that moment, and it came, and then all of a sudden here we are. So yeah, you know, and even with the conversation, you know, things didn’t happen like right away. And it’s just not how business works. It’s not how this works at all. And I obviously have commitments with multiple companies. I really pride myself on never leaving, you know, never closing a door, and I really wanted to finish those storylines and finish those things properly. You know, IMPACT has been a huge part of my career in my life. I never ever wanted to leave them high and dry or, or anything, but I also had to protect myself in the way that I had to pick what was best for my next step. Yeah. And also MLW was nothing but fantastic to me Cort Bauer shout out to you guys, you guys were great. That roster is fantastic. Like these people really helped me get through a really horrible part of my career, or at least mentally, I was not in a good spot last year. And I’m forever grateful for them. And because of them, I was able to take this next step.”
On setting goals:
“I mean, I was almost standing in my own way at first, because I was questioning my value and questioning where I belonged in this grand scheme of professional wrestling. Do I belong here, all this, you know, the mental games that we play with ourselves. Because we care so much, like, that’s what people don’t realize. And I’m just happy that I did what I did. And I did it with intention. And I did it with, you know, like, reminding myself like, remember who you are, the words of like, Mufasa. But like, you know what I mean? Like, it’s just like, I had to kind of do that for myself. And I did it. And I did it over and over again. And you know, that people say like, hard work pays off, well it certainly did for me.”
What is Taya Valkyrie grateful for:
“My health, my family and the universe for giving me these opportunities.”
Featured image: AEW
