Ring of Honor’s Mandy Leon recently spoke with Channel Guide Magazine and below are some interview highlights:
Who she looked up to in pro wrestling:
“For me, it was always Lita, Trish Stratus and Chyna who I looked up to the most. I was fortunate enough to meet them. They all really impacted me because they were so genuine and humble people in real life. That really pushed me to hear their stories and to see how far they have come. …When I met Lita and Trish, they both said to work hard. At that time, it wasn’t the full transition of what you see with women’s wrestling right now on shows where it’s the full-blown athletic, hard-hitting action.”
Going to Japan at the right time:
“Mr. [Rossy] Ogawa, the owner of Stardom has been wanting me since I first debuted. He wanted me to go in there fresh and train with them. I just wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to go to Japan until I knew I was good. I didn’t want to be a new ‘young boy’ as they call them in Japan. I wanted to go to Japan and be good and be one of the top names out there from America. I wanted to showcase what I can do and represent Ring of Honor. So I just wasn’t ready, coupled with some personal stuff, it just wasn’t working out. Now years later we have a partnership with Stardom. It’s extremely exciting because outside of wrestling too, I’ve always wanted to go to Japan. Then on top of it I get to wrestle there. So it’s kind of a dream come true.”
The Rock and John Cena:
“The two people to look up to in this business is The Rock and John Cena. As much as people might hate them, they are true businessmen. They do it all. They can go out there and wrestle. You see them in movies. You see them inspiring kids and at charity events and award shows. That’s kind of what I want to be. That will be my focus when I come back from Japan. I want to keep wrestling, but go out there and try to get back into acting and really put myself out there.”
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
