Nyla Rose spoke with the media following her appearance at All Elite Wrestling‘s Double Or Nothing pay-per-view event. Rose competed against Dr. Britt Baker DMD, Kylie Rae and the returning Awesome Kong in the first-ever women’s match in the company.
Rose talked about the face off she had with Kong, saying there was definitely a ‘holy shit’ moment about her appearance, but she ultimately focused on winning the match and not Kong individually:
“It was definitely that ‘holy shit’ moment when she came out. I was not privy to this. Brandi says triple threat—it’s been advertised as such, all the graphics depict that—and then all of sudden she changes her mind and it’s a four-way. And Awesome Kong of all people? She’s busy with GLOW. Why? It was what it was, now you just have to focus on the future.”
“That was definitely one of those surreal moments. I never thought I would see her face to face live. Initially, I was watching through fan goggles, but I knew I had to focus. I’ve got work to do, so reel it in. She’s an opponent, just like anyone else. At the end of the day, I want to try to get the win.”
Nyla was asked about how she was received by the crowd, and she said she’s not sure she can call it feeling ‘worried’, but hopes she’s been able to open people’s minds a bit more.
“If I’m going to be totally honest, definitely a little bit… I shouldn’t say worried. I don’t really know what word fits there, but it was in the back of my mind. Let’s be real; I’m probably the first interaction with someone that they know is transgender. To see someone like myself live, I’m sure they had a lot of preconceived notions. I do hope that I’ve changed some minds, maybe opened some hearts to just seeing that I’m just a normal chick.”
Related: Nyla Rose Talks AEW Being LGBT Inclusive, Her Wrestling Inspirations & Dream Opponents
