red velvet
Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Red Velvet Didn’t Realize Her Match With Shaq Was Such A Big Deal

Red Velvet has two major highlights in AEW so far.

Red Velvet made her AEW debut in 2020, but it was a marquee mixed tag team match against the debuting Jade Cargill and Shaquille O’Neal that helped put her on the map for many. During a recent interview with Taylor Wilde on Wilde On, Velvet discussed the moments that stand out from her AEW career thus far.

“It’s weird because I have different highlights. So the one that people still talk to this day about is the match with Shaq, because that was the biggest — that was Shaq. And everyone’s like, ‘You’re not nervous?’ and I didn’t know it was such a big deal because it was Shaq. I’m from Miami, I love Shaq, so I didn’t see it like that because he was the sweetest. But I didn’t see how big of a deal it was, and Britt actually told me one day, ‘The company called on you to lead a brand new person who is now their TBS Champion.’ She was like, ‘The company leaned on you to do that. Brandi trusted you to take her spot, so hold your head up high.’

“You know that, I think, was the beginning of where it was becoming a stamp that I wanted to be a part, that was always my goal and that’s what I was always telling them. ‘I want to be a concrete part of this division. I want to watch this division grow. I want to be a part of it.’ And I think that was the first part. Then, once the roster started seeing that I was someone they could work with, someone that they could trust in the ring, then more opportunities came.”

Her next major highlight was competing in the main event of the first episode of AEW Rampage against Britt Baker for the AEW Women’s World Championship. She was then able to take part in the TBS Championship tournament and the first Owen Hart Cup tournament. Even though she didn’t win any of those titles or tournaments, she holds those honors close because she now has a physical item to show for it.

“Right now, I think the biggest thing has been the action figure. My first ever action figure came out, so that’s exciting. They were like, ‘How do you feel?’ And I was so in shock and was like, ‘It’s cool because it’s me,’ but to everyone else and my family, that will be there forever. Belts come and go, so I think right now the highlight has been the action figure and how well it’s been doing, and just the fact that I’m still kind of fairly new to the company and I got one, and that means they trust me and I’m an important part of the roster, so that makes me feel really nice.

Ultimately, Velvet is focused on learning from her losses and is grateful for being able to do what she loves.

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If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Wilde On with a h/t to WrestleZone for the transcription.

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