AEW‘s Maya World is a rising star in the company. For her, wrestling has been helping in the wake of an awful tragedy.
World, who is one step closer to an AEW Women’s Championship shot after her latest win in the Owen Hart Foundation Cup Women’s Tournament, recently spoke to TV Insider. The star has been going through a tough time, as her brother, Jatwane Anton Wilson, passed away tragically earlier this month after being struck by a car while waiting outside of his own disabled vehicle.
World credited her brother with getting her into wrestling, and credited him and her family for the reason she continues to perform amid the tragedy.
“Honestly, knowing that I’m doing all this for my brother and my family. They have something to look forward to after such a tragic thing that happened to us. For me, as soon as it happened, my brain has been wired that I’m doing this for him. It has just been that the whole time,” said World.
Maya World thanks the wrestling community for helping with GoFundMe
Following the tragedy, the wrestling community has come together to help World. Her family has set up a GoFundMe following Wilson’s death, and many in the wrestling world have helped donate to it, something that World said has meant the world.
“That GoFundMe got me so emotional because a lot of that was from the pro wrestling people and the community coming together,” World said. “My family was astonished by it as well. Tony Khan, Will Ospreay, people like that. It really meant a lot to me because this all came out of nowhere for us. Funerals are expensive, and thankfully, we did have one for him. Thank you everyone who donated. It was emotional to see everyone rallying around me. It was definitely not what I was expecting.”
As for her current work schedule, she said she knows she must be “strong through it all,” as has always been her mindset. She also credited her tag partner, Hyan, for being there for her during this time.
“Hyan for sure has been there for me. I even got a phone call from Athena. When she found out what happened, she checked in on me. A lot of the locker room have been checking in on me and saying they are here for me if I need to talk. Of course, my family and friends are there, but Hyan has been a top supporter for me. She was my first phone call after it happened.”
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