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Marina Shafir, a friend of Ronda Rousey, made her AEW in-ring debut last night during an episode of Dark.
The 33-year old star faced Kris Statlander in an incredibly hard-hitting singles contest. Shafir ended up losing her first bout under the AEW umbrella. The Galaxy's Greatest Alien caught Shafir in the spider crab submission maneuver, forcing her opponent to tap out. However, the 33-year-old pushed Statlander to her limits.
Shafir has gained a lot of experience inside the squared circle since her crossover from MMA to pro wrestling in 2018. She is friends with Ronda Rousey, Jessamyn Duke, and Shayna Baszler, once known as the four Horsewoman of MMA.
Shafir started her pro wrestling career in WWE, where she performed under the NXT brand. She worked alongside Duke and Baszler, with the latter being the leader of their villainous group. Shafir and Duke played a pivotal role in helping Shaya Bazler to retain the NXT Women's Championship on multiple occasions.
However, Shafir didn't taste a great deal of success during her short stint with WWE. She was released from her contract on June 25 this year. Since then, she has been working on independent circuits until her appearance in AEW.
Marina Shafir can add a depth to the AEW Women's division
While AEW has a stacked men's roster, the same isn't necessarily true of the women's division. Despite the presence of stars such as Dr. Britt Baker, Ruby Soho, and Thunder Rosa, there isn't a lot of depth.
The addition of Marina Shafir could be a win-win situation for the AEW women's roster. Even though she still has a long way to go, the company can use her MMA background to feature her in a regular capacity.
Did you watch Marina Shafir's performance against Kris Statlander this week? Sound off in the comments section below.
