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I had a chance to catch up with the reigning and defending Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion shortly after her successful match against Jordynne Grace at Rebellion. Despite her packed schedule and the fact that tapings are currently underway, she managed to spare a few moments for a conversation.
I ask Taya Valkyrie about her heel turn and it is clear at once that she's far more comfortable as a bad guy than as a babyface character:
Well, the Taya that you're seeing right now is the Taya that was alive and well in AAA as well as Lucha Underground. 95% of my career I've been a heel. So for me it was very natural. The dynamic that Johnny and I have as a heel couple as well as the creativity that we're allowed to have is a lot more fun and comes a lot more naturally to be completely honest (laughs).
Taya then went on to speak about how her heel persona is a lot more different than other characters in today's wrestling landscape:
I think that something that's lost a lot in professional wrestling these days is the essence of what a true heel is and a lot of people say that it should be up to the public to decide. They want to be heels and they still want to be cheered. That's not what Johnny and I are about. We're about what the essence of a heel is and really making people angry, creating reactions and telling that hero and villain story. That's what wrestling is. The foundation of wrestling is that I believe.
Taya promises me and you, her fans, that she will be as evil and horrible as possible in the weeks that follow. Is this what compelled her to change up her theme song from the Viking-esque anthem of the past to what it currently is?:
No. I just changed my theme song because I felt like it was appropriate. I felt like the change that was coming for Taya needed something new and different. I never felt like my Queen character was genuinely me. So, when I came back to being Taya and being the original Wera Loca which has been going on for 8 years, my entire career, it had to come in with some new music.
When I ask about referee John E. Bravo turning heel, Taya gives me examples from Lucha Libre where it has been attempted before. She believes that it adds a new layer to her stable. I ask her about Jordynne Grace, her opponent from Rebellion, the recently concluded pay-per-view.
I would definitely say that she's one of the strongest athletes in the wrestling industry right now. I think what she's doing at this moment is amazing but I think we'll see a lot more of her. I'm ready to take her on again, when the time is right.
So apart from Taya Valkyrie, yet another superstar who's rising up the ranks in the company is Scarlett Bordeaux, The Smoke Show. While Valkyrie's character lets her fists do the talking, Bordeaux's character harks back to the 'diva' era of wrestling where she uses her oomph, quite successfully I might add, to create and dominate her niche. What does the Knockouts Champion think about her?
I think that any attention that a female wrestler or wrestler in general gets, be it good or bad, is good attention. That's what they always say about that kind of stuff. I believe that she's trying something different. If that means that she gets attention cool. I'm trying something different. If I get attention, cool. I believe that we each have our own niche and our own spot and I think what she's doing is different and controversial. It's getting attention. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
And to conclude, LAX and the Lucha Brothers tore it up in the main event of Rebellion. Was she okay with a Tag Team match headlining the pay-per-view? Yes, she was.:
I think it's great. I think there's no formula to what kind of match has to headline or be the main event. I believe that every single match on that pay-per-view was main event worthy. So, it's just another thing that we're doing differently. Another thing that sets us apart.
Fans in India can check out Impact Wrestling on SONY ESPN and SONY ESPN HD. Fans can also check out the live Twitch stream everywhere else in the world!
