VICE has a new article up looking at the training done by former independent women’s wrestler Sara Del Rey with the women down at NXT and the WWEPerformance Center. The article features comments from NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, Charlotte and WWE COO Triple H about Del Rey’s training.
Del Rey on getting to train the future crop of WWE Divas at NXT:
“Daniel Bryan, [currently one of WWE’s biggest stars,] trained me a long time ago. That’s how I got my foot in the door. Training has always been my one true passion; it’s what I really love about pro wrestling. I thought I had unique experiences and perspectives to share with the women in NXT. WWE agreed, and here I am. I trained with guys’ guys for years, but it was when I went to Japan and worked with a group of all females that my technique was really fine-tuned. There wasn’t a safety net. I don’t think [having a female trainer] is a necessity, but it’s helpful.”
Triple H on Del Rey’s training:
“Whenever people say ‘Oh, it’s so great you brought in a woman to train the women,’ I say ‘I didn’t hire a woman to train women, I hired a woman to train.’ She’s great with the women, she can relate to the women wonderfully, but she’s more than that. It’s the same when I bring her up to the main roster; I’m not doing that so she can just work with the women, I’m doing that so she can be a road agent. It’s irrelevant to me that’s she’s a woman. What matters is that she can do her job extremely well.”
Vice.com: The WWE’s First-Ever Female Trainer Is Ushering in a New Golden Era for Women Wrestlers