The last six months has been a hell of a ride for NXT star Bianca Belair.
Although her WWE Performance Center exploits and gym records are well documented, it has still been a breakthrough for the EST of NXT.
Bianca Belair had a star-making performance in the Royal Rumble
After appearing as part of NXT at Survivor Series and making her main roster pay-per-view debut in the process, just two months later Belair would make a statement in the Royal Rumble.
The 30-year-old entered number two to kick off the Rumble with five-time world champion Alexa Bliss and she would go on to bag a record eight eliminations and last just over 33 minutes before eventual winner Charlotte Flair dumped her out.
talkSPORT was lucky enough to catch up with Belair ahead of NXT’s first-ever taping at the Performance Center on Wednesday and we asked when she knew she was getting such a major moment for her career:
“I found out the night before that I was going to be in the Rumble,” Belair started. “I didn’t know to what extent. I didn’t know I was going to be second, just that I was going to be fairly early. I had no idea for how long or for how many eliminations.
“But once I found out I was going to be highlighted pretty heavily I was just excited because I feel like over those four years I’ve been in NXT and proving myself, I feel that a lot of times when I’ve been showcased in TakeOvers and in big moments, it’s always been me as an underdog.
“Or it’s ‘Bianca, she’s a future star.’ For so long, I keep proving myself and it’s like, how many times have I got to prove myself before I’m not an underdog anymore? How many times do I have to prove myself before I’m not a future star and I’m a star now?
“I’m ready for these opportunities. I’m ready for you guys to give me the spotlight like you’re giving everyone else. I’m telling you, I can shine in this spotlight. I knew I was ready for it, so when I knew I was going to be second and highlighted so heavily I was excited”
Despite the obvious excitement, Belair couldn’t help but feel the nerves as the moment came closer.
“Of course, the build-up for me was nerve-racking and it feels like you have to wait hours and hours and hours! And the moment right before my music hit I was like ‘oh my god, I’m so nervous’ [laughs].
Bianca Belair is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in WWE, but she believes her time is now
“But once my music hit, I was so in the moment. I have never felt more comfortable in any moment or in any ring than I was in Royal Rumble because I knew I was ready for it. I felt like it was long overdue and I was finally getting that moment. And there was nothing else for me to think about, nothing else to worry about when I was in that ring. I just let my body takeover and I let my body do what it does and usually when I’m in the ring for big moments, it goes by so quickly. And afterwards I’m like ‘I want to do that again’ because it happened so fast.
“That Royal Rumble, I really felt every minute of those 33 plus minutes I was in there! That was because I wasn’t thinking, I was just enjoying it and soaking it in. I was enjoying showcasing who Bianca Belair is to the world and finally letting people see who I am. A lot of people didn’t know!
“I was getting tweets like ‘I didn’t know that Bianca Belair was, who is she, I’ve never seen her before, where has she been hidden’ or the tweets of ‘Oh, Bianca Belair, she’s so good now’ – it’s like no, it’s not that I’m good now, I’ve always been good! [laughs]. I just needed that spotlight and I’m finally getting it and I’m so grateful.”
Charlotte Flair eliminated Bianca Belair from the Rumble and the two would wrestle on NXT TV months later
The Royal Rumble has long been a star-making pay-per-view and every great Rumble needs strong characters at their core holding the narrative together.
Belair was entrusted with one of those spots this year and she made sure to thank the men that made it happen when she came back through the curtain.
“Afterwards, I definitely went and shook Triple H’s and Vince McMahon’s hands. Royal Rumble is very crazy and chaotic so you kind of just want to get in where you fit in. I really, really appreciated the opportunity they gave me and I really wanted them to know,” Belair explained.
Bianca Belair has quickly become a fan favourite in NXT
“They were busy but I kind of just snuck in real quick, shook both of their hands and said ‘thank you for the opportunity’ but that was the only real time I had to talk to them. But that was very important to me; to make sure they saw my face and shake their hand.
“They made sure I was really highlighted heavily, so I think it’s always important to say you’re grateful for those opportunities. They definitely saw me and heard me say thank you, so [laughs].”
Belair mentioned on the call that she’s very interested to see which women will be in the ladder match in Tampa next month. With Chelsea Green, Tegan Nox and Mia Yim already confirmed, could Belair end up featuring?
Belair is killing it in NXT at the moment and you can catch her on Wednesday nights on BT Sport at 1am.
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