Interview: Taya Valkyrie on Impact Wrestling Rebellion, her influences, wrestling worldwide, and more!

Impact Wrestling is just days off of Rebellion, where we saw a new Impact World Champion crowned. However, Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie left with her title intact. Daily DDT got to speak exclusively with the champion about Rebellion and more.

Impact Wrestling Rebellion turned out to be a really spectacular event, highlighted at one point by a hard-fought Knockouts Championship Match. Taya Valkyrie was defending her title against the undefeated Jordynne Grace, but it was Valkyrie who picked up the win and left still leading the Knockouts.

Impact Wrestling will be at the 2300 Arena, also known as the ECW Arena, for tapings both tonight and tomorrow. We got to speak exclusively with Taya Valkyrie about Rebellion, her WrestleMania weekend experience, and much more.

Patches Chance: First, we’re fresh off Impact Wrestling Rebellion. Congratulations on retaining your Knockouts Championship. What was different about Jordynne Grace as an opponent compared to others you’ve faced?

Taya Valkyrie: Hmm. Well, this was now the third time that I had faced Jordynne Grace on Impact, I believe. So, usually I am what I believe to be the stronger aggressor in a lot of situations. I’m taller, and I have a background in a lot of fitness and bodybuilding and I combine all these different styles. But when I had to face Jordynne Grace, I’m in the position that I have to realize that this woman is incredibly strong and has a totally different style than I’m used to.

I just have to be ready for anything, but I think that I came prepared. I had to break her down. I had to go after what I thought were her strengths, which was the strength of her arms and her capability of lifting me and things like that. I was able to break her down, and I was able to get that victory. Her first loss in Impact Wrestling.

PC: Now that you’ve knocked off the undefeated Jordynne Grace, who do you think you’ll be tasked with defending the Knockouts Championship against next?

TV: I honestly am not really sure. I believe that there are so many different players right now in the Knockouts locker room, and all the game pieces are going into motion going into these next TV tapings. So it really could be anybody, and I’m prepared.

I have a history with Rosemary. I have a history with Tessa [Blanchard]. But there’s always Kiera [Hogan], there’s Scarlett [Bordeaux], there’s Madison Rayne. There’s all these other girls and women out there that could be coming after me. I realize that I have a target on my back on top of this mountain that is being the Knockouts Champion, but I’m fully prepared for anybody that comes after me.

PC: Is there someone outside of Impact Wrestling you’d like to get the chance to defend your title against?

TV: My gosh. I mean, there are so many. You know, I’m gonna give the stereotypical answer here, which is true, is that there are so many women on the indie scene right now that are extremely talented. Maybe a Jessicka Havok, maybe someone from Mexico, maybe a competitor from Japan.

Throw any wildcard in there, I think that I can handle it. I’ve wrestled all over the world. I’ve wrestled many years internationally and not just in the states, so I feel that I’m prepared for any style or anybody that comes at me. And I mean, even if it’s a guy, I’m ready.

PC: While it unfortunately came to an end at Impact Wrestling Rebellion, what was it like being a championship couple along with former Impact World Champion Johnny Impact?

TV: Obviously it was something incredibly special because it’s never been done before. It’s something now that we will share forever. It’s something we can show our kids one day, maybe, who knows. You know, it’s just something that we accomplished together.

People don’t realize how hard this business is and how much stress it can be on you and your partner. Just being there for each other and really having this ultimate goal, and actually going through with it and achieving it, was really incredible and special. I’ll never forget that, and hopefully in the near future we’ll both be on top of that mountain once again.

PC: And wrestling is all about timing. Being able to pull those things together at the same time isn’t something that’s easy to do.

TV: Exactly. Sometimes I’m like, what happened? All the stars aligned. All these wrestling stars aligned for us to have that moment together. And that was the first time I’ve won a title in a major American company, which is a huge deal for me.

I’ve accomplished a lot of things internationally, but to become Knockouts Champion was a huge accomplishment for me personally. I challenged myself and I did it, so I was just really happy to share it with him.

PC: Impact Wrestling has just finished up tapings in Canada and also had tapings earlier this year in Mexico. With your background as a Canadian and a Lucha Libre star, how special has it been to represent Impact in those locations?

TV: I think that especially for me, returning to Mexico as Knockouts Champion for those tapings was a surreal moment, a hundred percent. I think that, specifically the lucha libre fans in Mexico and specifically also in Mexico City where we filmed, have just been such a huge and influential part in not only my professional career but me personally, in my personal growth.

So, I think that they’ve seen me grow up for real within the world of professional wrestling. It was a very proud moment for me. And I know that, no matter what company I return to Mexico with, they’re there with open arms and are just so supportive of everything that I do.

PC: You were trained by Lance Storm, and now all these years later you were ringside while he was the Special Guest Referee for Johnny Impact’s title defense. What was it like working with him now in Impact Wrestling at such a different stage in your career?

TV: It’s surreal a little bit, honestly. You know, he was there like right at the beginning. Right at the beginning when it was tackle, drop down, grab a head. It’s just so crazy from then and to now. Honestly that’s why wrestling’s so cool, because you never know when you’re gonna cross paths with different people.

Lance has always been so supportive of me throughout my incredibly strange journey which took me to Mexico and back. So it was really cool to be working with him again and having those kinds of special moments. And having him backstage, watching my matches again, and things like that. That, I never thought would happen. So I’m honored to have him be a part of Impact.

PC: You’ve mentioned before how important it is for your character to evolve and remain fresh in wrestling. Who are some others that help influence you keeping things fresh, and what is special about today’s version of Taya Valkyrie?

TV: I think the version of Taya that you’re seeing now is just so much more confident than I ever have been. I think that in pro wrestling we second guess ourselves a lot. There’s always a sense of criticism or not being good enough. You’re always trying to be better. I think as a professional athlete or as an artist, you’re always trying to strive to be better and you’re never actually satisfied.

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So the Taya that you’re seeing now is just a confident woman who knows what she wants. I know my worth. I know what I bring to the table. Although I always still strive to be better every single time I step in that ring, I just have a more centered energy I believe. I feel like the character that I’m doing now has been the character that everyone has seen evolve from AAA, through Perros del Mal, through Lucha Underground, through the indies in the states. Through all these kind of chapters in my career that brought me to this point.

Influence wise, especially when I’m a heel, obviously, El Hijo del Perro Aguayo has been a huge influence on me, Konnan has been a huge influence on me, and John has been a huge influence on me because those three people saw me from the beginning to now in different spots and different parts of my life. I continue to be influenced by them.

And John has always been like my number one supporter and always helping. He’s been in this business a lot longer than I have, and he’s been through a lot of things, but I’ve also been through a completely different path than he has. So he just continues to influence me through his knowledge, and I believe we both do that for each other.

PC: Right now in Impact Wrestling you finish opponents off with The Road to Valhalla, which is a version of Beth Phoenix’s Glam Slam. Did Beth Phoenix inspire or influence you as a wrestler?

TV: I mean, all the women who have ever stepped foot in the ring have influenced me or had something to do with inspiring me to be a professional wrestler. At the end of the day, all of us were fans at some point. I mean, Beth has always been someone who is just stunning and strong and showed this kind of superhero persona to the world of professional wrestling.

And she was just before her time in so many ways. I get compared to her a lot, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. I’m honored. I don’t even think I’m one-tenth of what she is, but I just think that she really did inspire a lot of people to be that strong, confident, superhero kind of character, and I’m glad that I can continue to represent that hopefully in the best way that I can.

PC: In a world where it’s so easy for people to hide online and throw negativity your way, what’s it like dealing with that while being a public figure as a female athlete?

TV: Pretty awful. People I feel like nowadays, as much as everyone says the world is more sensitive, I think that—yes in a lot of aspects the world is more sensitive and takes everything so personally, but I also think people are very rude. People feel that they know everything about us. They don’t. People think they know everything about the company we work for. They don’t. People think they know everything about how storylines should go, or how I should look, or how much I should weigh, or what color my hair should be, or if I should smile or not smile.

It’s insane to me the way that people feel they have the right to dictate anything about our lives. And we as professional athletes, as artists, as public figures, we’re already putting ourselves out there. We’re already displaying our existence for the world to judge, but also we’re doing something to entertain the public. We’re bringing happiness and sadness and excitement to each and every person that watches us every week. And I think people should have a little bit more respect for that, and I think that people should respect the fact that we also are human beings.

You know, I have a mom, and a dad, and a family, and a husband, and a dog. And I feel like people forget that. They lose perspective and they think that we’re untouchable or we’re just here to have stones thrown at us. Well we’re not. At the end of the day I have to go home. I have to cook dinner. I have to go to the gym in the morning. I have to do regular life stuff.

I don’t need you reminding me every day that you don’t agree with the way that my outfit is or that you think that my hair looks stupid or that you think that I look fat. I don’t need that. No woman needs that. No man needs that. Just have a little bit of respect for your fellow human beings. I don’t think that’s hard, and I think we learn manners in kindergarten and before that. So, let’s all just have a little more compassion, patience, and respect for one another.

PC: I know you’ve said before how much you like horror movies. What are some of your favorite classic horror films, and one you’re excited about now?

TV: My earliest horror movie memories are things like The Exorcist and those classics, as well as sneaking into the movie theater to watch Scream when I was too young. I’m totally dating myself, but that’s okay. The horror movie though that I am most excited about right now is the movie that John and I actually wrote together and filmed last year, which should be coming out in a few months, which is called The Iron Sheik Massacre. So, I just want everybody to see that.

https://twitter.com/SheikMassacre/status/1090557897652678657

TV: I think that is going to be epic ridiculousness, and I don’t think people are going to expect it. But coming from a horror movie junkie like me, I’ve also always been a fan of the really cheesy horror movies. The really cheesy eighties ones that you know are totally fake, but it’s so stupid that it’s like laughing and horror at the same time. I’ve always just liked that kind of B-movie craziness. I think that the movie that John and I made is gonna be just the brain child of both of us. And to think that John didn’t like horror movies, and now I have converted him.

PC: WrestleMania weekend had really different events, such as Impact Wrestling United We Stand where you defended your Knockouts Title in a Fatal 4-Way or Joey Ryan’s Penis Party where you teamed with Johnny to face The Lucha Bros. What were some of your most memorable moments from that weekend?

TV: Oh, there were so many. I mean, obviously I think one of my favorite moments was at Joey Ryan’s Penis Party because Fenix and Pentagon and I have a long running history. They’re like my family, like my brothers. I mean, Fenix was in my wedding party. I’ve been friends with them forever. We’ve all just watched each other grow from like little babies into what is happening now. It had been a while since I’ve shared a ring with them like that, since Lucha Underground. So, I was very excited to get in the ring with them again.

And obviously the United We Stand event was fantastic. The fans of New York and New Jersey, props to them. They watched so much wrestling that weekend, and they were there every night yelling, screaming, excited, and supporting Impact Wrestling, supporting us all at the WrestleCon. I was just excited to meet everybody.

And I mean, New York is magical. So who doesn’t like the opportunity to be there for several days? I think that I was selective about the shows that I did, and I’m glad that I was, because I was really able to put on these great matches both at United We Stand and at Joey Ryan’s show of John and I versus The Lucha Brothers.

PC: Impact Wrestling will be at the 2300 Arena this week, also known as the infamous ECW Arena. How exciting is it to be at a venue with that kind of history in front of those die-hard Philadelphia fans?

TV: Yeah, we will be at the 2300 Arena [today] and on Saturday. I’m extremely excited. I wrestled here once before with House of Hardcore about two years ago, and it was amazing. The fans here in Philly are great. They’re excited. There’s so much wrestling history here, and I’m just excited to get in front of them.

I just love the fact that Impact now is filming all over the country, and in multiple countries, and we’re really able to be in front of such different fans all the time. That’s just so cool. To be in front of these people, I always say that there’s nothing like watching wrestling live.

If someone has only watched it on TV, they don’t understand it. And I feel like this arena is definitely one of them where that live experience is just so worth it. So I want everybody that is in Philadelphia [today] and Saturday to make sure you do not miss this opportunity to come see what we’re doing. Because what we’re doing is cool, different, new, exciting, and it can’t be missed.

PC: Rob Van Dam is back in Impact Wrestling and that’s opened up a lot of potential dream matches that fans didn’t think they’d get a chance to see. Could we see RVD vs Taya Valkyrie?

TV: Oh my gosh, I would freak out. That would absolutely be unreal. I would love that. I mean, I just wanna wrestle everybody. I feel like I’ve stood my ground and proven myself in front of all different kinds of competitors, and if I got to wrestle RVD, that would just be a bucket list kind of occasion. That would be unreal.

Next. RVD Signs New Contract With Impact Wrestling. dark

If you’re in the Philadelphia area, Impact Wrestling still has tickets available for the tapings both tonight and tomorrow at the 2300 Arena. Both events will start at 7:30 p.m. local time, and will feature Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie, Rosemary, Johnny Impact, and even ECW legends Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer! Between the names set to appear and the sheer history and experience that comes along with the 2300 Arena, this is an event fans don’t want to miss.

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