Paige VanZant promises ‘people will see a whole new side’ of her in AEW

All Elite Wrestling has a very interesting new prospect in its women’s division in the form of Paige VanZant. The combat sports veteran made her mark signing her AEW contract on Tay Conti’s body after laying the former out on last week’s edition of AEW Dynamite. VanZant is already talking confidently about her transition to professional wrestling.

VanZant has made periodic appearances in AEW, joining Dan Lambert and his team of competitors out of ATT, along with Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky. She was initially a background personality, but it seems like the time is right for her to step to the forefront.

“The more I got involved, the more I loved it and I realized I was meant to be a part of the show,” VanZant said while speaking with Marc Raimondi of ESPN. “I showed up because I wanted to be a part of the show. I did those for free and I wanted to be a part of the event.”

Now, she’s signed a long-term deal with AEW that not only brings her to the quickly developing AEW women’s division but allows her to continue mixing things up in combat sports at the same time. VanZant has extensive experience in mixed martial arts and bare-knuckle boxing. And while fighting has been her platform, she’s also built her brand to cross over into other spaces such as modeling, performing, and acting, making her a well-paid member of the fight community.

“I think it’s a no-brainer too. I have a whole different audience that may not follow them yet,” VanZant said. “I bring a lot of value. It’s a perfect fit on the entertainment side and my combat experience.”

As VanZant’s training kicks off, it will be interesting to see how she’s used in the company. While fans may be quick to point to WWE’s leverage of Ronda Rousey, expect AEW to take a more tapered approach to her involvement. VanZant doesn’t need shouldn’t be immediately pushed into the main event picture. It will be important to see how well she adapts while giving her the space to do so.

“It is a long-term deal, but I’m not sure about the specifics,” VanZant said when asked about her AEW contract. “I think that it’s going to be a pretty significant amount [of time]. I would love to see my face in AEW every week.”

Right now, the focus is on Conti who is in the perfect position to be VanZant’s introduction feud into the company. Conti comes with her own martial arts experience, being an Olympic-level competitor in Judo and training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Plus, her own career arc has seen her develop from someone newly introduced to the product within the WWE, to a fan-favorite in AEW. VanZant has her eyes on Conti, but even mentioned Brandi Rhodes and their brief encounter.

“I know there’s something there and she’s [Conti] going to want to fight me too,” VanZant said. “I guess they needed a new face and signed my contract shortly after. I just saw that I came in to cause some drama and it made her [Rhodes] leave AEW.”

No official match or even a segment between Conti and VanZant has been announced, but fans can expect things to heat up once both women are on the screen together.

For more news and opinion about Paige VanZant’s wrestling career, AEW, and all things professional wrestling, stick with Daily DDT.