Independent wrestler, Tootie Lynn on the importance of ASÉ Wrestling & learning from opponents

Tootie Lynn is an up-and-coming wrestler from St. Louis and has already appeared in AEW, ROH, and NWA. She is currently the WLW Ladies Champion. Lynn made her ASÉ debut at COSMOS and has been announced for their fourth show.

Lynn was also part of the historic all women's show, EMPOWERRR. Unfortunately, EMPOWERRR ended up being a one time event. It's hard for women to be given more than one match on a card on both the indie level and on television. Marginalized groups often have to fight for representation in wrestling.

Lynn points out that there aren't a lot of places that platform Black talent, especially in the way that ASÉ does. "It means a lot to me to be a part of ASÉ because we don't get a lot of these at all. Even if you do see a show that showcases a lot of African American talent, it's only once a month, once a year, once a whatever. But I think that representation is very, very important, especially in a wrestling business because you want to show the next generation -- like people that look like you -- that 'hey, you can do this too.'"

For The Culture also platforms Black talent. The annual show had it's fourth event over WrestleMania weekend. ASÉ did some crossover when Darius Lockhart was the special guest referee for the main event between Billy Dixon and Darius Carter. Their story has spilled over to ASÉ, going back to the first show last December. The two will face off again at the next show on Juneteenth weekend.

Lynn talked about the importance of ASÉ and FTC collaborating. "I think that's amazing because not only do you want to showcase not just the talent in your area, but you want to go other places to showcase their talent to give other people a platform. To give other people a chance to showcase what they can do."

Learning experiences every time Lynn gets in the ring

Having matches with promotions like AEW, ROH, and NWA have been a huge help for Lynn. She's faced champions and former champions such as ATHENA, Nyla Rose, RIHO, and Mercedes Martinez. "It's helped me a lot because I'm seven years into the business and you never stop learning. Being around those type of TV talent, you learn from them. You pick up on what they show you, what they do for you, or what they tell you. You want to listen to those type of people, especially if they want to help you."

ATHENA is in the midst of a historic title reign as ROH Women's Champion. She has been champion for over 500 days and won more than 50 matches. Some consider her to be the best women's champion in all of wrestling. Lynn has been watching ATHENA since she was in WWE (fka Ember Moon). "I'm so happy that she's continued doing what she's doing."

On working with someone of that caliber, Lynn admitted, "I'm not going to fake, I was nervous, scared. But at the same time, I was in awe because I'm in the ring, going toe-to-toe with one of the best female wrestlers in the business. Shoutout to ATHENA. Thank you, girl!"

In February, "The Little Blue Dragon" defeated Skylar Sparks to win the vacant WLW Ladies Championship. Asked about what she hopes to accomplish as champion, Lynn replied "so not only that I want to wrestle other women, but I want them to come in and go toe-to-toe with me. Obviously, I'm a challenge, so I've heard. But I hope I'm representing WLW and the championsip very well. I hope I'm making everyone on the roster proud.

Lynn was stumped when asked about dream opponents. "I've never really had dream opponent. I enjoy wrestling everybody because everbody I step in the ring with, I learn from. I learn the what to dos and what not to dos, if that makes sense. So I don't really have any dream opponents as of right now. If I could wrestle anybody, it would be Mercedes (Moné). I would like to wrestle ATHENA again. I would want to wrestle Su Yung."

At COSMOS, Darius Carter wrestled Sonny Kiss. "I told someone in there, I want to wrestle Darius Carter. That was my first time watching him wrestle. He did an amazing job, him and Sonny (Kiss) killed it." Lynn isn't a stranger to intergender wrestling as she's competed with and against men. She's faced the likes of Alan Angels, Rohit Raju, and Mike Outlaw.

Lynn doesn't prepare any differently because "it's another competitor to me. But let's be for real. Women have proved that we can do just as much as men. We're starting to main event. WWE had the very first women's Hell In A Cell. Stuff like that. We're showcasing what we can do and I don't understand why we have to prove so hard that we can do that. But I think that we all know the answer; we're women. They think, 'oh, they're women. Let's let the men have it all.' No, it's wrong."

She has "absolutely not" had any issues with the men she's wrestled. "All the men I've worked so far have said I've been a joy to work with. They've said they've had a lot of fun with me. And I've had so much fun with them."

To close out our interview, I asked Lynn if there's anything she wants fans to know. "I love my dog. She's a 13-year-old Chiweenie. I love coffee. I love anime. I love horror, especially 80s horror. So if you have some 80s horror to recommend, just tell me. But if you want to get to know me more, just give me a follow on social media." She's on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

ASÉ Wrestling's next show will be June 22, 2024. It will be livestreamed. Follow ASÉ on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

If you use any quotes from this interview, please H/T Daily DDT and credit Samantha Schipman.