In an exclusive interview with PWMania.com’s Scott Mitchell (@ScottsScoop44), Taya Valkyrie talked about her debut at NWA: Alwayz Ready, working with the women’s roster, adjusting to working in the NWA, and her upcoming match with Kamille at NWA 74.
Taya Valkyrie Debuts at Alwayz Ready
On June 11, 2022, Taya Valkyrie would make her debut at the NWA pay-per-view, Alwayz Ready. Although she had a great showing, Valkyrie would come up short in her match against Natalia Markova. However, this would be the start of something much bigger.
“It was great,” says Valkyrie. “The wrestling world is so different than it was a few years before the landscape changed so much prior to the pandemic. I’m able to kind of work all over the place and I love that.”
Taya Valkyrie said she knew that if she was given the chance to join the NWA and work with their “amazing women’s roster” she would take it. “It felt really good to be at the Alwayz Ready PPV, and I needed to put my stamp on it and I think I did.”
“I’m really excited for NWA 74 coming up and taking on Kamille for the championship,” states Valkyrie. “She has been a champion for a very long time and is a very well-respected, well-rounded athlete, very strong, and just amazing in the ring. It’s going to be a night to remember and I can’t wait to add the NWA Women’s Championship to my collection.”
Taya Valkyrie on Working with the Women’s Division at NWA
Following her release from WWE, Taya was nervous and got butterflies about starting somewhere new. “Over the last six months, I’ve had a lot of moments of set,” states Valkyrie. “It’s really great working with that incredible women’s division in NWA.”
Coming into the NWA, Valkyrie was happy to see good friends of hers, such as Taryn Terrell, Chelsea Greene, and Matt Cardona. “It’s so great to see those familiar faces there,” says Valkyrie. Also, Valkyrie enjoyed working with a couple of new people she never got to work with.
“I’ve never wrestled Max so I was so excited to wrestle them,” says Valkyrie. There was a lot of talent she was excited to work with, who weren’t on the indie scene before she got signed to WWE, like Ella Envy.
Taya was also super excited to work with KiLynn King. “I’ve been watching her for a while and it was so exciting to get to wrestle her,” says Valkyrie. “I want to do that again. She’s someone very special who brings so much to the table. I was able to take a deep breath and realize everything was going to be okay.”
In her match with KiLynn King, Valkyrie would defeat King to become the new #1 Contender to Kamille’s NWA Women’s Championship. “It’s obvious I thrive under pressure,” says Valkyrie. “I knew how hard I had to go for that #1 Contender’s spot.”
Valkyrie loved wrestling King. “I love tall, physical women because it’s a challenge for me,” says Valkyrie. “I’m an imposing presence in the ring and I love someone who challenges me on that. In the end, I brought it and ended up becoming the new #1 Contender.”
Just like anywhere, Taya had to adapt to the NWA style upon debuting. “This is where I thrive,” says Valkyrie. “I like a challenge and I think I’ve been doing pretty well, I’m the #1 Contender heading into NWA 74 and you put me in a spot, I’ll adapt to that situation and that’s what I did.”
Taya Valkyrie on NWA 74
At NWA 74, Taya Valkyrie will be taking on Kamille on August 27 during Night One. “I’m in full prep mode right now,” Valkyrie tells PW Mania. “It’s a crazy time for me. I’m training hard, dieting, and just preparing for the show. This is what you do to prepare for television, competition, and just facing the best in the world. I’m in full preparation mode. I’m coming with everything I got. I have a whole bag of tricks.”
Should Valkyrie defeat Kamille on Night One of NWA 74, she will have another tall task ahead of her waiting for Night 2. The winner of the Burke Invitational will be taking place on Night One and will get to challenge either Valkyrie or Kamille the following Night.
It’s not easy to prepare when you don’t know what you need to prepare for. “I just have to wait and see what happens,” says Valkyrie. “I don’t know who everyone is that will be in the Burke Invitational. Last year Chelsea won, will she win again this year? I don’t know. I just have to keep myself grounded and ready for everything if, and when, that opportunity comes up.”
Taya Valkyrie on the Current State of Women’s Wrestling
“I think it’s a very exciting time,” says Valkyrie. “Women have been pushing for these opportunities for a long time. I’ve been wrestling for 12 years now, and now I’m main eventing PPVs and challenging for championships that aren’t just women’s championships.”
“There’s more intergender matches now in America. I did that all the time in Lucha Libre because it’s fairly normal there. It’s very cool to see because we’ve all been working super hard for these opportunities. It’s great to see it all starting to pay off.”
“There’s still a long way to go, but the world is full of very talented women and people need to recognize that. We deserve the respect, the time, and the spot. We will see more of that moving forward.”
What’s Next For Taya Valkyrie?
Valkyrie has her eye on a lot of the new wrestlers who are still coming up. “There are so many new wrestlers who weren’t really around or who were just starting prior to the pandemic who I haven’t gotten the chance to face yet,” says Valkyrie.
Valkyrie says that she’s excited about a lot of the new dream matches, but she mainly wants one thing, to become the NWA Women’s Champion. “I want to carry that belt around the world. I want to create magic for the fans and create moments for them. I want to continue doing what I was born to do.”
Valkyrie will also have a short film coming out that she worked on with her husband, John Morrison, which will be in Film Festivals in the Fall. “I’m super excited about that, and everything else that will be coming to fruition in the next coming months.”
If you wish to see more of Taya Valkyrie, you can follow her @TheTayaValkyrie on Twitter and Instagram. She also has exclusive content you can find at tayaxo.com.
Taya Valkyrie- “Come to NWA 74, watch it on Fite. There will be 2 nights of awesome hard-hitting wrestling. If you can’t join us those two nights, we’ll also be in Nashville shooting 4 days after that for NWA. I’m going to come in guns blazing and will hopefully walk out the next NWA Women’s Champion.”
