NXT UK’s newest superstar Blair Davenport debuted for the brand last week and instantly put the women’s division on notice.
In a recent interview with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT Davenport spoke about her journey to get to WWE.
Davenport revealed how WWE’s Senior Director of Talent Development, Canyon Ceman, contacted her several years ago.
“NXT UK reached out to me when they were first making the roster in 2018 but it was the day after I signed my World of Sport contract. They reached out again at the beginning of 2019 and I spoke to Canyon Ceman. I was going to sign, but I wanted to do more in Japan and I said that to Canyon. He said, ‘Okay, cool, we’ll keep in touch and call you back in six months.’
“Literally, two days later, AEW got in contact with me and offered me the schedule where I could live in Japan but still work for them and have the best of both worlds. At that point, it was great for me. This time around, I reached out to Jim Smallman, who I know from PROGRESS, and he put me in connection and I had a call with Canyon again. We got the wheels moving this time. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go at those (past) points, it was just the timing and my situation that fit the best.”
Davenport as Bea Priestley wrestled for STARDOM on and off since 2017. In 2019 she signed with AEW. In 2020 AEW released her due to travel and visa restrictions in the throes of the pandemic.
The former World of STARDOM Champion then spoke about her decision to sign with NXT UK and become the first wrestler to go from AEW to WWE.
“I got cut from AEW because my visa expired and there was no hope for a new visa happening at that time. There was a tiny window in August where people who had Japan visas could go back, so I went back to Japan. I loved STARDOM so much, but this time I think I was the only foreigner there, whereas before, I had a group of friends with me.
“I love the roster, but I did feel very isolated and I started to feel stagnant with my role and feeling like there was only so much more I could do with this company before I stayed in my same position. I hate being stagnant and I wanted to be like, ‘I need to do something for me now.’ This is when we got in touch with WWE and we were chatting. I almost wanted a bit of time at home as well to have a bit of a rest, but I love NXT UK so much and it’s definitely where I want to be right now.”
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