Australian native Shazza McKenzie sat down with Gerry Strauss to provide Diva Dirt readers with another exciting episode of The Curtain Call.
McKenzie discussed many topics during her time with Strauss including her start with wrestling in Australia. She also spoke about her two times wrestling in NXT. She answered some readers questions in regards to her friendship with Tenille Dashwood and what she enjoys other than wrestling.
While training in Australia she comments on how in the end she was thankful that she wasn’t pushed so fast to get into her first match. She speaks about her initial training with Australasian Wrestling Federation (AWF) prior to finding her home with Pro Wrestling Australia (PWA).
“So I was always really proud of my time with AWF because I did the three months, (the three months, the three months) and I saw all of these girls before me all the girls got on shows maybe three to six months into their training as managers. They just started doing things before they finished the course and I was the first female to finish the course.
At the time I was like, I’m repulsive, they won’t put me on shows and every other girl got on shows after three months. There’s something wrong with me, I must be the ugliest human in the world. Because that is what you think when you are a 19-year-old girl in this crazy world of male-dominated wrestling.
But then when I had my first match which is on YouTube I was like okay that isn’t the most embarrassing thing in the history of the universe and I am glad I trained for a year before I did that. And now people aren’t going to go back and watch my first match ever and be like, I mean you are going to still laugh at it obviously, but it’s not complete trash.”
She later discusses how her first match with NXT came about. It was a surprise to her that this even occurred at all as her original plan was just to go to the show as a fan to go see Billie Kay and Peyton Royce. She credits Tenille Dashwood as the mastermind behind this match. Shazza was the last person that Tenille wrestled prior to signing with WWE, so it was a nostalgic moment.
“I didn’t know what was going on and I didn’t know why I was there. Eventually, Tenille would come up to me and was like, ‘yeah I think we are working together tonight,’ and I was like, what? She was like, ‘yeah it would be cool because you were my last match and then we would just do a match now’ and I was like, what is going on?
This was just when she started her evil Emma character and she was feuding with Asuka, it was really crazy. She wanted to use me because I was her last match before she went to WWE so it all came full circle moment, so that was how that first time came about. So before that day, the idea that WWE would have any interest in me whatsoever in any capacity was completely delusional and laughable to me.”
A huge goal for Shazza is to work in Japan. She is very passionate to get there and perform. She had the following to say:
“It is literally all I want in the entire universe,” says Shazza. “I will cry if I don’t get to do it. I’m not retiring until I get to do it. I will be 50 years old and if no one will let me wrestle in Japan I will still f**** wrestling because I am not retiring until I wrestle in f**** Japan.”
To listen to the entire interview you can click play below. Find out her thoughts on the SHIMMER promotion. She also discusses her longtime goals and if she still stays in contact with Tenille.
Check back in with Diva Dirt for further interviews from The Curtain Call. April Hunter‘s will be next up.
The Curtain Call with Gerry Strauss is an interview series that gets you up close and personal with Pro Wrestling’s HOTTEST stars. To experience these conversations with VIDEO included, subscribe, rent or purchase them on demand at “The Curtain Call with Gerry Strauss” by clicking here.
