WWE Trainer and former SHIMMER Champion Sara Del Rey is highlighted in a lengthy WWE.com article that explains why she is the WWE’s “secret weapon”.
Superstars Daniel Bryan and Cesaro, along with Divas Aksana and Summer Rae, give us insight on Del Rey – real name Sara Amato – as well as the impact she’s having on current and future Divas.
Sara spoke on her motivations and future goals:
- Why she agreed to join WWE as a trainer: “It’s just not the same for men and women to learn, and I thought I’d love to share what I learned along the way with anyone who’s listening. It was a very natural fit. It felt like the ultimate dream.”
- Why Aja Kong is her all-time favorite: “WWE had gorgeous women, but I never saw myself as that. I knew they were beautiful women. I just couldn’t relate to them. But once I saw Aja, I thought, ‘Whoa. She’s not worried about what her hair looks like or what she’s wearing. She’s just in this.”
- Producing diverse Divas: “Diversity is really entertaining to me, and I hope other people feel that, too. All of these girls were signed for a special talent or a specific reason, and that’s awesome. Let’s go with that. If you want to be sexy, I’m not going to tell you not to be. The important thing is to give the best that you have to offer and to feel comfortable doing it. I think when you’re genuinely happy and good at what you’re doing, it’s going to show, and it’s going to make you a better performer.”
- On joining the Divas division: “If the opportunity comes up, I definitely wouldn’t say no. After all, that’s why we train.”
WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan, who trained Sara, sang her praises:
- Separating her shoulder while training: “The person who was giving them [back body drops] to her collapsed underneath her, and when she landed, she separated her shoulder. She rolled out of the ring, popped her shoulder back in and rolled into the ring.”
- Sara’s sacrifices: “She lived in Japan for nine months and slept on dojo floors. She went and lived in Mexico in some scary places to go live by yourself if you’re a woman. She was going places that most guys wouldn’t to become a better wrestler.”
Dave Prazak, founder of SHIMMER, was also quoted in the article:
- Sara is the best in America: “To me, [Sara Amato] is the best American female professional wrestler I’ve ever seen. And I’m talking about ever — including people who’ve been on national television, who wrestled in any era. Sara is that good.”
- How she inspired younger SHIMMER stars: “Young wrestlers looked up to her as someone to aspire to be like because she proved that gender doesn’t have to hold one back from being a top-flight pro wrestler. She is a huge benefit to the future of Divas in WWE.”
Cesaro, who teamed with her in the indies, gave his thoughts on her vast abilities:
- Her un-feminine ring style: “She doesn’t wrestle like a girl, she wrestles like a man, and I mean that in the best way possible. She has a very physical ring style; she’s technically very gifted and is probably technically better than a lot of the guys I’ve been in the ring with. She also kicks harder than a mule.”
- Helping a division under greater scrutiny: “The women’s division is going to be under an even closer microscope with WWE Network. The division is just going to get more and more competitive, and I think people will be surprised by how competitive it will get. It’s just going to be more enjoyable for the viewer and it’s going to be great wrestling, great entertainment, because of it.”
Divas Aksana and Summer Rae spoke on her influence:
- Aksana’s thoughts: “She listens to you. She lets you be yourself, and she listens to what you’d love to do, and if she corrects you, you will be happy she did.”
- Summer Rae’s thoughts: “It’s great to have a woman in our corner. She can relate to us, and she empowers us. She tells us that we can do the same stuff as the guys and do it just as well. Sara’s been a really positive role model to all of us at the Performance Center. We’re really lucky to have her.”
The article is a fantastic read for any women’s wrestling fans, especially those unfamiliar with Sara. Check it out on WWE.com.
You can also see Sara in action in two galleries: one showing her training Divas and another of her in action on the indies.
