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Double Champion Never Watched Wrestling Before Signing With WWE

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• Double Champion Never Watched Wrestling Before Signing With WWE

Many WWE Superstars grew up glued to the TV, dreaming of stepping into the ring one day. Sol Ruca’s story couldn’t be more different. She had never watched a single wrestling match before signing with WWE.

During her appearance on Going Ringside with Scott Johnson, the NXT Women’s North American Champion revealed that pro wrestling wasn’t a part of her life growing up and that she only learned about it when WWE came calling.

Despite entering the business with no childhood connection to it, the 26-year-old said she’s grateful for the path her life took and admitted that she wishes she had discovered wrestling as a career sooner.

“Looking back now, I wish that I would have been exposed to it sooner because I think if I would have saw it, I would have been like, ‘This is what I want to do with my life.’ Like, I would have been set on that. But didn’t end up that way. But I still ended up here. So I’m very, very thankful for my journey.”

Her gymnastics and acrobatics background at the University Of Oregon gave her the athletic base she needed to succeed in WWE.

“I was, you know, a gymnast. So, I went to University of Oregon and got some acrobatics and tumbling experience and I think those things kind of led me here and made me be who I am and kind of helped me with my success.”

WWE was mainly signing stars from the independent circuit during NXT’s Black and Gold era, so most of them were lifelong wrestling fans chasing a dream. But since the rebranding of NXT, the company has been recruiting athletes from all kinds of sports, which means that several names on the roster weren’t wrestling fans before they got signed and Sol Ruca turned out to be one of them.

Sol Ruca is currently a double champion in WWE. She holds the NXT Women’s North American Championship and the WWE Women’s Speed Championship.

• Biopic of One of the GOATs Is in the Works

‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage is headed to the big screen. A new biopic about the WWE Hall of Famer is officially in development, according to Deadline. The script was co-written by Savage’s late brother Lanny Poffo and screenwriter Eric Shapiro.

The project, currently titled MACHO, is being produced by Artists for Artists, the company co-owned by Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson and Johnny Ryan Jr.

Thompson, a huge fan of Savage, shared his excitement about the project. Here’s what he said to Deadline:

“Beyond excited for this one!! Macho Man is hands down one of the greatest of all time and can’t wait to bring his story to the screen!!!”

Thompson actually has a personal connection to Savage, as the two men worked together on a Nickelodeon promo back in 1999.

The biopic is still in the early stages, with no cast, release date or distribution plan announced. WWE is currently not involved in the project.

Savage passed away in May 2011 at the age of 58 after suffering a heart attack while driving. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.

• Update On Piper Niven’s Career-Threatening Injury

As previously noted, WWE SmackDown’s Piper Niven has been out of action with an injury for some time. The nature of the injury was not known earlier.

Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer recently reported that WWE is concerned the injury could be serious, potentially even career-threatening.

Fightful Select now reports that The Secret Hervice member is dealing with a neck injury. Sources believe she should be able to return to action despite the seriousness of the injury, though she is still waiting for an official diagnosis.

Piper Niven last competed on the August 22 episode of SmackDown in Ireland, where she got a win over WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair. Chelsea Green has been teaming up with Alba Fyre during Niven’s absence.

• TNA’s Masha Slamovich Accused Of Domestic Violence By Ex AKIRA in Leaked Messages & Photos

TNA star Masha Slamovich is facing serious allegations after her ex-partner, independent wrestler AKIRA, came forward with accusations of domestic violence today. The claims surfaced after AKIRA’s current manager posted screenshots of alleged text conversations between the two, along with photos showing visible injuries such as bruises on AKIRA’s face, split lips and marks on his hands.

AKIRA’s manager shared the screenshots on X, and the full conversation can be read in the following tweet:

Alongside the screenshots, AKIRA’s manager posted photos of AKIRA’s injuries and wrote, directed at PWI columnist Kristen Ashly:

“Explain why is it okay to celebrate a woman who done this to her ex and have her in the Top 25.”

The “Top 25” reference refers to Masha Slamovich’s ranking in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 25 Women, highlighting the controversy over her being recognized professionally while facing serious personal allegations.

They also shared a Dropbox link with a lot of evidence against Masha Slamovich in the original tweet.

AKIRA also released a statement on X, writing:

“I woke up to this and people asking me if I was okay. Kinda wanna throw up, kinda want to go away forever.  

My friend held back for months because I asked her to, and I would have never said anything. I still really don’t want to. I didn’t want to lash out in anger, because I was angry, suicidal, and depressive since the end of January. I’m not alive though if she didn’t take my calls everyday while caring for her sick grandfather, I’m not alive if my roommate Wraith didn’t laugh with me at stupid videos daily. I’m not alive if Dale Patrick’s and Simon Gotch weren’t there for me. 

I gave a lot with little in return. I had a lot of growing up to do and despite my progression I was always told I was never doing enough, the things I liked and did were stupid and wastes of time. Things I told about my thoughts on my gender and the confusion I was feeling was turned on me. I was lied to about finances and spent more than I should have because I thought we were struggling together. 

I almost killed myself three times as the life I tried to build with someone was torn apart and I became nothing to that person. It was like a withdrawal, every time I went to the hospital that person I put on a pedestal was gone. I didn’t matter. 

I would have never said anything. I only came out with my prior experiences of $exual abuse because I was spiraling alone in Japan. 

I tried my best but my best was never good enough and all my accomplishments and money were nothing but tools for someone else. 

Many things said in confidence turned and used against me. 

I can’t get that time back. I can’t get the money back. I can’t get the last four years of my life back. I was just trying my best to come back and be with my family and friends and dog, and try to get signed. I dreamed of doing things. 

Maybe it won’t happen now. 

I’m not angry. I’m not sad. Not anymore. I’m apathetic. I’ve moved on and there’s still bitterness in my stomach I don’t let it guide me. 

I’ve grown up as a person and a wrestler. I’ve grown up mentally, physically, and spiritually. I’m still figuring things out and have nothing to say to that person. I adored them. I still feel phantom pains in my heart every time I see a photo.

They’re a part of my life and history. I don’t get to where I am now ; a mature and thoughtful person with a healthy dose of CTE without the experiences I went through and the isolation I experienced in a foreign country. 

But

It is what it is. Whatever happens, happens.

I love wrestling. I love the life and people it brought into my life. Even her. But it’s not a drug for me. If this makes it impossible to hire me or anything, so be it. I’ll move on because wrestling isn’t everything to me and I’m thankful it showed me the world and the man I have to be for myself. 

I’m just looking for my happy ending.”

The fallout has already started affecting Slamovich’s career. Prestige Wrestling confirmed she has been pulled from their Roseland XII event in Portland, Oregon, on October 5.

Sports Illustrated reached out to TNA for a statement on the situation. The following is their response:

“We take any allegations like this very seriously, and have begun an internal investigation.”

As of now, Slamovich has not publicly commented on the allegations. She remains advertised for TNA Victory Road this Friday, where she is scheduled to challenge Ash By Elegance for the Knockouts World Championship.

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