Willow Nightingale interview w/ Denise Salcedo, talks future with AEW/ROH

[Chris]

Credit: Denise Salcedo

Willow Nightingale has been generating buzz after last week's appearance on AEW Rampage in which she wrestled Red Velvet in an Owen Hart Foundation Tournament qualifying match.

I spoke with her for 40 minutes earlier this week about her recent high-profile matches, her road to get there and what could be ahead in either AEW or Ring of Honor.

While Nightingale did not end up on the winning end against Velvet, she did receive plenty of positive reviews. She said her first experience being on TNT was "amazing" and the post-match positive feedback has been "surreal."

"For someone like me who has been a wrestling fan for so long, who has been doing indie wrestling for years. It kinda seems like this is something that is attainable, it's possible and one day this could be your reality," she said.

"Then to kinda have that much buzz to hit you at once...it's like you hear the phrase 'an overnight success.' Success doesn't happen overnight. I think the reason so many people were happy to see me is because I have accumulated this fanbase over a certain amount of time. I've been wrestling seven years."

That wasn't Nightingale's first AEW match as she has wrestled multiple times on both Dark and Dark: Elevation, saying she has "always gotten feedback that is more or less positive."

Just a week prior to her Rampage debut, Nightingale also took part in the relaunch of Ring of Honor in the interim Women's title match against Mercedes Martinez. While she had competed there before, she wasn't sure if she would be asked to return given the new ownership until she was asked.

She explained that the match was important to her and one she felt would be "career-making." She attended seminars run by Martinez and would ask her questions about the business.

"So to work with her, I was like 'Alright, I gotta get my work boots on, put on my big girl pants and just make this happen.'"

Nightingale said that nothing has been made official regarding her future with either AEW or ROH, but things are moving in the right direction.

"It's looking positive. I don't have anything solid that I can tell anyone right now, but things are looking good," she said.

Nightingale continues to look forward and work toward achieving more goals Two of them: to wrestle outside of North America and to keep wrestling full-time.

"I really would love to wrestle internationally. I have only ever wrestled in the United States and Canada. Japan has always been a huge goal of mine. I don't have another job, so if I could just make it through the rest of the year, like that, that is such a huge accomplishment for me."

 

[Jimmy King]

Willow is great, sign her right now Tony.

 

[Chris]

Please hurry bc she seems to really want to work for AEW/ROH over MLW but I think MLW is ready to push her hard in their new women's division if not lol which would be great for them but I'd prefer her here

 

[Canadian Dragon]

Big fan. Get it tony