Gabi Butler Opens Up About Choice Between Cheerleading And WWE

Gabi Butler will soon transform from a cheerleader to a professional wrestler. As previously reported on Tuesday by People, the star of Netflix's "Cheer" signed a contract with WWE following her visit to Nashville during SummerSlam weekend earlier this summer. The 24-year-old will now soon join the WWE's Performance Center in Orlando, as she gears up to wrestle one day.

Butler noted that she will continue to cheer — she has two years of college eligibility left — but she is also enthusiastic about her new challenge. "I never thought that cheerleading would take me on this route, but here we are," she said. Through her first-hand experience at SummerSlam, Butler realized some staggering similarities between the two worlds. "It's very related to cheerleading because we're performers [too], we're entertainers, we like to put on a show and we also have to be athletic," she explained.

In addition, much like her extensive background in cheerleading and gymnastics, "you have to be committed" to work in WWE. With a majority of time spent on the road between shows, public appearances, and making strides in the gym, dedication becomes a necessity to surviving in WWE — which is the same mentality Gabi Butler instills in her "very, very time-consuming" cheerleading tours.

The "Cheer" star previously competed at the Navarro College cheerleading program, where she prepared for NCA College Nationals under coach Monica Aldama. However, Butler is currently reassessing her options. "I can't go to Navarro again because my time with Navarro was done," she revealed, as she now balances that decision with her new venture in professional wrestling.