WIllow Nightingale Addresses Efforts To Move Up The Card In AEW

The story of Willow Nightingale is pretty inspiring. A long-time indie wrestler, Nightingale first got a shot in AEW working as an extra and enhancement talent on "AEW Dark," eventually securing an AEW contract. Now, after three years of slowly moving up the AEW ranks, Nightingale is a former TBS Champion, just took part in Anarchy in the Arena, and re-signed with AEW on a multi-year deal.

Speaking about all this with "The Takedown w/SI," Nightingale acknowledged the efforts she put in to move up the AEW card, and how that has helped contribute to her growing popularity with the AEW fans.

"While I may not be a Toni Storm or a Mercedes [Mone], who walked through the door with already these expectations and a name and followers and viewers and all this stuff, I think I've worked my way as, what people would say, homegrown, and I'm there among the ranks with them," Nightingale said. "And I think part of it is because how much I love this company, and I've grown through it. Maybe that's even part of the reason people love me so much, is because the story of AEW kind of is the story of me. 

"It's rooted in passion for pro wrestling, being something different than what everybody else expects or understands pro wrestling to have been for years...and maybe there's a little bit of buzz going on. But myself and the company, parallel, have ambition to do more and be more and prove to everyone that I deserve the spot that I'm in. I've worked my butt off to be here. Passion is one thing, yes. But we've done all the hard work to actually deserve being in the positions we are. And that is maybe a parallel I've never put together until now."

If you quote this article, please credit "The Takedown w/SI" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription