AEW Star Harley Cameron Took An Unusual Route Into The Pro Wrestling Industry

Over the last year, Harley Cameron has become one of the fastest-rising stars in AEW, wrestling memorable matches against performers like Mercedes Mone and Athena, while also taking part in the first-ever women's Blood & Guts. Compared to most others in the industry, Cameron's entry into pro wrestling was quite unusual, with her unique background accounting for some of her biggest strengths. The AEW star explained how she developed such a diverse skillset during an interview with MVP on his podcast, "Marking Out."

"I worked at a cabaret, and when you work at a cabaret, you generally have to learn a lot of different s**t," Cameron said.

Cabaret is a form of entertainment that has been around for hundreds of years, with an audience sitting down to watch a live variety show of sorts, often featuring live music, burlesque dancing, and more. After Cameron spent some time working there, she packed up, moved to the United States, and attended an independent wrestling show that changed her trajectory.

"The moment I sat down, it's like a light bulb went on and I was like, 'Oh, s**t. I want to do this.' And I'm in the country where it can actually be a career."

Cameron had been a fan of pro wrestling growing up, but she never previously considered it as a potential career while in Australia. After attending the live event and feeling a calling, Cameron initially second-guessed the idea because she'd be entering the industry a few years later than most wrestlers do. However, knowing all the different skills she possessed, Cameron convinced herself that she could overcome the odds and start wrestling about a decade later than most.

Continuing to run down the list of her past jobs, Cameron revealed that she'd also been a fitness trainer with experience in bodybuilding, studied journalism in college, and has backgrounds in dancing and singing. This prompted MVP to ask, "What can't you do?"

"This is athletics, it's entertainment, it's crowd work," Cameron continued. "I think that I've experienced certain components of all this. I wonder if I could put them together. Because, honestly, that's what wrestling is; it is all these things combined. It's so much deeper than I anticipated before I learnt, even, how to run the ropes."

Before joining AEW as a guest star in 2022 and full-time wrestler in 2023, Cameron had planned on pursuing a spot on the WWE roster. After her friends Shotzi Blackheart and Scarlett Bordeaux were released, however, she opted to roll with AEW, wrestling her second-ever match on the defunct online show "AEW Dark."

"It was against Willow [Nightingale] actually, which is insane," Cameron said. "I actually texted her the other day. ... It's so lame but I got emotional, so grateful and happy, because we're together now."

Years after that initial AEW match, Cameron and Nightingale would become tag team partners. Cameron credits Nightingale for carrying her through that first match, as it was so early in her career. Now, Cameron is doing her best to make up for lost time, with the wrestler revealing that she trains every single day so she can continue improving in the ring.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Marking Out" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.