Our very own Lee Sanders from The RCWR Show, sat down this week to talk with WOW-Women of Wrestling Superhero Foxxy Fierce. During their conversation, Foxxy Fierce discussed her time growing up in Washington, D.C., discovering WOMEN OF WRESTLING, the importance of African-American diversity in wrestling and its evolution so far, and much more. Check out a few highlights along with the interview below.
On growing up in Washington, D.C.: “Well, I think one of the great things about being in the DMV is that you can find community with other black people and be surrounded in spaces where people are up on their history, and on their knowledge about themselves. They’re confident in themselves. So just by virtue of being an environment like that alone, I found myself able to cultivate a really strong sense of self in a broader context. I think some of my strongest influences came out of my education at Howard University.
“Just being in that historic environment, and surrounded by intellectuals and people who are not only teaching the upcoming generations to do their thing, but who are also out in the world actively doing their thing. Just all of that combined has really helped build me up.”
On how she discovered WOW: “So initially I was always very athletic growing up. I wasn’t ever huge into organized sports, but I did do them here and there. I did track for a little while, basketball, soccer, gymnastics, all that. I got my feet wet with different things. I really got into my own athletic and fitness journey when I started doing yoga, actually, which is the complete opposite of wrestling. I ended up getting certified in yoga and acro-yoga, which is a more acrobatic gymnastics type form of yoga. I also got involved with rollerskating to the point where I was doing it professionally and getting commercial work, music videos, things like that. When I found out about WOW and heard about the tryout, I was like well, they’re looking for athletic women. I’m an athletic woman! Let’s see what happens! So it was a bit of a shot in the dark but I was like, let’s just see.”
“On the importance of Black diversity in wrestling: “It’s something as I’m truly filled with gratitude that we’re at this point now. It’s bittersweet in a way because it is frustrating. You can get into the thought pattern of well…why wasn’t it sooner? Why did people have to work so hard and grind so hard just to get to this point where Black people are receiving a modicum of the recognition that people from other backgrounds and ethnicities might receive. But with that being said, like you mentioned, WOW is always ahead of the curve. It’s not just something that WOW is doing because it’s convenient or because it’s they got to catch up with the times. Showcasing women’s stories, backgrounds, what makes them unique, and makes them individuals is something that WOMEN OF WRESTLING has always been about. So to come into that environment as a Black woman, and to be encouraged fully from hearing people say, no, we don’t want (you), some kind of cookie cutter you fit in with the crowd type thing. We (WOW) are like we want you to bring your full self in with all of your experiences, and your entire background to the table. That’s just something to be thankful for and something that I think is truly unique.”
