Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2018 22:45:13 GMT
This is part one of a series documenting the early life and the early career of Jazmyn Rain, who makes her Queen City Pro Wrestling debut Wednesday night against Sunny. Here is Jazmyn discussing her upbringing… and her career up to 2013...
Q: First, tell us about yourself. Tell us about your upbringing and how you got to professional wrestling?
Jazmyn: I was born in Miami, but I identify a lot more with Charlotte and I consider that my true hometown. It was a bit of a rough upbringing. My parents got divorced at the age of 7 and my dad took off to Charlotte so I was moving up there for the summer, but returning to Miami when the school year started again. My mother wasn’t so attached to me and life with her was harsh at times, but my dad did so much for me growing up and it’s because of the bond I have with him that I’ve got such a passionate connection with this city. I graduated from Florida State in 2006, started a new career, but after a year, that came to an abrupt end. I was honestly doing nothing with my life for a while after that until 2010, when I got the motivation to change that. So, considering my best friend at the time was a successful wrestler in her own right, I decided to follow her lead and become one myself.
Q: How old were you when you started training?
Jazmyn: I was 25, which is considered a very late start. So, I was written off when I walked in that door as someone that was going to be a failure. But, despite that, I kept fighting and a year later, I was suddenly wrestling on the mainstream, against all odds.
Q: Did you have a successful mainstream debut?
Jazmyn: No… the company I was working for at the time in 2011 saw so little in me they had me debut in a random evening gown house show battle royal that I didn’t even win. So embarrassing! My television debut, I won… but it was against someone that had just had a match and that the company was keen on firing.
Q: What was your favorite moment during your early years in the business?
Jazmyn: Winning my first singles championship! It’s hard to believe it’s been almost seven years since that happened, but it was a truly amazing experience. I was one of two challengers to that title and nobody gave me a chance to win that. I was in the shadow of my best friend at the time, who was out with an injury, but I did whatever I could to silence the critics… which I did! That was my true arrival in the business when I managed to pull that off.
Q: You quickly grew into a potential world championship contender after that, and you would have plenty of chances to win a world title in your maiden wrestling company. However, you did not. Why do you think that was?
Jazmyn: Honestly? I wasn’t ready. At the time, I’d blame it on the most ridiculous nonsense possible, but I wasn’t ready. The main event contenders were miles ahead of me in terms of experience and I was far from the right state of mind being addicted to crack cocaine in 2012 and 2013. I cracked under so much of the pressure I was on and the bottom line was, I wasn’t strong enough to be good enough to be a world champion during that chapter of my career. I didn’t make the right choices, so my inability to win a world title during that portion of my career falls on me. I don’t regret that, I learned so much and it helped me win three world titles in my own right during the more recent part of my career.
Q: Can that past you just mentioned still be a problem today?
Jazmyn: On occasion, yes. A few months ago, I had a pretty hard slip (with alcohol). Stress was extremely high at the time, especially when I had struggles breaking through in NGW. But, right now, I’m in a good place. I’m excited for my debut on Wednesday and… pardon the pun… Wednesday is going to be one SUNNY day for me!
Q: What are your brief thoughts on your upcoming debut?
Jazmyn: That it goes better than my past debuts.
Q: Why do you say that?
Jazmyn: I haven’t had very good fortunes with debuts. Whether it was an evening gown battle royal at a house show, getting nailed with a steel chair in my first match back in wrestling almost four years ago after a two-year hiatus, having to settle for a draw or fighting a debut match in Charlotte and being completely humiliated in your hometown… losing that debut match and crushing your confidence… the luck just hasn’t been there. But, that all changes on Wednesday. I’m not worried about said bad luck with debuts. I’m only worried about what’s in front of me.
Q: You said you don’t regret falling short of a world championship during the early part of your career. Do you have ANY regrets from your beginnings in 2011 to the sudden hiatus that took place in 2013?
Jazmyn: The drugs. No hesitation in saying that. I made decisions that robbed me of two years of my career. I hit rock bottom in 2013 and being stuck in a halfway house for six months in rehab is far from fun. The short term effects weren’t fun, but long term? It had damaged a part of my brain that controlled my mood for a long while and that took forever to heal. That, my sunken reputation, and having just 2 years of experience at the age of 28…(when I signed my first contract in two years) made me an unattractive free agent until I finally got that second chance in 2015… and when I did… I was in for a journey through good and bad that I’m never forgetting… first though… I had to rebuild from rock bottom...
Jazmyn will talk about said rebuilding, trying to break back into the business, distancing herself from drugs, and all she had to overcome to get back in the ring…
Check back soon for part 2, covering 2013 through 2015!
Q: First, tell us about yourself. Tell us about your upbringing and how you got to professional wrestling?
Jazmyn: I was born in Miami, but I identify a lot more with Charlotte and I consider that my true hometown. It was a bit of a rough upbringing. My parents got divorced at the age of 7 and my dad took off to Charlotte so I was moving up there for the summer, but returning to Miami when the school year started again. My mother wasn’t so attached to me and life with her was harsh at times, but my dad did so much for me growing up and it’s because of the bond I have with him that I’ve got such a passionate connection with this city. I graduated from Florida State in 2006, started a new career, but after a year, that came to an abrupt end. I was honestly doing nothing with my life for a while after that until 2010, when I got the motivation to change that. So, considering my best friend at the time was a successful wrestler in her own right, I decided to follow her lead and become one myself.
Q: How old were you when you started training?
Jazmyn: I was 25, which is considered a very late start. So, I was written off when I walked in that door as someone that was going to be a failure. But, despite that, I kept fighting and a year later, I was suddenly wrestling on the mainstream, against all odds.
Q: Did you have a successful mainstream debut?
Jazmyn: No… the company I was working for at the time in 2011 saw so little in me they had me debut in a random evening gown house show battle royal that I didn’t even win. So embarrassing! My television debut, I won… but it was against someone that had just had a match and that the company was keen on firing.
Q: What was your favorite moment during your early years in the business?
Jazmyn: Winning my first singles championship! It’s hard to believe it’s been almost seven years since that happened, but it was a truly amazing experience. I was one of two challengers to that title and nobody gave me a chance to win that. I was in the shadow of my best friend at the time, who was out with an injury, but I did whatever I could to silence the critics… which I did! That was my true arrival in the business when I managed to pull that off.
Q: You quickly grew into a potential world championship contender after that, and you would have plenty of chances to win a world title in your maiden wrestling company. However, you did not. Why do you think that was?
Jazmyn: Honestly? I wasn’t ready. At the time, I’d blame it on the most ridiculous nonsense possible, but I wasn’t ready. The main event contenders were miles ahead of me in terms of experience and I was far from the right state of mind being addicted to crack cocaine in 2012 and 2013. I cracked under so much of the pressure I was on and the bottom line was, I wasn’t strong enough to be good enough to be a world champion during that chapter of my career. I didn’t make the right choices, so my inability to win a world title during that portion of my career falls on me. I don’t regret that, I learned so much and it helped me win three world titles in my own right during the more recent part of my career.
Q: Can that past you just mentioned still be a problem today?
Jazmyn: On occasion, yes. A few months ago, I had a pretty hard slip (with alcohol). Stress was extremely high at the time, especially when I had struggles breaking through in NGW. But, right now, I’m in a good place. I’m excited for my debut on Wednesday and… pardon the pun… Wednesday is going to be one SUNNY day for me!
Q: What are your brief thoughts on your upcoming debut?
Jazmyn: That it goes better than my past debuts.
Q: Why do you say that?
Jazmyn: I haven’t had very good fortunes with debuts. Whether it was an evening gown battle royal at a house show, getting nailed with a steel chair in my first match back in wrestling almost four years ago after a two-year hiatus, having to settle for a draw or fighting a debut match in Charlotte and being completely humiliated in your hometown… losing that debut match and crushing your confidence… the luck just hasn’t been there. But, that all changes on Wednesday. I’m not worried about said bad luck with debuts. I’m only worried about what’s in front of me.
Q: You said you don’t regret falling short of a world championship during the early part of your career. Do you have ANY regrets from your beginnings in 2011 to the sudden hiatus that took place in 2013?
Jazmyn: The drugs. No hesitation in saying that. I made decisions that robbed me of two years of my career. I hit rock bottom in 2013 and being stuck in a halfway house for six months in rehab is far from fun. The short term effects weren’t fun, but long term? It had damaged a part of my brain that controlled my mood for a long while and that took forever to heal. That, my sunken reputation, and having just 2 years of experience at the age of 28…(when I signed my first contract in two years) made me an unattractive free agent until I finally got that second chance in 2015… and when I did… I was in for a journey through good and bad that I’m never forgetting… first though… I had to rebuild from rock bottom...
Jazmyn will talk about said rebuilding, trying to break back into the business, distancing herself from drugs, and all she had to overcome to get back in the ring…
Check back soon for part 2, covering 2013 through 2015!