Bianca Belair shares her thoughts on making history with her run as the WWE Raw Women's Champion.
Belair previously made history with Sasha Banks at WWE WrestleMania 37 in 2021, as the two stars became the first Black women to main-event WrestleMania. In that match, Belair defeated Banks to win the SmackDown Women's Championship. Belair later lost the title to Becky Lynch at SummerSlam 2021. "The EST" went on to defeat Lynch and win the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 38, and she has held the title ever since.
Over 340 days later, Belair has reached a new milestone. On her 344th day as the champion, Belair became the longest-reigning Black singles champion, male or female, in WWE history. The record was previously held by MVP, who held the WWE United States Championship for 343 days.
Speaking on The Whole Story Podcast, Belair was asked to comment on this milestone, and she made it clear that it means a lot to her. Belair stated that it was an honor, and her reign
“It means everything to me. I feel like I’m still fairly new to this. I know I’ve had a lot of success very quickly, but I’ve only been on the main roster for, [I’m] going on my third year. So to know that I’m currently the longest-reigning black champion in WWE history, it’s something that’s really hard to put into words. It’s an honor, it makes me feel like I’m doing something right, and it really puts, not pressure but significance on how big this moment is, and that it’s not just about me. I think that’s what I love about it the most is that I feel like it’s not just about me. It adds a why to what I’m doing. It’s representation, it’s inspiring others," Belair said.
Belair continued by recalling how her husband, Montez Ford, helped her see how significant her WresleMania 37 main event was, and that stuck with her. She stated that her title reign is bigger than her, as she's hopeful that it can inspire people and encourage them to chase their dreams. Belair also noted that she's riding the wave, and she hopes she's doing it right.
"Something that stuck with me that my husband said when we were talking about WrestleMania 37, when I was one of the first black females to ever main-event WrestleMania, my husband, I think he had just turned 30, and he was saying, ‘I’m 30 years old, and this is the first time we’re seeing this.’ My stepdaughter, I think she was around eight or nine at the time, he said, ‘She’s eight years old, and she saw it at eight years old, so imagine how that’s gonna impact her, seeing it at a such a young age. So that really stuck with me, knowing that, where WWE is right now, it’s an amazing time where these unprecedented moments are happening, and I’m able to make my title reign be something that’s bigger than me, and it can inspire people and let them know that [if] you want to go do something, you go after it and you keep going with it as long as you can. So I’m riding this wave. I hope I’m doing it right. I want to be representation, I want to be inspiration, and I just really want my title reign to be more than just about me, and that’s what it’s becoming, and I think that that’s special," Belair said.
Rhea Ripley recently stated that she and Belair will be feuding for years. Click here to see what she had to say.
Belair will team up with Asuka to face Chelsea Green and Carmella on the March 20 episode of WWE Raw. More information is available here.
At WrestleMania 37, Belair will defend the Raw Women's Championship against Asuka. Check out the card here.
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