At 23 years old, Jamie Hayter is already grabbing attention.
As a member of the Stardom roster and the Oedo Tai faction, Hayter recently competed at their NYC event on WrestleMania weekend. Less than a year ago, Hayter actually quit her job to jump at the opportunity to join Stardom
"The possibility came about one day in June - Stardom contacted me asking if I would be interested in working with then. I was on my lunch break at work and couldn't believe it. At first I didn't think it was real but after speaking with Sonny, I handed in my notice at work to get ready for my first tour," said Hayter.
Getting the call during a work shift was a life-changing moment for Jamie. While there's a "Women's Revolution" in America, the UK-born Hayter has been watching Japanese women's wrestling as long as she could remember
"I was actually very emotional about it. Lots of happy tears, if I am honest. Excitement - any positive emotion you could feel. Ever since I was a kid, I have watched Joshi wrestling and have always been inspired by the movement, the emotion and the storytelling they portray. I have always said when I become a wrestler, Japan is where I want to be and to become a superstar. I was nervous but so, so ready to show of what I could do," Hayter told Fightful in an exclusive interview.
One of the names Hayter grew with in wrestling is NXT UK's Jinny. According to Hayter, she's kept an eye on her friend/foe and says that respect has grown.
"I have seen huge development in us both since we debuted. Psychology, integrity, more creativity, etc. It really was great to wrestler her and I really do respect Jinny a lot after a long time of not being in the ring with her," said Hayter.
Moving to Japan to work in Stardom is a stark contrast to what her career entailed prior. Hayter detailed her physical progression and compared her training in the UK to that of what she experiences in Japan now.
"The training is hard, but it's character building and only elevates your overall stamina, strength and ability. The training is different to what you would do say, in the UK (compared to where I have trained) but I prefer it. I like to struggle. I like the beads of sweat running down my face and the ugly faces I make when something is hard. If I cant do it first time, I will do it over and over until I can. Everyone is very encouraging even in your failures and you can feel the passion every time you step foot into the dojo. It is a lot of cardio and core strength movements, rolls, body weight exercises and then we do actual wrestling. I could barely do a headstand when I went their first time. Now? I can hold it for 20+ seconds. A small achievement but its all essential for wrestling. I learned a lot more Joshi style of movements and holds that I will forever use as I learned and perfected them in Japan," Hayter said.
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