The first woman to graduate from the PROGRESS Wrestling school opens up about her past and provides a sneak peak as to what's next for her in the future.
London's own Jinny recently spoke with The Mirror and discussed the feeling of becoming the first-ever RevPro Women's Champion. She would reveal what got her interested in pro wrestling, along with many more interesting topics. Jinny has competed all over the U.K. scene and has established a name for herself, but this rush for pro wrestling that she has is stemming from somewhere, and she would reveal where that rush came from.
"I started watching in 1997, I just really enjoyed it. I liked the entertainment side and it was during the Attitude Era where everything was out there and bizarre. You could really engage with it in a totally different way. I also had an older brother who was really into wrestling when I was younger. Then I became the diehard fan and would record every single RAW and SmackDown and had bin bags full of tapes."
Jinny was the first woman the graduate from the PROGRESS Wrestling school, the "Projo". She would reflect on her experiences honing her skills in the "Projo".
"It was just incredible and I genuinely remember my first day of training." She recalls. "I was really nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I had to sign a waiver, went and got changed and then we did a workout. After that, they divided the class up into the newbies and the advanced guys/girls. We were in the ring and the more advanced trainees were on the mats and I remember looking at them and thinking they were so cool. It was just amazing to know that they had gone through what I was going through; that was inspiring to me."
In early January, Jinny would earn the honor of becoming the first-ever RevPro Women's Champion. Jinny could have made history last year, when she made it to the finals of a tournament that would crown the first-ever PROGRESS Wrestling Women's Champion. She would fall short as that honor went to Toni Storm, but things came full circle for Jinny as her own "first-ever" would come eight months later.
"I cried afterwards and that was one thing I didn’t want to do. But yes, I cried in the ring, I just couldn’t help myself. It was a bunch of mixed emotions and just to be given that chance has really helped me to take Jinny to the next level. When I heard the one, two, three, I just thought that it wasn’t real and I can’t really pinpoint any specific emotions that were running through me. When I got backstage and realized it was real, it was just truly amazing."
With only three years in the business, Jinny has ways to go as some still feel that she is a bit "green" in the ring. Nonetheless, she will continue making a name for herself as a serious talent in the U.K., but that first starts with the road to recovery in her particular case.
"This year, I am really focused on getting back into the ring [Jinny is currently recovering from surgery]. I must admit, I just really am enjoying what I am doing at the moment. I want to be in a position that when opportunities come up, I will work hard and prove myself to get them. I definitely want to work more York Hall shows. I would also love to work at Wembley Arena for PROGRESS and take that PROGRESS women's title."
To read more of The Mirror's interview with Jinny, click here.
