Paige VanZant just wants to put people through tables.
Paige VanZant is the first MMA fighter to officially sign a contract with All Elite Wrestling since the start of the Dan Lambert/American Top Team storyline. She officially became All Elite on Wednesday, March 9, and is slated to begin her training with Gangrel.
Speaking with Marc Raimondi of ESPN, she explained how her contract came together.
“I kind of started with AEW in little pieces. I showed up to get Dan's back, to assist him with a few things we've had, he's been training some people with AEW. So I was more just along for his backup and then the more I got involved, the more I loved it and I just realized I was meant to be a part of the show. I wanted to be one of the wrestlers for them and I knew I would be really good at it,” she explained. “The conversation didn't really take long. I told my manager, I said, ‘Hey, I want to be in AEW.’ He said, ‘Alright, I'll work on it,’ and showed up at a show signed the contract and the deal’s done.”
“It was just like that,” Paige VanZant continued. “I thought about my career and my future and everything. I knew I wanted to be in AEW, I told my manager and he handles everything I get the best management team in the world. I think it's a no-brainer, too, for AEW. I think I bring a lot to the table, I have a whole different audience that doesn't necessarily follow them yet. I have the pro-fighting audience, pro-MMA, pro-boxing, and I think I bring a lot of value just with my name brand, you know, Dancing with the Stars, it's just a perfect fit [for the] entertainment side, and then also just my combat experience, I think, altogether, it's going to be a positive partnership for everybody.”
Speaking about her training, she said that Dan Lambert got her set up and she would be starting class on Monday, March 14.
“Yes, Dan Lambert got me set up,” she said. "I'm having my first pro wrestling practice, I guess, in private, on Monday. Dan's kind of taken over, he's acting as one of my coordinators for all of this, he really helped build the partnership. Dan got me set up at a pro wrestling gym. He's huge in the pro wrestling world. I'm excited to get started, I know that my coach is going to be awesome. I've looked into it and I think it helps when you have a passion about something, but I also have the athleticism and the coordination to do something great like this. Also just the desire to be an entertainer, and that's a lot of what AEW is.”
Paige says she's enjoyed her experiences thus far but she has been dying to jump off the top rope and slam someone through a table.
“I love it. I think that my only frustration so far with my whole pro wrestling journey is I would show up and I wanted — I said, ‘Hey, I want to jump off the ropes tonight. I want to slam someone through a table tonight. Someone's getting slammed through a table.’ They're like, ‘Oh, you should probably train first.’ I'm like,’ No, I'm ready.’ I think my only concern is that they don't let me do the crazy stuff right away. I want to go in there and I want to do all the crazy stuff. I want to fully immerse myself in this world. I want to be a part of everything. I've seen everything. CM Punk’s Dog Collar Match was epic. I just feel like it's a whole side of me that hasn't been shown yet. You see a little bit of it in BKFC because of the violence of bare-knuckle boxing. But this is a whole ‘nother world that's gonna open up and people will see a whole new side of Paige VanZant,” she said.
Paige officially signed your contract after taking out Tay Conti, signing the paperwork on her fallen body. Learn more here.
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