Written by Kimmy Sokol
Determination.
From a young age, Izzy has been determined to accomplish her dream of becoming a WWE Superstar. Trying to be a female in a male-dominated world is no easy task, especially for a 14 year old.
Although Izzy has already made appearances on screen with WWE, and has a media credential, she is not done making “herstory.” Izzy has signed a contract with the rebooting Women of Wrestling promotion.
“Everything happened pretty quickly. Some friends of mine reached out to me and they said ‘do you want to be a part of this?’ and I said ‘omg heck yeah!’”
WOW is the first all-women’s wrestling promotion to have a TV deal with a major network, CBS. As women’s wrestling is becoming more popular, this company can inspire many other girls to follow their dreams in professional wrestling, just like Izzy.
“One thing that I noticed about WOW is that it supports women’s empowerment and that they strive to make history every single day. That is obviously what I had to do, so it was an obvious ‘yes’ to join WOW.”
Wearing multiple hats in the wrestling business is very common. Having on-camera and behind-the-scenes roles gives talent opportunities they never thought they would want, let alone love. Although Izzy can not compete in a WOW ring yet, she has new roles waiting for her on the horizon.
“I am doing behind-the-scenes stuff, which is a lot of fun, and it is something that I never would have thought I would love so much. It is a really cool experience to be working with so many people like [former WWE Divas Champion] AJ Mendez, Tessa Blanchard [the first woman to hold the Impact Wrestling World Title], even [Los Angeles Lakers President] Jeanie Buss, and all the new WOW girls. I am really honored to be a part of the team.”
Although they often say to never meet your idols, it is a rare occurrence you get to call them your co-workers. For the Florida native, Izzy has done several projects with Tessa Blanchard, including training with her. Now, she gets to call Blanchard a co-worker.
“I remember asking her when we were on Fremont Street [in Las Vegas] the day before the announcement came out that WOW was returning, I said to her, ‘are you my boss?’ She said ‘No, we’re just friends, and you’re like my sister.’”
“One of my favorite pictures I have of me and her on Fremont Street is when they played the WOW video on the big canopy they have on Fremont Street. There’s a picture of me just hugging her because I was just so in awe. We were all just so in the moment, and we have all been waiting for this. So being able to have Tessa as a co-worker and like my big sister is cool. I can always text her and ask her for advice: whether it is life advice or advice on work, it’s really nice to have someone that I can go to for that type of stuff.”
In the wrestling business, oftentimes things come full circle. For Izzy, she also gets to work with a wrestler she idolized when she was younger: AJ Mendez aka AJ Lee. AJ has been absent from the wrestling scene for six years and is returning to WOW, not only as a commentator but also as an Executive Producer.
“I was so excited to find out that AJ was going to be a part of WOW. It was very hard to keep a secret. I really wanted to tell the whole world ‘AJ Mendez is coming back!’, and I couldn’t believe that nobody figured it out. It was really awesome being able to see her make her return with WOW. I was the first one to interview her when she came back, and it was a huge honor. I even had a moment where I cried in front of her because it was so full circle. It was almost like a flashback moment. I was thinking about when I used to play wrestlers with my dad and I wanted to play as the AJ figure all the time. Now, I am sitting on the same couch as her, interviewing her as part of my dream job and with a company that I really look up to. I just love what they stand for.”
“It was really cool to be able to work with AJ and I am so excited to see her future in WOW because it is going to be very exciting and I know there is going to be a lot to look forward to.”
As women’s wrestling is growing in popularity, more companies are starting to rebrand their women’s division. From Ring of Honor’s Women’s Championship Tournament this past summer to AEW bringing in a second women’s title, WOW is definitely making a statement for the future of women’s wrestling.
“I think WOW really just stands for empowerment, and I know that is so cliche to say, but I really believe that to be true. We also have girls from all over the world with all types of backgrounds, and that’s what I love. That is what wrestling is all about. It is all about making history and all about diversity. At the end of the day, it is just loving wrestling, and wrestling is for everybody. I feel like WOW portrays that in their episodes, matches, and shows. It is something that I can definitely get behind and support 24/7 as I work for them, which is really cool to say.”
Although we have to wait till the fall of 2022 for WOW’s full return, you can definitely say Izzy lives up to the “superhero” hype. Superheroes are the term for the WOW talent, and it is appropriate because when you are putting your body on the line for other’s entertainment, you truly are a superhero!
“For me, I think it means to inspire little girls, and even little boys, to chase their dreams at a young age. I feel like I have always been the girl that has chased her dreams at a young age and people always told me I was too young or that I couldn’t do it. I really want kids to see that you can be your own superhero and you can go out and go after stuff at a young age without being told [you’re too young] or without being affected or even offended by what people say on social media because sometimes that really hurts somebody. I really want kids to see that you can do anything, even at a young age.”
