:::... L a d y S p o r t s ... Q & A AMBER YOUNG ... :::

Q & A: X-Cute

'Wrestling took me as I was... I take wrestling as it is'

From France comes a newcomer to the ring who is already making waves in the British and European wrestling scenes. Call her exceptional, call her excellent, and call her ... X-Cute!

LadySports Online is very happy to help present this French beauté to fans worldwide in this exclusive new interview.


THE STATS:

Ring Name: X-Cute

Height: 1m55 (5'8")

Weight: 54kg (119 lb)

Hair: Black

Hometown: Camden Town (London)

SPOTLIGHT: GAIL JILLETTE While the United Kingdom seems to have no shortage of supremely talented ladies of the ring these days, when one thinks of fiery red hair, you generally look North in the British Isles, up to Scotland and Ireland. However, it’s in the South of England, in London itself, where we will find an exciting, flame-maned newcomer named Gail Jillette, and LadySports Online is proud to help introduce her to fans around the world! THE STATS: Height: 5 feet 7 inches Weight: 150 pounds Hair: Red Hometown: London, England LADYSPORTS: Welcome, Gail. When did you first get into the sport? GAIL JILLETTE: I watched WCW when I was about 11, but then when it stopped being played on Chanel 4, I stopped watching until I was 18. Then a friend of mine got me back into it and I started training when I was 19, in August 2008. LS: Who trained you? GJ: I’ve been about a bit. I was trained in IPW first by Andy Boy Simmonz, then by Paul Ashe in Slam. I went around to different schools for some time after, but I’m currently training at Dragon Pro under ‘Flyin’ Mike Bird and ‘Lightning Kid’ Mark Andrews. LS: What was your biggest influence to become a wrestler? GJ: I really enjoyed watching wrestling when I was 19, but at the time it never caught me as something I’d ever attempt to do. I didn’t watch SHIMMER or women on the indy scene so there wasn’t a woman’s match which made me think, ‘Hmm…I should give this a go.’ Until I saw Wrestlemania 18’s match of Jazz versus Lita versus Trish, and realized: “WOMEN CAN ACTUALLY WRESTLE!” So I immediately starting searching up schools, found IPW’s school in Orpington, and never looked back. LS: What other sports do you have an interest in? GJ: I really love swimming, I used to swim every week when I was about 11 and still go when I can now. I love ice skating, tennis and really loved hockey in secondary school; I was always trying to get my coaches to let the girl’s hockey team play against another school, but they never got ‘round to it. However, they did arrange a boys match, and the coaches allowed me to be on it. I got a few odd looks from the opposing team, but all the boys in my class were really welcoming…and we came away the winning team, which was a real highlight for me. LS: How would you describe yourself in terms of attitude, personality, likes, dislikes, and strengths? GJ: I’m quite realistic in my goals; if I don’t feel I can do something, which is very rare, I don’t dwell on it, and try and do something different. I’m very cheerful and like to fool about a fair bit and wind people up. My strong dislikes are people who aren’t grateful, and how they take things for granted. I’ve just learnt that people have no obligation at the end of the day to do you any favours, so when somebody really helps me a lot, it means so much to me and I make sure they know it. My strengths are my determination and that if I see something I want, I won’t ever stop till I get it. LS: What is your most marked characteristic as a wrestler? GJ: I joke around a lot in the ring. I don’t like to be bland as face or heel, so I always try and have fun in the ring no matter what. I could be winding up my opponents as the face or could just be really cheeky to the referee if I’m being bad. LS: Describe a typical day of training for you. What is most important in your workout? GJ: I work out three times a week now, trying to work on my strength to help me lift opponents and hold them in locks. LS: How would you best describe your ring style? GJ: I’m quite strong so I’m quite a powerhouse at times. I love suplexes, body slams and throwing people about. I absolutely love chain, but I’m also a hard-hitter. I’ve tried to avoid audiences seeing girls as soft who can’t hit as hard as the guys, so I’m pretty tough when it comes to forearms and chops. LS: What moves are you best known for? GJ: The Spinning Neck Breaker is a signature. I’ve used suplexes regularly since I began, and I’m incorporating new moves all the time. LS: Have you ever been injured in the ring? GJ: Nothing too serious, but I once was showing off with trying to do a flip in training. I didn’t tuck my head in time and landed face-first into a crash mat! A lot of people were scared I had broken my neck, but when I was more upset about landing on my nose, they found it amusing and we all went on with our business. LS: Who has been your toughest opponent? GJ: Janey B…she’s always been a tough opponent for me. We’ve wrestled up and down the country, splitting it down the middle! LS: Who is your closest ally? GJ: Lucy Clayden, she’s a darling. LS: What has been your most memorable win? GJ: Beating Em Jay at the Pro EVE potential show. She’s one of the toughest girls I’ve ever faced and I’ve never been smacked harder in the face, even by another guy, but I still managed to get her down and win the match. LS: What was your worst loss? GJ: Losing my initiation match at EWW against Rhia O’Reilly. I thought I had the match won, but she’s a crafty one and managed to roll me up. Must give her kudos for that. LS: Who is the one wrestler you would most like to face in the ring, but haven't yet? GJ: Hmm, anyone? Would seriously love to one day face Ayako Hamada…she’s a massive influence to me. LS: What type of match do you enjoy the most? GJ: I do love tags, but I prefer a good old singles match just so my opponent and I can square off on each other. LS: What sort of reactions do you get from people when they learn you are a wrestler? GJ: Quite surprised…they become interested and ask me a lot of questions. I used to love bragging about it when I first started out, but now I’ve accepted it’s who I am, so usually it’s my friends who mention it, and I have people pretending to be scared I’m going to beat them up. LS: What is so special about this sport to you? GJ: Everything. I’ve made so many good friends in wrestling, travelled all over the country, got to entertain a crowd of 500 people, and it has just made me grow up so much as a person. It’s what makes me remain active in my life and makes me want to get out and meet more people. This industry is just amazing. LS: What are your fans like? GJ: All pretty cool. I get well-chuffed if people compliment me after shows or want my autograph. I don’t like to just say, “OK thanks,” and walk off…I like to show them I really appreciate it and ask them if they enjoyed the rest of the show, and hopefully get them to come again. LS: If you had the power, what one thing would you do to improve the sport? GJ: I would say, people need to take proper safety precautions in wrestling before they agree to do something in a match; we’re all human at the end of the day and only have one body. LS: Where have you wrestled, and what titles have you held? GJ: Extreme World Wrestling, Best of British Wrestling, LDN, Pro EVW, Riot Act Wrestling, Pro EVE: Potentials, Pro Rush and Dropkixx. I haven’t held any titles yet, but I’m hoping to change that very soon! LS: What are your thoughts on women participating in the sport? GJ: I really have such high respect for so many girls who wrestle. It’s not easy being a woman wrestler because it’s not easy for a lot of us to find opponents. I get so excited when I meet a girl and she hits me harder than a guy, or can work the ring well. LS: What was your most unforgettable moment in the sport? GJ: Having the right people tell me the things I wanted to hear. Stu Allen from EWW has been so encouraging toward me and a driving force to help me want to improve and get to where I want to be. However I think the most unforgettable moment was when my trainer, Mike Bird, listened to me about wanting to improve and ever since then, I’ve felt he pushes me a lot harder than some of the guys. If it wasn’t for him I don’t think I would have the confidence in myself that I do now. LS: Any regrets? GJ: Not tucking my head on that flip bump…near broken nose… not cool. LS: What would you do if you couldn't be in wrestling? GJ: I think I would return to writing. I’m studying it at University right now and would love to one day write novels or be a critic in film. LS: What is your personal motto? GJ: “Even a clock that isn’t going is right twice a day.” LS: What would make you most happy in life? GJ: Never stop moving…I love travelling around. I would gladly spend my life travelling to different countries. LS: Anything else you'd like to add? GJ: Thanks for the interview, really enjoyed it and hope everyone enjoys my GrudgeMatches against Shelby and Pippa. I look forward to working with the PGWA real soon. If you’d like to keep updated with my matches and shows follow me on: www.twitter.com/GothicLolly

pics courtesy of X-Cute

LADYSPORTS SPOTLIGHT: X-Cute

Q & A: X-Cute

'Wrestling took me as I was... I take wrestling as it is'