LadySports ::: Q & A: ROXI

Q & A: ROXI ROLLS!

by Shiai Mata

One of the big success stories of Pippa L’Vinn’s 'March Madness' live event was a little dynamo named Roxi, who dazzled the fans with her skill and her determination. Now, LadySports Online is proud to introduce the British lass to America and the world!

Q: Welcome, Roxi. Tell us a bit about your first, starting with the basics.
A: I’m 5 foot, 1 inch tall, and I weigh 8 stone. (112 pounds) I’ve got blue eyes and brown hair.

Q: When did you start wrestling?
A: I started wrestling around three years ago. I began by accompanying men to the ring, but was really more interested in getting in the ring and getting physical myself.

Q: What and/or who influenced you most to wrestle?
A: Many female workers influenced me to start wrestling. Watching the girls on WWE strutting their stuff, then actually getting in the ring and holding their own, really impressed me, and I wanted to follow in their footsteps. I never actually thought that wrestling was popular in England, but once I found that it was, I found the nearest school and trained ever since. Along the way of training, my greatest influences have been Pippa and Shelby [Beach], two of the best female wrestlers in England. They have such unique styles and use their gender to their advantage, rather then letting it be a negative. If I can be half as good as these two, I will be a very happy wrestler!!

Q: How has wrestling changed your life? What is so special about this sport to you?
A: Wrestling has completely changed my life! I have so much passion for wrestling, and I spend as much time as I can trying to improve myself so that I can be the best. I train hard in ring and out of the ring, trying to get myself in the best physical condition. My love of wrestling came from early on; I watched the old stuff with my mum and dad, went watching the old tribute shows…I loved every minute of it! It’s such good entertainment, and at the same time a great competitive sport. I love performing for the crowds. Knowing that the people enjoy what I do is really important to me, and without the crowds, I doubt it would be as fun.

Q: What other sports or hobbies do you have an interest in?
A: I love dancing. I used to dance as a child, which is probably where I got my agility and speed from. I used to do street dance and disco dancing…I really loved street dancing, but I starting competing in disco dance competitions and won a few medals.

Q: If you had the power, what would you do to make the sport better?
A: More respect in the ring. There are lots of girls willing to do whatever it takes to get the three count, including cheating to win. This needs to stop. Wrestling should be straight one-on-one, best girl wins.

Q: What are your favorite foods, music, clothes, cars, etcetera?
A: My favourite food would be Chicken Korma, or just curry’s in general, as long as its not to spicy. I enjoy any kind of music really…I’m an all rounder! My fashion sense isn’t the greatest…I have a whole range of clothes in my wardrobe. I love baggy pants, though…way to make the bum look smaller! I’m more of a ‘wear clothes for comfort’ person more than anything; I wont go out in something that’s going to cause me lots of pain just because it will look good. My favourite car is the Fiat Punto…but only because it is the one that I drive! I love tiny cars. Great things come in small packages... just like me.

Q: What would make you most happy in life?
A: If I could work full time as a wrestler, that would make me happy. I would love to travel the world wrestling, entertaining people around the globe, but at the moment I'm happy entertaining the British fans.

Q: Who and what are your fans like?
A: My fans are great, I love hearing them support me in my matches…the louder they are the harder I fight! I love talking to my supporters and getting their feedback on my matches; after all, they are the ones that are watching me, so they should pick up on what I’m doing wrong.

Q: Describe a typical day of wrestling training for you? What is most important and what are the things you train on most?
A: At the moment I train with Pippa L’Vinn, one of the better…if not the best…female wrestlers in the UK. A training session with her would consist of a good warm up, so I don’t ache as much in the morning. Then Pippa likes to see what I know, show her what I can do. If she sees anything wrong with my technique, she will help me and explain how I could do it better. I like to work mainly on my technical. I’m not much of a high flyer…I like to take my opponents down to the mat, and Pippa is a great mentor when it comes to technical work. Pippa will help me develop my skills, show me holds, reversals, anything that will help me get the win out of a match, and we will work on these until I get them perfect. Pippa's a very patient trainer! Then maybe once I've learned a few holds and reversals, she’ll have a match with me to see me put them to good use…though no amount of holds has seen me beat Pippa yet. But I'm getting closer, so watch this space!!

Q: What are your best holds, pins, moves? What are you best known for doing?
A: My more effective hold is probably the Double Underhook. Like a Reverse Full Nelson, it really wears an opponent down and it’s really hard to get out of! I like this move because it’s a good way of grinding an opponent down, and you can put it on many different ways. I love to use sneaky little pins, and I like to use my speed as an advantage. You'll always see me sneaking for quick pins to surprise my opponent, and funnily enough, it’s how I get most of my wins. Get them when they least expect it! I'm probably most known for doing the Indian Deathlock. To be honest, I learned this move very early on, and its always worked for me, its always been a winner!

Q: What was the worst you have ever been hurt in training or a match.
A: I've been very lucky in terms of injuries. I think the worst I've had is a burst lip. I'm not expecting it to stay that way though, but rest assured, broken bones, cuts and bruises won’t stop me from wrestling.

Q: Where have you wrestled? What titles have you held?
A: I've not actually held any title as of yet, unfortunately. But I'm looking to get one ‘round my waist soon! I'm going to train hard and pump it at the gym, and hopefully an opportunity will come my way! I've traveled all over the UK wrestling, but never been overseas. I am determined to correct this though, and within the next couple of years, I hope to have traveled to Europe and hopefully America to face the best there is internationally. Q: What comments or reaction do you get from others about being a wrestler?
A: The main one that I get is, "You don't look like a wrestler!" Which is to be expected, me being tiny and all. I think everyone expects female wrestlers to be these huge women with piercings and tattoos…but I'm sure if they ever went to a show, they would realise that its not like that at all.

Q: In your opinion, what are your thoughts on women participating in the sport?
A: I think female wrestlers are fantastic! I find female wrestling more entertaining than the guys. I think a lot of girls now have realised that you don't have to fight like a man to be a good wrestler. Fight like a girl, and you’re sure to get a good reaction!

Q: What is your greatest regret?
A: My greatest regret is actually that I didn't take up gymnastics as a child. It would hold such an advantage now, giving me more agility and more variation in my move set. I wish I could be a high flyer, but my feet are practically stuck to the ground, which is why I stick to technical, it’s what works for me. But if I could turn back time, I would have taken gymnastics as a child so I would be in a better position now.

Q: What is your most marked characteristic?
A: My most marked characteristic is my smile... an opponent can beat me down to the ground, but if my fans are chanting my name, then I'm still smiling! I have a very bubbly personality which I think reflects in my wrestling.

Q: What is your personal motto?
A: You’re nothing without your fans! That’s it. If there were no fans, there would be no shows!

Q: What is your most memorable moment?
A: My most memorable moment would be wrestling at holiday camps last summer, wrestling in front of nearly one thousand people is just amazing! There is such an atmosphere in the room, and it’s so great to see everyone getting behind you.

Q: What would you do if you couldn't be in wrestling?
A: If I couldn’t be in wrestling, I would probably go back to dancing. It’s just another way to express myself, but it would be no where near as fun.

Q: How would you describe yourself in terms of attitude, personality, likes, dislikes, strengths?
A: I'd describe myself as a bubbly, happy person, always got a smile on my face. In wrestling I’m very stubborn…opponents often get quite annoyed at me for just never giving up, but I won’t give up unless they make me! There’s too many things for me to list that I like, really. I'm generally an easy going person, so nothing really bothers me, just a few things like angry or miserable people. Life’s too short, be happy!

Q: Any other comments or information for the fans you might want to add?
A: Not really, just thanks for taking time out to read this, and hope to see you all soon. Keep supporting women’s wrestling!


Roxi


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Roxi


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Roxi