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Just four years ago, there may have been some that contended with Willow Nightingale’s defining statement:
“Hey, I’m more than a smiling face.”
As she split time between AEW and Ring of Honor, Nightingale acknowledges she struggled to be patient as she sought opportunities to make an impact.
Nightingale went from serving as an extra body at television tapings to signing her first contract and eventually stealing the hearts of the AEW faithful as her talent became apparent. Her unique journey to the top has included stops along the way featuring championship gold, making history and showing she’s capable of turning the switch from happy and kind to intense and violent when a rivalry calls for it.
Now on the cusp of making history as the first woman to compete in an Anarchy in the Arena match at "Double or Nothing" on Sunday night from the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Nightingale is ready to shed her bubbly personality and infectious smile yet again for the brutality that comes with a match of this nature.
“The reason that I am that way is because I understand all of the terrible things that are out there in the world, and I don't have control over all of that. All I can do is be a girl who goes out to the ring and does what I love and gets to smile about it,” Nightingale told Uncrowned.
“But at the core of human nature is aggression. It's physicality. It's that visceral need to let the steam off.”
Willow Nightingale and Momo Watanabe compete during the New Japan Pro Wrestling-Wrestle Dynasty at the Tokyo Dome on Jan. 5, 2025, in Tokyo. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Etsuo Hara via Getty Images
Nightingale balances all of the goodness and joy and things that she strives to have in her day-to-day life with moments where she can go into the ring and channel everything that’s ever stolen joy from her.
“When I'm given the chance to say, ‘Hey, we're loosening up the rules, you could use a little weapon. You can go a little crazy outside of the ring.’ I'm gonna jump on it and de-stress and show everyone that just because I have a smile on my face does not mean you can mess with me,” Nightingale said.
Stepping into the main event spotlight isn’t anything new for Nightingale these days. The summer of 2023 was pivotal in cementing her position at the top. She points to a slew of matches — her showdown against Athena for the ROH Women’s World Championship, her New Japan STRONG Women’s Championship win over Mercedes Moné, and her Owen Hart Cup Foundation Tournament victory against Ruby Soho — as moments that felt like a turning point in her career.
In a vacuum, those were matches that showed Nightingale had the talent to be in the main-event conversation. But the Chicago Street Fight with Kris Statlander and the emotion attached to every up-and-down of their friendship-turned-bitter rivalry have shown the range of her abilities. These are the moments fans can see just how far Nightingale can go up the AEW roster.
“I think it is probably the deepest relationship I have with anybody on the roster. Even if, you know, it's not a positive relationship. It is something that I feel deeply because I've known her for so long,” Nightingale said.
“We grew up in the same area. We came up together, we shared road trips together, injuries together.”
Their rivalry is one of those built-in stories that has legs regardless of their onscreen interaction. While Statlander could be a wild card on either side of Sunday’s showdown, as a former friend of Wheeler Yuta and Nightingale, the former TBS Champion is up for the challenge as she continues to pursue greatness.
Nightingale says she wants to be the best, and in order for that to happen, she needs to face the best opposing talent. She welcomes the challenges of the up-and-coming talent, the veterans and those joining the company as they continue striving toward making AEW genuinely where the best wrestle.
Iron sharpens iron, and Nightingale has earned all of the opportunities that have come her way. Even the ones she didn’t necessarily anticipate when she first got into wrestling.
Over the years, the meet-and-greets, the online interactions and the comments from fans have opened her eyes to the impact someone in her position can make.
“I would see and hear people say things like, ‘Oh, I've never seen somebody who looks like me in a position like this before. Or I've never seen somebody who's weird or different or quirky or bigger or has curly hair.’ Whatever it is that is different about me, but also authentically who I am,” Nightingale said.
“Once I saw that that resonated with people and made big impacts on them, I understood the significance of what it is. And I carry that, I understand the responsibility of that. I don't take it lightly.
“I like to think that I help instill faith and self-belief in other people who see themselves in me."
When it’s all said and done, Nightingale has an opportunity to be among the greats in AEW. She believes in the product, AEW’s runway for growth and feels like the company is building something special.
“I have re-signed with AEW. This is the place that I'm happy and I feel like there's still so much that I want to accomplish,” Nightingale said.
“I think it is so unbelievably cool to see something that started as a little baby company, to watch it grow is so enthralling and invigorating. To be a part of it and create the identity of it and continue to water it so that it can blossom into this beautiful thing is just honestly not something that comes around in people's lives very often. So one, that's exciting. Two, I love it. I'm proud of the division. I'm proud of the work that we put out in the ring. I felt strongly that this is where I need to be.”
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“Hey, I’m more than a smiling face.”
As she split time between AEW and Ring of Honor, Nightingale acknowledges she struggled to be patient as she sought opportunities to make an impact.
Nightingale went from serving as an extra body at television tapings to signing her first contract and eventually stealing the hearts of the AEW faithful as her talent became apparent. Her unique journey to the top has included stops along the way featuring championship gold, making history and showing she’s capable of turning the switch from happy and kind to intense and violent when a rivalry calls for it.
Now on the cusp of making history as the first woman to compete in an Anarchy in the Arena match at "Double or Nothing" on Sunday night from the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, Nightingale is ready to shed her bubbly personality and infectious smile yet again for the brutality that comes with a match of this nature.
“The reason that I am that way is because I understand all of the terrible things that are out there in the world, and I don't have control over all of that. All I can do is be a girl who goes out to the ring and does what I love and gets to smile about it,” Nightingale told Uncrowned.
“But at the core of human nature is aggression. It's physicality. It's that visceral need to let the steam off.”
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Willow Nightingale and Momo Watanabe compete during the New Japan Pro Wrestling-Wrestle Dynasty at the Tokyo Dome on Jan. 5, 2025, in Tokyo. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
Etsuo Hara via Getty Images
Nightingale balances all of the goodness and joy and things that she strives to have in her day-to-day life with moments where she can go into the ring and channel everything that’s ever stolen joy from her.
“When I'm given the chance to say, ‘Hey, we're loosening up the rules, you could use a little weapon. You can go a little crazy outside of the ring.’ I'm gonna jump on it and de-stress and show everyone that just because I have a smile on my face does not mean you can mess with me,” Nightingale said.
Stepping into the main event spotlight isn’t anything new for Nightingale these days. The summer of 2023 was pivotal in cementing her position at the top. She points to a slew of matches — her showdown against Athena for the ROH Women’s World Championship, her New Japan STRONG Women’s Championship win over Mercedes Moné, and her Owen Hart Cup Foundation Tournament victory against Ruby Soho — as moments that felt like a turning point in her career.
In a vacuum, those were matches that showed Nightingale had the talent to be in the main-event conversation. But the Chicago Street Fight with Kris Statlander and the emotion attached to every up-and-down of their friendship-turned-bitter rivalry have shown the range of her abilities. These are the moments fans can see just how far Nightingale can go up the AEW roster.
“I think it is probably the deepest relationship I have with anybody on the roster. Even if, you know, it's not a positive relationship. It is something that I feel deeply because I've known her for so long,” Nightingale said.
“We grew up in the same area. We came up together, we shared road trips together, injuries together.”
Their rivalry is one of those built-in stories that has legs regardless of their onscreen interaction. While Statlander could be a wild card on either side of Sunday’s showdown, as a former friend of Wheeler Yuta and Nightingale, the former TBS Champion is up for the challenge as she continues to pursue greatness.
Nightingale says she wants to be the best, and in order for that to happen, she needs to face the best opposing talent. She welcomes the challenges of the up-and-coming talent, the veterans and those joining the company as they continue striving toward making AEW genuinely where the best wrestle.
Iron sharpens iron, and Nightingale has earned all of the opportunities that have come her way. Even the ones she didn’t necessarily anticipate when she first got into wrestling.
Over the years, the meet-and-greets, the online interactions and the comments from fans have opened her eyes to the impact someone in her position can make.
“I would see and hear people say things like, ‘Oh, I've never seen somebody who looks like me in a position like this before. Or I've never seen somebody who's weird or different or quirky or bigger or has curly hair.’ Whatever it is that is different about me, but also authentically who I am,” Nightingale said.
“Once I saw that that resonated with people and made big impacts on them, I understood the significance of what it is. And I carry that, I understand the responsibility of that. I don't take it lightly.
“I like to think that I help instill faith and self-belief in other people who see themselves in me."
When it’s all said and done, Nightingale has an opportunity to be among the greats in AEW. She believes in the product, AEW’s runway for growth and feels like the company is building something special.
“I have re-signed with AEW. This is the place that I'm happy and I feel like there's still so much that I want to accomplish,” Nightingale said.
“I think it is so unbelievably cool to see something that started as a little baby company, to watch it grow is so enthralling and invigorating. To be a part of it and create the identity of it and continue to water it so that it can blossom into this beautiful thing is just honestly not something that comes around in people's lives very often. So one, that's exciting. Two, I love it. I'm proud of the division. I'm proud of the work that we put out in the ring. I felt strongly that this is where I need to be.”
Continue reading...
