Marina Shafir doesn’t see her match against Mercedes Moné at AEW Full Gear as an introduction. As far as she’s concerned, she has already shown exactly who she is.
Speaking to The Sportster ahead of their AEW Women’s World Championship match, Shafir pushed back against describing the bout as her “coming out party.” She believes that overlooks the work she has already done and the dependable teammate she has become.
Her description of her staying power was considerably less polished.
I’m like the f--- company’s cockroach. I will never f--- die. You can beat me, I might lose, but I don’t really f--- lose. I don’t
For Shafir, that confidence comes from experience with failure. She spoke openly about setbacks in judo, fighting and her personal life, explaining that learning how to lose has become one of her greatest strengths.
I have learned how to lose, and that is a skill that a lot of people haven’t learned for themselves. I had to learn how to lose. I lost in judo. I lost in fighting. I’ve lost in motherhood. I’ve lost in being a wife. I’ve lost with being a f--- everything. I’ve had to learn how to, and that’s what separates me from everyone.
That outlook also shapes the wrestler she wants to be. Beating her once, she explained, should only make the next encounter more difficult.
I think that is the essence of who I am. You solve me once and you get 10 more problems. That’s just poetically, that is what I’ve always wanted to be.
Her stated ambition is straightforward:
My objective is to make professional wrestling better.
Shafir joined AEW in 2021, bringing a judo and MMA background that gave her a different approach from many of the women around her. Her eventual alliance with Jon Moxley and the Death Riders gave that approach a more prominent place on television.
She also became an important part of the group’s rivalry with Darby Allin, establishing herself within a story that stretched beyond the women’s division.
Now, a victory over Moné at Full Gear would give Shafir her first championship in AEW. It would be a major achievement, but she clearly doesn’t need a title to convince her that she belongs.
Marina Shafir is set to face off against Mercedes Moné for the AEW Women’s Championship this Saturday, November 14th, at the Mortgage Matchup Arena in Phoenix, AZ.
