Thea Hail may never have made a name for herself in the world of wrestling had it not been for a video of WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio. Sitting down with the Pittsburgh City Paper, Hail, a native of the city, recalled her start in the squared circle.
I quit gymnastics, I quit cheer, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, and I was just scrolling through Instagram, and I always follow[ed] WWE. I always thought it was amazing, but I never really thought it was a thing you could do. I saw this video of Rey Mysterio, and I just put my phone down, and went, ‘I'm doing that.’
Hail added that her dad was able to locate a training school in Pittsburgh which resulted in her receiving an AEW Dark match against Thunder Rosa. While Hail's future would be with WWE, Rosa got her in contract with a recruiter from WWE.
Hail has since become one of the most popular women in WWE NXT thanks in no small part to her skills in the ring and infectious personality. Hail will challenge NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez tonight at WWE NXT Great American Bash (Night One.) Stay tuned to SE Scoops for all the latest from tonight's show.
Rey Mysterio: Inspiration
Hail isn't the only current WWE Superstar to be inspired by Rey Mysterio. Though they are currently at odds, Dominik Mysterio has said that he was inspired to enter the ring after seeing his 'deadbeat' father in action. Dominik's 'Mami' Rhea Ripley has also admitted that she was inspired by Rey to become a wrestler and had plenty of Mysterio merchandise when she was growing up.
After facing Rey in 2018, Swerve Strickland shared online that he'd faced his "hero" as the AEW World Champion holds Mysterio in high regard. WWE Hall of Famer Lita has also said she was inspired to wrestle by Rey after her boyfriend at the time watched WCW Monday Nitro and the future Women's Champion saw Mysterio in action.
Stay tuned to SE Scoops for all the latest on Thea Hail as well as the results and surprises from tonight's WWE NXT Great American Bash show.
