Queen Aminata Reflects on Her Journey to the AEW TBS Title, Pays Tribute to Her Late Father

AEW star and new TBS Champion Queen Aminata shared a new vlog, where she talks about her title win against Persephone last week on AEW Dynamite. Aminata discussed her journey to win the title, and she also spoke candidly about her late father. Below are some highlights:

“I literally just got in my room, and I feel like everything is sinking in now because throughout the day, like yesterday to today, I was so under a lot of stress, like I was dealing with so many stuff, and to be honest, I was not expecting to win today. I was expecting to have this match and maybe have another belt for the pay-per-view, but I feel like everything happens for a reason. And this, I couldn’t have imagined a better way to win this belt in the main event on Dynamite and against Persephone. Like, this is perfect. This is amazing. This is pretty. This is juicy. This is mine. I am your new TBS champion. I can’t believe I’m saying this. I am a champion. I am a champion of AEW after five years, five long years of believing in myself, of hard work, of putting extra work in even when nobody’s watching, of just going out there and giving my best, giving my all. Win or lose, I always wanted to just put myself out there. So you guys know, oh my god, she’s trying her absolute best. And the payoff, the payoff?!”

On Her Long Journey

“Guys, if you have a dream and you feel like you’re stagnant or you feel like, oh my god, it’s not going to happen because those moments happen sometimes, just take a second, breathe, reset, and keep going. Because if you had told me when I came back from neck injury around May that I would win a TBS championship this year, I wouldn’t have believed you at all.”

On Her Late Father

“And I know like my biggest dream and goal in wrestling was to make it be signed and win a championship, and when that stuff is happening, invite my dad over so he can watch me ringside win it. And unfortunately, he passed before I was even able to tell him that. ‘Hey, your daughter is a professional wrestler.’ Sorry, I look like a mess right now. But when this thing happened tonight, I just — everything was happening so fast. I just couldn’t process it. But now that I’m in my room, and I’m like, I’m happy, but at the same time, I am very sad. Yeah, I didn’t think grief was going to take this long. But every single day it’s very hard, especially running a business back home, going for a dream here in America. But I didn’t think the payoff was going to be this big, you know.”

Her Gratitude for Her Supporters

“So, I just want to thank every single person that has been supporting me since day one. It’s not an easy journey. You know, I moved here. Didn’t have anything at all. Just two suitcases, a dream, and a lot of hope. So me being TBS Champion right now, me being just a signed talent, a champion now on American TV, it’s just amazing. I couldn’t have imagined anything else. Like, this is the best thing. This is the best way. And Dad, I miss you. I love you, and I wish you were here. But thank you, everybody, for all the cheering, the love, the message, the comment, the repost. Thank you so much. And I promise you I’m going to keep working hard. I’m going to be a great champion. A juicy champion. A very, very juicy champion. Thank you, AEW. Thank you, TK [Tony Khan].”

Queen Aminata is set for action once again on AEW Dynamite. She competes in the women’s Blood & Guts match on tonight’s show. She will team with Willow Nightingale, Harley Cameron, Kris Statlander, Jamie Hayter, and Alex Windsor against Persephone, Lena Kross, Megan Bayne, Thekla, Skye Blue, and Julia Hart.

AEW Blood & Guts is set for later tonight at the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Tonight’s show will be broadcast live on TBS starting at 8:00 pm ET. It will also be simulcast on HBO Max.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Queen Aminata with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.