411mania Interviews: Isis The Amazon

Article first published as Wonder Woman: An Interview with Isis the Amazon on Blogcritics.

Isis The Amazon entered the wrestling/sports entertainment business in June of 2008. It wasn’t difficult to see where she took her name from or even why she chose that particular profession – Isis (aka Lindsay Hayward) stands a legitimate 6′ 9″ tall. She spent the better part of two years on the independent scene, working dates for smaller promotions such as Rampage Pro Wrestling and Global Championship Wrestling. She also worked with Juggalo Championship Wrestling, the promotion run by the Insane Clown Posse, at ICP’s annual “Gathering of the Juggalos” event in 2010.

Then, her big break came. Or so it was thought. WWE advertised Isis – renamed Aloisia for the show – as a performer on Season 3 of WWE NXT. Premised to be a reality show/competition for a spot on the roster, it was widely thought that Isis would be featured heavily on the show. Her future as a wrestling superstar was locked…

…until WWE had announced (as part of the story) that Aloisia was fired by her “Pro”, Vickie Guerrero. In actuality, there was some controversy over a photo shoot leaked online and several other issues between WWE and their future star. Ultimately, Isis negotiated her way out of her contract and, as soon as she had arrived, she was gone from WWE without the chance to become the biggest attraction – not just in sheer size, but in notoriety – the wrestling world had seen in decades.

Isis, now out on her own once again, is still looking to make that mark. When we talked on October 30 via telephone, she was gracious, hopeful, and determined that seizing her destiny would be no tall order.

I’ll go ahead and start here – I’ve been following your career for about two years now. I came across a video online and had that reaction of, “Oh my God!”

[Laughs]

I had thought even then that, for someone your size, this seemed to be the perfect occupation. What led you in to wanting to pursue wrestling as a career choice? Was there more to it than just being the size you were?

Well, the fact that it’s so unique for my size; it was potentially something that had never been seen before and I thrive on controversy. [Laughs]

[Laughs] Yeah, I can see that. Were you a fan of wrestling already back then? Were there any influences that helped steer you toward that as well?

Of course. When I was 12, my cousin turned me on to [WWE] SmackDown. I was a big fan of Chyna and Chris Jericho. It really did have a big influence on me. I was 6′ 7″ at age 12 and, by age 13, I was 6′ 9″ tall. It was a difficult time fir me growing up, especially not being in the best neighborhood. So, seeing Chyna was actually a huge role model and an inspiration. There are tons of other girls, children, and women that don’t necessarily have a role model or someone to look up to as a female. And I wanted to be that, too.

Certainly. Between the attention on it and the crowds they draw, it’s a perfect fit.

Right.

So, you were doing independent dates for a while before…how exactly did WWE find you?

Through the Wild Samoans camp. [WWE Talent Relations VP John Laurinaitis] had seen me there and invited me out for a tryout. Then they invited me out for another tryout and liked what they saw, so they signed me.

Yeah, it was a shock watching Season 2 of WWE NXT and seeing you on TV as a preview for Season 3. My jaw hit the floor and I was really looking forward to seeing you – but it didn’t happen. What was the reasoning for that? What happened with that situation?

Yeah, I haven’t gone in to detail with that anywhere. it’s not professional to give details with what happened between me and another business.

Right, I’ve read that elsewhere that the matter is being kept confidential and I respect that. However, I did want to ask – is there a chance we could see you back there someday?

You know, if I have nothing going on…it depends on what I’m doing at the time and what they’re willing to offer. There’s no animosity; it;s just like it was before. What was done was a business decision and of course I’d go back.

Got it. So, what are you up to now? Are you back to taking other bookings? Seeing what other avenues are out there?

I just got out of my contract very recently and I’m currently taking bookings and just playing with my dog. [Laughs] I’m training hard and focusing on my image. I have a few upcoming bookings through November. I was supposed to be at [Insane Clown Posse’s] Hallowicked, but unfortunately that fell through. I have something going on with “Inside Edition”, I have something going on with Japanese television, I have a tour that I just confirmed in Africa at the end of the month, so I’m quite the busy little girl. [Laughs]

[Laughs] I see! You’re going to be all over the place! When you talk about “Inside Edition”, what’s going on with them?

They’re following me right now for a story. They’re quite interested in–like you said, it’s a unique opportunity. It’s definitely a different light shined on it than anyone has done previously. They’re going to be going around with me and watching me wrestle. They were at the Legends of the Ring show and they were watching me interact with fans, asking what was so interesting about me that the fans wanted to see and why they wanted to have a photo with me. What their initial approach to this interview was, they had not known me previously and they wanted to see the things I deal with every day.

Right, so it’s mainly an inside look at you and what you deal with day in and day out.

Exactly.

Cool. I guess the other obligatory question would be, has there been any interest from some of the other bigger wrestling companies, like TNA or ROH Have either of them reached out to you?

I’m not going to give away too much detail and I’m not going to pretend that, yeah, I’m the greatest thing in the world and that everybody wants me, but I do see myself in a bigger corporation very soon. And if not, that’s fine, too. I’m doing what I love doing and I’m getting plenty of bookings doing it. If you’d like to book me for an event, you can go to www.isistheamazon.com/hire. Have to throw the plug in there. [Laughs]

[Laughs] Consider it done.

I’ve come in contact with a lot of people, but that only gets you so far. As soon as people in the office see my talent and recognize that, then they’ll make the call. Until that happens, I’m not going to hold my breath and wait for WWE or TNA or whoever to call. I’m going to go on and live my life.

Looking at long-term goals, as I said before, you’re certainly something unique to the wrestling world – something that I personally believe could become a phenomenon if it’s presented and done the right way. Like, the second coming of Andre the Giant. Is that something you’re aiming for, tying in to it the “role model” aspect as well?

Oh, of course. My long-term goal is to be in action movies and to play action movie roles. This is definitely a great platform for that. You have the modeling, you have the acting, you have the contact sports aspect of it…wrestling is an art form that keeps me intrigued and that really helps my character. The sky is always the limit. [Laughs]