Bianca Belair Says Her Royal Rumble Performance was Validating, When She Found Out About It

Bianca Belair was a guest on this week’s After the Bell and discussed her performance in the women’s Royal Rumble match. Belair wasn’t in last year’s Rumble but did so this year, dominating the early goings and tying Shaynza Basler for eight eliminations on the night. Highlights are below:

On how she found out she’d be in the Rumble: “I found out — well, pretty much I was pulled aside at Worlds Collide [the night before]. And I found out that I was gonna be in the Royal Rumble, probably the night before it was confirmed … The night before is a lot more advance notice than we sometimes get, so I’m kind of used to it by now.”

On her immediate reaction to the news: “I was — of course, I was excited, and then directly after that it was followed with nervousness. It was my first Royal Rumble, I wasn’t part of the Royal Rumble last year. Because you know, some NXT girls were part of it last year. So I was excited that they chose me to be a part of it this year, and I was excited to get that experience. And also to know that I would be possibly be getting to share the ring with some of the girls that I’ve always wanted to share the ring with, and possibly some legends. So I was excited to be on the big stage and get in front of some people that may not exactly know exactly a lot about Bianca Belair. And just get to showcase who I was in front of a bigger audience.”

On how she viewed the way she was booked as part of the Rumble match: “For me, honestly it was validation. And I really try to not seek validation in anything other than myself. I try not to wait on it, because it’ll have you messed up, seeking validation in other things. But I can’t lie. It was validation for me, you know. I came into NXT, the Performance Center, three and half years ago. And I’ve been just completely investing myself in this business, learning the history, learning the craft. And I’ve been — I hate to use the term ‘working hard’ because I feel at this level that’s just a given. You’re supposed to work hard. That’s nothing to get commended on. But for so long I’ve been saying I’m the EST. I’m this, I’m that, I’m that. And I’ve just been waiting for that spotlight to prove that. And so to me that was just validation of everything that I’ve put into this that is going to pay off, and that this is my moment to show everyone that what I’ve been saying is true.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE’s After the Bell with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.