Marina Shafir Hates the Term Sidekick, Says There’s No Such Mentality In Death Riders

Marina Shafir says she is not a fan of being called a sidekick, stating that the Death Riders are all teammates. The AEW star has been part of the group since they became the Death Riders, and is stepping onto her biggest stage yet when she faces Mercedes Mone for the AEW World Championship at AEW Full Gear in Saturday.

Shafir spoke with The Sportster to promote Full Gear and pushed back on the notion that she’s Jon Moxley or anyone else’s “sidekick.” You can see highlights below (per Fightful):

On Being Called a Sidekick:

“I f**king hate the word sidekick. I f**king hate the word sidekick. We are teammates. They are my brothers, I am their sister. There is no sidekick mentality here. This isn’t a f**king Batman and Batboy type situation and I feel like whenever someone tries to lessen it, it’s because they see how f**king big it is really is. They don’t see this type of sisterhood and brotherhood in this business. This group in itself is so special because whatever assumptions people had about groups in professional wrestling, we have revolutionized that for like future professional wrestling. We have opened the doors to so many new possibilities that it’s invigorating. I feel like every week I go to work, I’m just kind of like, ‘What am I going to learn this week, what are we going to try and master?’ That’s how it is. It’s not a sidekick.”

On Establishing Herself:

“As far as me coming out and establishing myself, I’ve established myself as a f**king solid teammate. I’ve established that I’m dependable, I’m resilient, I’m like the f**king company’s cockroach. I will never f**king die. You can beat me, I might lose but I don’t really f**king lose. I don’t. I have learned to lose, I’ve 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 f**king everything. That’s what separates me from everyone. I think that is the essence of who I am. You solve me once and you get ten more problems, that’s just poetically what I’ve always wanted to be. My objective is to make professional wrestling better. I just want to bring more to it. That’s always been my goal. I really don’t want to be selfish, I want to be more disciplined, I’ve said that time and time again. I think that is what transcends me and this business. If I leave any type of legacy in this business, I want it to be that.”