Sadie Gibbs Says She Ended Up With Imposter Syndrome After Signing With AEW

Sadie Gibbs’ stint with AEW lasted until the middle of the pandemic, and she recently opened up about developing imposter syndrome after she signed onto the company. Gibbs signed with AEW in March of 2019 and was there until August 2020, only working three matches during that time. She spoke with WrestleZone’s Ella Jay for a new interview and you can check out some highlights below (per Fightful):

On her reaction to signing with AEW: “I think the moment I got to All Elite Wrestling, I had this imposter syndrome all of the sudden. I was so confident up to that point with everything I was doing, I had so much self belief. I was like nothing was going to stand in my way, I love this too much, I’ve got so much drive and passion. But the moment I got signed, it was like this imposter [thing where I thought], ‘What are you doing here? You don’t deserve this.’ Then obviously like I said, the lockdown kicked in the release and I think over time, that mentality just got a little worse through lockdown and then I just found myself getting back on my feet gradually. I went to [a place] a couple of times and managed to get there and do Helium retreats. I just really went within and focused on myself and healing and since that, I feel like a different person going back into it if that makes sense. [I feel] more self aware, more grounded, I don’t think I was very grounded before. They say you need to create your environment in order to thrive, and I feel like I’ve got my roots now.”

On her comments about not being ready for her AEW contract when she got it: “In terms of being ready, I know I had worked hard for that position, but I think my experience, before going to TV, wasn’t ready. But then, when is anyone ready for anything when you get a step up? I work well under pressure, but I think maybe it was my mindset. I would say my mindset wasn’t ready at the time because of everything that I had gone through and was going through at the time. Grief and trauma is different for everybody and we all need our own time to heal. I would say, if I could have done a little bit more time out in Japan and finished that off, maybe I would have had that experience because you’re training a lot, I would have felt a lot more confident in going there. My confidence just went as soon as I got signed, so for me it was maybe a bit too soon. Hence why I was planning on moving because I felt I could train more, I could be in the Nightmare Factory. Yeah, that was my plan. That’s why I made that decision to move, because I needed the experience, I wanted the experience.”