wrestling / News

Shazza McKenzie Recalls Going to WWE Shows Dressed As Melina, Praises Jordynne Grace & Riho

March 11, 2021 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Shazza McKenzie AEW All Out Image Credit: AEW

Shazza McKenzie had some very nice things to say about some of her colleagues in a new interview, and shared her memories of dressing as Melina as a WWE fan. Fightful asked McKenzie to say nice things about other names in the industry as part of their “Shoot Softly” segments, and you can check out some highlights below:

On Riho: “She is just an angel. I got to travel in Singapore. We did a tour in Singapore together ‘cause random life. We spent a whole day sight seeing in Singapore and no one could speak anyone’s language. It was so much fun. It was like a nice little adventure. She’s also the most amazing wrestler in the world. Tiniest human, most amazing wrestler in the world.”

On Leyla Hirsch: “I am so glad that she is getting her roses. Is that what people say? Getting the hype. She’s been doing this for so long and I remember when I got booked against her, which would have been in 2019. I hadn’t heard of her because DJ Hyde had just been harboring her in his little thing that he has, his little harboring tree. I was wrestling her and I was like, ‘How is this girl not up and down every coast doing everything?’ So, I’m glad that she’s finally getting it all.”

Jordynne Grace: “I love Jordynne. She’s one of my favorite people to wrestle in the world. She’s phenomenal. My first match with her, which was at Nova Pro—rest in piece—was one of my favorite matches that I’ve ever had. I’ve had the chance to wrestle her a bunch more times ‘cause she’s come down to Australia a few times. I love her. I love wrestling her. I think she’s hilarious.”

On Melina: “I did. She came to Australia in, like, 2018 and we were supposed to wrestle twice. We were supposed to wrestle in the main event of this one random show and then also this triple threat in this other random show. Because wrestling is random. We were supposed to wrestle twice and then she did her knee or whatever. So, she still came and we did stuff. I was like, ‘You’re an old washed up has been, blah, blah, blah, I’m the future.’ You know, gibberish crap. It is what it is. That’s when I first met her and she’s like the nicest, most sweetest person in the world. It was really cool for me ‘cause Melina was such—I started watching wrestling in 2004, so Melina, the Mickie James, that era of WWE girls are what I watched.

“I used go to WWE shows dressed as Melina. I used to wear a short skirt, my fluffy fucking boots and then I’d wear a wrestling shirt. It wouldn’t necessarily be an MNM shirt, but it’d be something. So, then, a year later she came back to Australia and we finally got to wrestle and it was the coolest thing ever. You never get to wrestle people that you genuinely idolized as a child. Especially as a female. Guys, I think get to wrestle people they genuinely idolized a bit more often. Not more often, but it’s been more common. ‘Cause the guys that were on TV continue to wrestle for a while. Whereas the girls that were on TV, they don’t really. They’re out. They’re like, ‘Bye.’ Like, ‘Oh, wrestling’s fucked? Bye.’ So, to get to wrestle someone that I genuinely looked up to was fucking cool, man.”