WWE Signee Briana Brandy Says She Idolized Chyna, Reveals Triple H’s Advice to Her

– New WWE signee Briana Brandy spoke with the Canton Rep for a new interview about joining the company, growing up as a wrestling fan and more. Highlights are below:

On being a wrestling fan from an early age: “I grew up the biggest wrestling fan. I loved it around the time of the Attitude Era when Chyna was wrestling, and you had Triple H and The Rock and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin … Chyna reminded me of myself. Her wrestling with the boys while being the only girl resonated with me.”

On getting into wrestling: “I didn’t think I could ever do it. Seeing Chyna, she was really big. I wasn’t large and muscular or built like that. But later on, seeing people like Lita and Trish Stratus and Sasha Banks let me know I could actually do it. The bodies and styles of women in wrestling changed, and they were more athletic looking like me. That’s when I thought, ‘This is something I could really do.’ ”

On her music career: “Having the hip-hop background is going to help me dramatically. One of the biggest things that people have difficulty with, in wrestling or really anywhere, is being able to talk in front of a crowd. That’s a big fear people have. But through hip-hop, I know how to draw emotions from a crowd. That’s pretty much what wrestling is. It’s trying to get that emotion, love or hate, for whatever your character is. It will help me be able to do different things that someone without that experience may not be able to do.”

On getting advice from Triple H: “I asked him, ’What’s something you wish someone would have told you when you started wrestling? He just told me, ’Bank on yourself. Believe in you. Believe your intuition, and go with what makes you happy. Be you, but just turn yourself up.”

On the Women’s Evolution: “I’m so grateful for everyone, the women who laid the pavement down before. The Women’s Evolution is so amazing. I’m excited, and I feel like I’ll fit in there as well but with a different element. Women headlined Wrestlemania. Back in the day, it was probably seen as just some mystical dream. Now it actually happened.”