Bianca Belair is finally feeling the love from WWE fans after hitting some huge career milestones in front of empty arenas.
The EST of WWE – who faces Becky Lynch for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules on Sunday night – has continued to thrive despite losing the title at SummerSlam, and a big part of that is the energy she’s getting from the live crowd.
From debuting on Raw with the Street Profits to winning this year’s Royal Rumble, much of her defining moments have happened without fans there to feed off.
She exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘It was very different, because when I first got called to Raw, everything got shut down, and then debuting on SmackDown without an audience.
‘Having all these big monumental moments – winning the Royal Rumble with no audience. But then at WrestleMania we had 25,000 people, and then we went back to having no audience.
‘Finally debuting for the first time on SmackDown and I was the SmackDown Women’s Champion. Honestly, I felt like I finally got the debut I never got to have a year before.’
Another great experience for Belair was the recent WWE tour of the UK, as she battled Becky Lynch in front of packed crowds in Newcastle, London, Cardiff and Glasgow – her first time on a UK main roster run.
‘Being back – I keep saying “being back on the road,”‘ she laughed. ‘Everybody else says that but it’s not that way for me, it’s my first time being on the road, and being able to experience the fans.’
Having her husband Montez Ford – one half of the Street Profits alongside Angelo Dawkins – has helped a lot, with him giving her a taste of what it’s like touring the United States and beyond with WWE.
‘I always heard a little bit from my husband because he was doing it before me, but it’s just an experience like none other. Anybody who goes to a WWE event, the fans are amazing, there’s a vibration that comes off of the fans,’ she beamed.
‘I just feel blessed and fortunate to be able experience that ’cause I didn’t know if I would ever be able to experience it with the pandemic going on.
‘So, it’s really cool to be back on the road – I said it again, to be on the road in the UK and be able to experience these moments with my husband and Dawks. It makes it even better!’
*Bianca Belair challenges Becky Lynch for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules 2021. Tune in tonight (September 26) at 1am on the WWE Network.
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