Bianca Belair Reveals Her Pre-Match Rituals
Whether you’re an enthusiastic amateur or a professional at the top of your game, if you’re a performer or sportsperson there’s a good chance you’ve got a pre-show ritual. Even if you’re WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair.
Speaking in a new interview with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, Bianca Belair has opened up about how she prepares ahead of the big night.
Belair revealed that she always plans to get a good night’s sleep, even though it rarely happens.
“The night before a match is always a weird night… I want to get a good night’s sleep, but I’m also anxious. When I get nervous, I think about my dad, who would always tell me, ‘When you’re nervous, it means you care.’ So I embrace it. That reminds me I’m ready. And I’m usually making gear the night before. That keeps my mind occupied and ready and calm, especially with my husband right beside me.”
The EST of WWE continued by explaining that if there’s a big match on the horizon, you’ll find her tucking into a pizza the night before. And yes, sometimes a pizza topped with pineapple.
“People do their cheat meals after their matches, but I have pizza the night before,” Belair says, adding that the topping is usually pepperoni or, sometimes, pineapple. “That always helps relax me. Before the Royal Rumble, I picked up a pizza and stayed up all night and worked on my gear.
“Since the night before WrestleMania was my birthday, it was the best birthday ever. I don’t know how I’ll ever top it. I saw all my family at the hotel, and my mom brought pizza. My gear took forever for WrestleMania, so I was working on that all night, and I ate some pizza and opened a few gifts.”
After winning the Royal Rumble, Bianca Belair walked into WrestleMania 37 looking to dethrone SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks. In an emotion-filled match Belair eventually toppled the champion to stand tall over the blue brand’s women’s division.
After her win, Belair reflected on the opening moments of the match, describing it as something she will remember for the rest of her life.