Tay Conti has discussed her journey to AEW after being released by WWE in April 2020 and named the two major stars responsible for her signing!
Speaking to Michael Morales of Lucha Libre Online, the former Taynara Conti recalled that she had no plans to join AEW and instead set her sights on heading to Japan. Due to the pandemic, however, she was unable to travel and fulfil her goal.
“Everything was very natural. I had no plans to get [to AEW.] When I left WWE, I had no plans. I just didn’t want to be there (with WWE) anymore, because I wasn’t happy. Then I thought that I wanted to go to Japan, because it is a dream that I have. But with the pandemic, I couldn’t make it and I was waiting. I received many messages from people I did not know when my release information came out. I was very happy, because everyone was trying to know if I was okay and everything.”
The Brazilian Jiujiteiro went on to discuss how Luchasaurus was one of many stars to reach out to her following her release, with the two being familiar through working in NXT around the same time. That then led to Luchasaurus tagging Kenny Omega in a video of hers which prompted the AEW executive vice president to reach out!
“Luchasaurus, with whom I am very grateful, sent me a message. He was on NXT. The same thing happened to him. You know, what happened to me. He told me: ‘I congratulate you and wish you success. May you achieve your dreams and maybe I’ll see you at AEW one day’. And so we remain. For a long time [I wasn’t ready]. Then I was feeling ready to get back into the ring. I started uploading my videos and seeing what happened. Luchasaurus tagged Kenny [Omega] in my video [Tweet.] Kenny saw my life [story] and asked for my phone number. “
Conti also discussed her admiration for the AEW World Champion‘s style of wrestling before revealing she had an initial appearance for the company that fell through – leading to her debut in the Women’s Tag Team Deadly Draw Cup last August where she first met Anna Jay!
“Kenny contacted me. I could not believe it because I am a huge fan of the Japanese style of wrestling. I’ve always been watching Kenny’s matches. I am not a fan of wrestling since I was little. Because I didn’t see it. But since I started [working in the industry], Kenny was always an inspiration. Getting a message from Kenny on my phone was like ‘Wow!’ I was really, really excited. From there we started talking and they invited me to meet and talk about opportunities. The first opportunity did not happened. We kept talking. And Tony [Khan] told me about the tag team tournament when I met Anna Jay. That’s how it all happened.”
The duo later known as TayJay fell in the semi-finals of the tournament, losing to eventual winners Diamante and Ivelisse, before Conti signed with the promotion in September. Since then, she’s developed a close on-screen friendship with Jay whilst also striving in singles action – unsuccessfully challenging Serena Deeb for the NWA Women’s World Championship and most recently defeating Nyla Rose on the latest edition of Dynamite!
Credit to Sportskeeda for the transcription.
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