Marina Shafir explains how the MMA Four Horsewomen came together… and ultimately why the match never happened in WWE.
AEW star Marina Shafir was once part of WWE from 2018 to 2021 and regularly appeared on NXT alongside Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke. Before WWE’s Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, and Bayley took on the moniker, Shafir, Duke, Baszler and Ronda Rousey were referred to as the Four Horsewomen in the MMA world. During a recent episode of The Sessions with Renee Paquette, Shafir explained to Renee Paquette how the women came together in the eyes of fans.
“It wasn’t ever really like a conversation, it was more like a mutual understanding. I had hurt my neck—this was right before Ronda fought Holly [Holm]—I had hurt my neck really bad, and I was out from two herniated disks and trying to back into being in jiu-jitsu and rehabbing. I was in my own thing. At the time, Shayna really decided to double down on wrestling… and she was getting ready to go to Japan. We just were on different paths.”
Shafir explained that she met Roderick Strong and eventually got pregnant, which put her career on hold for a while. Strong joined NXT and they relocated to Florida. Soon after, Ronda Rousey began making her impact in WWE.
“Right around the time Troy was born was when Ronda was stirring the pot. We were all associated as the four, and it’s just interesting because it’s something that the fans really wanted. The fans more so established it. We didn’t have to be like, ‘We’re the Four Horsewomen. We’re gonna prove it to you.’ There was no song and dance. It was just like we’re friends, we train, we f***ing push each other, and that’s just what it is.”
One of the biggest “what ifs” of this era is in regard to the fact that we never saw the MMA Four Horsewomen vs. the WWE Four Horsewomen while all eight women were in WWE at the same time. When Paquette mentioned that it’s a shame it never took place, Shafir revealed why it didn’t happen.
“Egos were at play. And I’ve learned there were too many f*cking cooks in the kitchen sometimes, in more ways than one. I never knew this, but I just feel like professional wrestling was a little more exclusive back in the day. It wasn’t just about politicking, it was just about showing respect, not kissing ass, and not feeling like you had to give something up of yourself to get to the next level.”
Shafir spoke more about the Four Horsewomen during an interview with WrestleZone, noting that the match didn’t happen but it was nice to know people still talked about it.
“All I’m going to say about that is, what hasn’t happened yet, is still an opportunity,” Shafir said. “I love and I find very endearing how that’s still a subject of conversation, very much so. Because what it tells me, is that my friends, who I’ve actually gone into battle with, did enough to set something in motion that they didn’t need to talk about anymore. Like I said, sh-t that hasn’t happened yet, there’s still an opportunity for that sh-t to happen… and that’s all I’m going to say.”
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If you use this transcript, credit The Sessions and h/t WrestleZone and link back to this post.
