Jade Cargill talks about getting her start in wrestling.
Despite having only two years of wrestling experience, Jade Cargill has reigned as the undefeated, one and only AEW TBS Champion for over a year now. A former basketball player, Cargill has incorporated her gifted athleticism into her ring work as she continues to grow as an in-ring performer. She recently appeared on The Bootleg Kev Podcast to discuss advice she received from a WWE Hall of Famer when she entered the industry.
“I think the experience I got at the tryout gave me a lot of insights. Mark Henry gave me a lot of advice like, ‘Go up to people, ask for advice, be kind, ask what can you do, clean up after, shake everybody’s hand. When they talk, you shut up.’ I understood that from playing basketball and having someone take lead, and I think that me being an athlete prior helped me in so many different ways and directions with respect, and just being able to go out there and dominate in the ways that I have.”
Cargill also addressed criticism that surrounded her quick rise that saw her become the inaugural TBS Champion in January 2022. It’s not lost on her how it looked to come into that spot, and that it didn’t make it any easier for her.
“When I came into AEW and won the belt, I don’t think anybody would’ve liked that. I just came in out of nowhere. These other girls have been grinding on the indies for years. They have a fanbase. They’ve given a lot of their time and work and all this kind of body to this sport, and here I am coming in, and I look good. It’s like, alright, you’re being shot to the top right now, but at the end of the day, yeah, people can say it and feel the way they feel, but that’s a lot on my shoulder now. Because I’ve been given a belt, and I’ve been put in a position that—let’s be real—I wasn’t ready for. But I know I have to step in these shoes, and I have to go out there and act like everything’s okay, and mentally clear my head, focus, and try to do the best I can do.
“I think I’m doing perfectly fine regardless of how anybody felt in the locker room. The only person I care about pleasing is Tony Khan, that’s it. ‘Hey, boss, you like what you see? Great. Hey, boss, what you want?’ That’s all that matters.”
Cargill concluded that Khan is a “nice” and “great” guy.
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