Taya Valkyrie on Deonna Purrazzo: “I want to see what she can do”
Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: Taya Valkyrie
Date: 06/11/20
Your Host: James Walsh
Taya Valkyrie is a former Impact Wrestling Knockouts champion who actually held that Knockouts title longer than anyone ever has. Joining us for the first time in a year and a half, Taya talks about her new clothing line “LOCA”, the origins of her Wera Loca name, her recent matches with Jordynne Grace, and even her evil partner in crime who didn’t do a lot to help her due to her interest in Johnny Bravo – Rosemary!
Taya will be dropping her second set of LOCA products on Monday, June 15th at 12 noon Pacific time on her website, www.TayaValkyrie.com. This will be a LIVE video featuring Taya introducing her line with friends from the wrestling industry including husband Johnny Impact and other surprises. Get in early and enjoy the show!
You can check out the MP3 and the YouTube video of this interview right now, for free, at www.WrestlingEpicenter.com!
TAYA VALKYRIE :
On her recent title match with Jordynne Grace that main evented Impact:
“Well, my back is a little sore. I’ll say that! (laughs) I’m happy with the match except for the finish because of hos distracted two people that were ringside were. I don’t know what Bravo was doing but I’m sure it was something I’m going to yell at him about later. Obviously, it didn’t play out the way I wanted it to because I want to get the Knockouts title back. But, that gives me more motivation to keep moving forward. Jordynne is one of the toughest girls that I’ve wrestled in my career. I can’t wait to beat her up again someday! (laughs)”
On the debut of Deonna Purrazzo and the surrounding buzz:
“Honestly, I don’t really get it. So, yeah… I don’t really associate with someone that wears only one color because I think that’s boring. So, you know, yeah she’s there. That’s cool. I want to see what she can do. She hasn’t proven anything to anybody in the Knockouts division yet. She’s barely been there for a cup of coffee yet. So, lets see what she can do and then maybe I’ll have a different answer for you.”
On starting her LOCA Fashion Brand:
“I have been a fashion student for a long time. And, I’ve been a fan of fashion for a long time as is obvious by Taya and what I wear both in and out of the ring and even myself in my regular life, I have always been in love with color and fashion – Pushing the envelope but also being comfortable in what I’m wearing which is what I’m doing here. I have always wanted to start my one line or lifestyle brand or however you want to word it. But, with everything that happened with the pandemic, it just pushed everything up a lot! I needed something to occupy my time and mind because it was really hard at first going from traveling and performing multiple times a week to being at home. It is hard for me. I’m sure it is hard for everybody in their own individual way. This is just a way for me to find my creative voice again. I’m learning as I go as well. It is starting out small. I’ve got a second drop coming June 15th at 12 p.m. (noon) Pacific Time on www.TayaValkyrie.com. I think it represents me – It represents Taya, it represents Kira and my love of street wear and colors and being comfortable. Everything is printed here in Los Angeles and I hand dye everything. So, everything, even if it is the same variant of color, everything is different due to the dying process. So, you really are getting a one of a kind item on every single thing you buy.”
On going back to school to study fashion:
“I study online at a really well known fashion school in San Francisco. I started when i was traveling and could attend class through the wonder of the Internet. (laughs) I was petrified when I started, that is why I didn’t really tell anyone, because I haven’t been in school in such a long time. I was like, “Oh my Gosh, what if I’m awful at this?” (laughs) I think any mature student or someone who tries something they haven’t tried in a long time has that feeling of “Is this a good idea?” But, I’m glad I did and I’ve learned so much that has helped me create stuff and opened up my eyes even more about everything that is the fashion industry. I hope my small brand can grow and become a huge deal someday. I’m just loving that my friends and everyone is loving what I’m doing Fans post pictures in my clothes and that makes me super happy so I want to thank everybody for that!”
On how the Impact Wrestling roster has reacted to her LOCA brand:
“Absolutely incredible! It has truly made me speechless and I am not someone who usually is speechless! (laughs) It has been a really cool thing to see people supporting me and are excited for me doing something I don’t think anyone else has done. And, I’m excited to be doing it! I think it shows and my passion shows through the clothing and the time I’ve put into it. I was just telling Impact Wrestling’s Ross (Forman) I was setting up my office because it has taken over the whole house and needs to be contained before John (Johnny Impact) freaks out because there’s clothing everywhere! (laughs) It has been a really cool experience for me and I’m so glad John has gone through it with me as well and he’s allowed me to follow my crazy creativeness into the clothing world as well.”
On how she got the nickname “Wera Loca”:
NOTE: The translations from Spanish to English were done via Google Translate as my Spanish is not very good. If words are not spelled correctly in Spanish, we apologize.
“OK, when must this have been? 8 years ago? Oh my Gosh! 8 years ago when I went to Mexico and I met Perro Aguayo Jr in Mexico City… (laughs) I feel like I’m telling a fairy tale! I didn’t speak any Spanish at all. Like, i could say “Dos cervezas ” or “Donde Estas el bano.” But, that’s it. Perro didn’t speak any English at all. His cousin could speak a little English but we would be working AAA shows and everybody would be speaking Spanish and I would be getting frustrated because I’m a very social person and like to talk and I couldn’t understand anybody. Hence why I learned so quickly! (laughs) I would start hand talking, waiving my hands around saying, “Why don’t you include me!” and Perro would say “puta guerra loca” and shaking his head. If you don’t know what “puta” means in Spanish, it is the “F” word! Sorry! (laughs) So, he’d be saying “This f’ing crazy blonde girl”, basically! (laughs) We would be screaming at each other, me screaming at him in English and him screaming at me in Spanish and neither one of us could understand. It was this weird brother and sister like argument. So, that is where “Wera Loca” came from. Basically, me being a complainer and a loud mouth! (laughs) The name just kind of stuck. And, when I went to Lucha Underground, everyone just started chanting it! I was like, “Oh my God!” It was just one of those things that just kind of happened.”
On the odd spelling of “Wera Loca”:
“I’m going to tell this story too because this drives me nuts when people say it. I am aware that the spelling of “Wera” is wrong. I spell it with a W.This was my first like 4 or 6 months in Mexico, I would sign my name “Wera Loca” with a W. When I ordered my first T shirts, like my very first wrestling T shirts, it was spelled correctly, “Guerra Loca”. I was like, “That’s spelled wrong!” And they said, “No, this is spelled correctly.” I was like, “Then why have I been typing it and writing it on things with a W?” They said, “Well, because we thought it was funny.” I said, “OK! Well, I don’t want it spelled that way. No one is going to look at that and think that says “Wera”! (laughs) So, ever since the T shirt fiasco, I’ve spelled it with a W! Yes, I am aware it is spelled wrong. That is jsut the way it is! (laughs)”
On the Slammiversary teaser video and who from the released WWE talent she’d like in Impact:
“I’m just excited to see what happens! If I’m being completely honest, I don’t have any information on what will happen and I’m just as excited as you guys! I feel like there are so many that left that company that could come back (to Impact) and I also feel like there are a lot of people who haven’t had that opportunity that could potentially be there. We’ll just have to wait and see. Slammiversary is not that far away. So, we don’t have to wait too much longer!”
On Booker T recently saying Impact is about to become a “major threat”:
“I didn’t know that he said that so thank you very much for saying that, Booker T! I think he’s right especially with this regime and this roster that we’ve had over the past 2 to 3 years which is different than it has ever been. We’re the craziest, hungriest wrestlers that there ever could be! I think we’re the hungriest and it shows. And even with the shows where there aren’t fans and things are a little bit different, we’re still creating this amazing product for fans every Tuesday on AXS! I’m flattered that he would say that. I feel like we’ve all known this all along and having a little validation is even more motivation!”
On a potential falling out with Rosemary:
“I mean, you said it. Over the past 2 or so years, Rosemary and I have been friends, not gotten along, wanted to kill each other, fought each other… (laughs) We’re basically a mix of keyboard emojis all in one! But, right now, I feel like we’re on the same page. So, before you see us face each other, I think we could take on the North for the Tag Team Titles. I hope Impact brings back the Knockouts Tag Team Titles! I think we’re the perfect combination of evil and evil! (laughs) I think we would be a threat to anybody who would want to be Knockouts Tag Team Champions. So, hopefully… Dear Impact Management! We have the perfect roster, more Knockouts than ever before. So, hopefully they do bring back the Knockouts Tag Team Titles and do give us that chance.”
