:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69956496/Britt_Baker_DMD_vs_Ruby_Soho_2021_09_22_AEW_Dynamite_365.0.jpeg)
It’s been said that NXT’s Four Horsewomen (and specifically Bayley vs. Sasha Banks at TakeOver: Brooklyn) would influence future generations of women to become professional wrestlers.
Turns out we didn’t even have to wait that long. During her appearance on Throwing Down with Renee Paquette & Miesha Tate, AEW Women’s World champion Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. revealed how Sasha, Bayley, Becky Lynch & Charlotte motivated her to commit to her dreams of the squared circle. The quartet of WWE Superstars continue to inspire her today, too.
“When I first started training, when I first said this is something I wanted to do while I’m in dental school, what really motivated me was when I started watching the Sasha, Bayley, Becky, and Charlotte matches that were happening on NXT at the time. It’s crazy because we are now, ‘competing against each other.’ Those are my idols. Those were the girls I enjoyed watching.
“I think with women’s wrestling, what you find is a trend that the most successful women are the ones that have the utmost confidence in themselves and who they are as a character. One way or the other, whether you’re a good guy or a bad guy, you just own it and you bring that bad bitch energy one way or the other. I think those girls, to me, are the ones that I want to watch. That’s what I try to portray as myself and my character when I come out. I think that’s been a lot of my success.”
They didn’t inspire her to want to join them, though. Confirming what her boyfriend Adam Cole told Paquette on her Oral Sessions pod, Baker said WWE did let Cole know they’d be interesting in signing AEW’s Role Model. Though it had at one point been her goal (and Britt’s grateful former Talent Development Director Canyon Cemen told her to put prioritize her dental studies), by the time it was a possibility, she was happy where she was.
“Obviously originally there was no AEW so everybody wanted to go to WWE. That was the dream. I had a tryout with WWE, and in my tryout was Bianca and Lacey. There was a small group of us that got picked to do this secondary physical where it was like, ‘Oh man, we’re all getting signed. This is the crew.’
“Then Canyon pulled me aside and said, ‘You know, as a father, I have a hard time pulling you from your academic career. You’re going to be a dentist. I want you to finish that.’ This was year one of dental school. My heart sunk because I was young, dumb, and ready to leave dental school in a heartbeat for WWE. Thank God I didn’t.
“Then AEW came along just as I was finishing dental school, and it was the perfect storm for me because I could still practice dentistry three days a week. I could travel, wrestle on TV, and grow my craft. To me, it’s not a question... It’s no secret because he [Cole]’s already said it by now. The cat’s out of the bag. I’m not going to get in trouble.
“WWE was definitely poking the bear a little bit through him recently saying, ‘They are really interested in her.’ Without teetering the lines of contract tampering, they definitely let me know they had interest in me, but it wasn’t a mutual thing. I’m very happy in AEW. I’m very content and thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had there, and this is where I want to stay.”
Baker re-signed with AEW recently, so she’ll have to continue being inspired by the Horsewomen from afar.
Check out the doctor’s full conversation with Renee & Miesha here.