Q&A & Photo shoot w/ Women's Champ

Jayme
Posts: 436
Joined: Mon Feb 27, 2012 11:21 pm

Q&A & Photo shoot w/ Women's Champ

Post by Jayme »

{Wanted this up sooner than today but alas, it didn't happen. So I backdated the article to the 27th since the PPV was technically a few hours ago)

Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Dailynews.com
By JAMES H. WILLIAMS | jhwilliams@scng.com |
PUBLISHED: OCT 27, 2018 at 6:44 pm


Image


Zahra Schreiber wasn’t always so confident.

We agree... it’s hard to believe given her overconfident on screen persona alongside her stablemates - Tommy End and Michael Dante.

How could she not be confident? With her strong in ring presence and alluring beauty, plus the championship... What’s not to be confident about? However, the EBWF Superstar admits that growing up she was rather shy and introverted. It’s something she says she still battles with to this very day. Zahra spoke about coming from a broken home as a child and what lead her to the EBWF in the first place.

The Daily News managed to catch up with the current EBWF Women’s champion and member of LEGION, Zahra Schreiber, amidst the many festivities that go along with celebrating Fanniversary week. Despite a hectic schedule, the Women’s champion managed to find time for a small Q&A session and photo shoot with the Daily News here in L.A.

Zahra Schreiber will be featured in the Co-Main Event on Sunday at Fanniversary against her challenger, Alexa Bliss, for the Women’s title, which will be filmed live in front of a sold out audience at the STAPLES center in Los Angeles, California, and for a global audience on PPV.


-----------------


DN: Did you ever see yourself being the Women’s Champion of EBWF growing up?

ZS: Absolutely-freakin-not! I grew up in a broken home environment... so I was often told I would never amount to anything. My Dad was never really in the picture much at all, and my Mom was a failed country singer and alcoholic. She was always more focused on her career that never took off than she was with her own children. I have a sister and a brother, and we basically raised ourselves from a young age. We didn’t have anything growing up, not even a house most of the time. We lived out of a car several times... I spent holidays sitting at Waffle House because I had nowhere else to go... I didn’t have many friends growing up either. I was always the weird girl. I was never the cool kid. I was always awkward and introverted. I’d find ways to avoid people most of the time and still do that to this very day. It’s something I try to work on, and working in this business does force you to come out of your shell. It forces you to push your limits, step out of your comfort zone and become better.

There is always room for improvement. I was never exposed to something like this before... You know... the pressure to be better than you already are now. My Mom just didn’t really care much back then, so she never pushed us to do anything. So to answer your question about envisioning myself being a champion in wrestling since I was a child...? No... I never even imagined that I’d ever be able to make it being a wrestler, let alone wrestling for a huge company like EBWF.

DN: What would you say got you into wrestling in the first place?

ZS: Umm... definitely growing up with my two siblings and not having much there was a lot of anger and frustration... So we often would rough house with each other. I think that is partly why we all identified with wrestling at a young age. It was an outlet for us, and a way to let out frustration about our situation in life. However, they grew out of it eventually and well... I never did. I grew up watching these amazing women in EBWF do such awesome things, smashing glass ceilings and breaking down walls in order to pave the way for the future. I just knew I had to be a part of that somehow... Someway...


ZahraInChains: Sneak peek at my upcoming interview and photo shoot with Daily News here in L.A!
Image


DN: It was just a few years ago you were debuting for EBWF after training down in BCW, where you debuted alongside Liv Morgan, known on screen back then by her real name Gionna Daddio - the two of you came in under Alexa Bliss and formed a stable known as The Moonlight Dollz... Now you are going to be featured in the Co-Main Event at Fanniversary as the Women’s champion... Can you tell us what the journey has been like for you during all of this?

ZS: I’m not gonna lie, It's been f--kin’ brutal. Sure, it was a lot of fun working with Alexa and Gionna... But I was an afterthought in the group. I was just the goth/inked chick with no gimmick. The stable really worked for Gionna... It got her noticed more and they eventually repackaged her into Liv Morgan - and ever since she has taken off in a blaze of glory. Alexa was already pretty over when Gionna and I came in, but she’s even continued to rocket towards the stars and has grown into this mega star. Me... well... I ended up facing a nasty injury that sidelined me for over half a year. It sucked to miss so much ring time when I was only just starting out in EBWF. Fast forward half a year of recovery and training, and I finally made my comeback. But I still didn’t really have much of a gimmick going for me at that time. I was involved in a feud with Liv and Natalya, but I played a minor role. I wasn’t really feeling like I was going anywhere fast and was kind of losing hope. I also feared being let go from the company.. I was living my dream after all... It just wasn’t really going the way I had imagined.

Then came Tommy End... he got this idea pitched for a stable called LEGION and it just took off. Creative really got behind the idea and they gave us the green light. I have to give many thanks to Tommy for basically saving my career. He is the genius behind what Zahra is on EBWF TV. I could have never pulled it off in a million years without him. It may have taken a while for my career to take off, unlike my former stablemates, but when I got there... I blew them all away. Or at least I’d like to think. So even though my journey wasn’t so easy to start... It all lead me to be where I am today. The champion.

DN: You have been involved in almost a year long feud with both Liv Morgan and Alexa Bliss... Does this heat carry any off camera or is it purely for show?

ZS: Well... while I’d never admit in character to this but it’s all for show. I love working with Liv and Alexa. We’ve traveled a lot together and we’ve trained so much together, whether we were a team or enemies. I think our natural chemistry together in real life is really what helps sell everything on screen.

Now if you ask me this in character, I’m gonna have to tell you that their both mindless sheep that are blinded by their own greed. They will both never amount to be more than fodder for me to sacrifice in that ring over and over again.

DN: As the EBWF Women’s Champion, do you see yourself as a locker room leader or a role model for kids?

ZS: Definitely not either. First of all, my TV character is absolutely not a role model at all. No young person should want to be evil like me. So please don’t emulate anything I do... let me just put that out there. As far as a locker room leader...? No, I don’t see myself as a leader per say. I mean, there really isn’t just one or two people in the back that take charge or rules the roost. Veterans and new faces alike are just as involved as the other. I may be Champion, but I don’t work any more or any less than anyone else in the back. Everyone puts their all into every match. In all honesty, we have some of the best women on the planet working for us right now. Women putting on amazing matches for the fans, such as Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair. Two women who have only been signed with the company a few months and they are already etching out their own history around here. It’s exciting to see. Again... Not that I’d ever admit that in character.

DN: Despite not seeing yourself as a role model... Do you have any words of advice for young fans who may one day decide to pursue this type of career?


Image



ZS: Certainly. You can do anything you put your mind to. If you have a true passion for something, you won’t stop until you achieve what you want. I literally came from nothing, and I didn’t know anybody in this business, I had zero connections, zero background in this sport, and I struggled to pay my way to train... But I made it happen and so can you. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that you won’t amount to anything. If they do tell you that... Use it as fuel to prove them wrong and shove your success in their face!

DN: Could you describe the buzz surrounding Fanniversary weekend, and some of the events that lead to the big PPV?

ZS: EBWF really goes all out twice a year. Wrestlemania and Fanniversary. I also love this time of year because we work with so many charities and organizations to give back. It’s amazing to be involved in so many things, such as Breakfast with the Champions, and Dinner With the Divas. Not to mention all the signings and appearances. We are doing so many interviews and media appearances... It’s a lot going on. It’s absolute madness but I am so addicted to it. We are stuck in the fast lane all week leading to the PPV, so there is minimal downtime to rest before the big show... But it’s so worth it.

DN: If you could hop in a time machine and turn back time... Who would your dream tag team partner be?

ZS: Hmm - that’s a good one! I’ll probably have to go with something cliche as hell like... Lita. She was a bad--s tomboy with this gnarly tattoo on her arm... I instantly loved it. I related. And well... Now I’m making history in wrestling, also being a huge tomboy and covered in ink. I think it’s safe to say I modeled a lot of myself after her. She inspired me so much growing up.

DN: Will you be attending the Dinner With The Divas event stag or with someone?

ZS: Well of course I’m attending the event with someone. I don’t really think it’s a secret in this day and age, not with the internet. On my arm for the evening is my wonderful better half, James Mcahren, better known on screen as Jimmy Havoc.


Image



DN: Now you famously turned on Havoc during his celebration speech in the ring the Warfare after he won the World title at Summerslam... Things only got more brutal from there with you helping maim your real life boyfriend on live TV... were you prepared to go through with the storyline when it was pitched to you? How did Havoc feel about the whole idea?

ZS: Oh [laughs] we were both down for everything right away. James didn’t even think twice, he lives for pain. Like I said in an interview before... I’m pretty sure he makes it his life mission to ensure that he won’t ever see the age of 50. He’s insane... I f--kin’ love that about him.

Me on the other hand... Well, I love the dark, creepy, and macabre... but when it comes to pulling out surgical staples from your boyfriend’s healing wound on live TV while he is screaming in agony... Well there is no preparing yourself for that. But it made some kick--s TV!

DN: Any last messages for your fans here in California before your big title defense on Sunday?

ZS: LEGION will prevail the whole night through, just you wait and see. LEGION is stronger than it’s ever been and this is FAR from over!
Image

EBWF Women's Champion (ALx2) (VSx2)(LMx1)(ZSx2)
EBWF Sky High Champion (VSx1)
EBWF Women's Tag Champions (TBPx2) (MGx3)
Babe of the Year (VS-'12,'14,'16,'17)
Female Wrestler of the Year (AL-'13)
Tag Team of the Year (TBP-'15)
Alliance of the Year (MG-'16)(LM&2Pawz-'18)