One of the marquee signings for NXT UK made her debut last week. Blair Davenport as she is now known had been a rumoured signing, but her appearance shocked everybody. In a recent interview with TalkSport, the wrestler formerly known as Bea Priestley explained how everything came about.
Blair Davenport was a star in Japan, wrestling under her previous name for Stardom. She even made a few appearances for AEW. Then the pandemic struck, and the wrestling landscape changed.
“During the pandemic, there was a small window,” Davenport explained to Alex McCarthy. “Obviously, I got cut from AEW because my visa expired and there was no hope for a new visa happening at that time. There was a tiny window in August where people who had Japan visas could go back, so I went back to Japan. I loved STARDOM so much, but this time I think I was the only foreigner there, whereas before, I had a group of friends with me. I love the roster, but I did feel very isolated.”
Wrestling is a global enterprise, and when something unprecedented like a pandemic happens, even the best-laid plans are forced to change. For Blair Davenport, however, everything has worked out for the best.
She got to finish her time in Japan and settle her business out there. She got to wrestle for AEW, in a deal that let her combine both Stardom and AEW appearances. Then, as she was ready for a break and some time at home, NXT came calling.
Blair Davenport’s Road to WWE
For a star as impressive as Blair Davenport, it’s not surprising that she was on WWE’s radar for some time. Timing is key when it comes to professional wrestling. That does for outside of the ring as much as it does within.
Davenport didn’t sign with WWE because she had other things, she needed to do first. She didn’t want to have any regrets by the end of her career.
“NXT UK reached out to me when they were first making the roster in 2018 but it was the day after I signed my World of Sport contract. They reached out again at the beginning of 2019 and I spoke to Canyon Ceman. I was going to sign, but I wanted to do more in Japan. I said that to Canyon. He said, ‘Okay, cool, we’ll keep in touch and call you back in six months.’ Literally, two days later, AEW got in contact with me and offered me the schedule where I could live in Japan but still work for them and have the best of both worlds.”
The time is now right for Blair Davenport. It’s a new era in wrestling, and it’s a new name and a new attitude for the woman formerly known as Bea Priestley.
