Britt Baker talks about her two careers.
All Elite Wrestling has only held one event, but it's already clear that Britt Baker will be one of the faces, if not the face, of the women's division. Baker scored the victory in the women's fatal four-way bout at AEW Double or Nothing and was part of the upfronts presentation when it was announced that AEW would be airing on TNT later this fall. Along with being a successful professional wrestler, Baker graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine in 2018 and is employed at a private practice in Florida.
Speaking to Simon Hannig of Diva Dirt, Baker discussed balancing dental life with the world of wrestling.
“It actually started right around the same time period,” Baker said. “It was when I was graduating from undergrad at Penn State University and I was moving to Pittsburgh to start my dental school education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. That was right at the same time I enrolled in the IWC Wrestling Academy, also in Pittsburgh, and I literally started my training for both dentistry and wrestling at the same exact time, like within months of each other. Definitely takes mental toughness more than anything, because sometimes the schedule of everything that needs to be done in a day, going to the dental office, getting to the gym, getting to the wrestling ring, watching wrestling matches, keeping up to date what’s the latest science behind the industry."
Baker continued, “Sometimes that seems a bit daunting as far as, is there enough hours in a day to get everything done, but it’s just a matter of putting one step in front of the other and just trying to relax and get everything done; and that’s the part that has been… my secret to success is never panicking and just power forward and get everything done that needs to be done.”
When asked about her influences in wrestling, Baker didn't limit herself to just females.
"As far back from Lita, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Edge. Up into most recently, I think any wrestler today has been inspired by Charlotte [Flair], Sasha [Banks], Becky [Lynch], Bayley, Natalya, the girls that really were at the forefront of turning a page in women’s wrestling. And we all have to be thankful for them because they went through some of the hard phases of women’s wrestling," she said. "Right now, we’re all gifted where we have ample time on the shows, we have the spotlight where we get to show what we can do, and that wasn’t always the case. So, I am definitely inspired by those women. When I am watching wrestling that’s my own entertainment, I love watching Sarah Stock‘s matches. She traveled all over the world. She was in Japan and Mexico, I think she was an incredible wrestler. I loved watching her.”
And of course, Baker couldn't forget her boyfriend, NXT Champion Adam Cole.
“Also, I’m hugely inspired by Adam Cole, he’s obviously one of the most important people in my life. It may be biased, but I think he’s one of the best wrestlers in the world, and I love watching him wrestle and I love learning from him.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Baker discussed potential opponents in AEW and being better than Brandi Rhodes.
AEW will hold their second event, Fyter Fest this Saturday in Daytona Beach, Florida. Baker is not currently scheduled for a match.
