Kacy Catanzaro says when crafting unique ideas for what to do in the ring, your mind has to become like the warped wall.
Kacy Catanzaro came to WWE without any experience in the world of wrestling. Kacy entered WWE with a background on the competition show, American Ninja Warrior. Because of her background, Catanzaro is able to perform unique stunts inside the squared circle, showcasing the ability to craft a style that can be unique to her and her alone.
In the 2019 Royal Rumble match, Catanzaro was able to use her one-of-a-kind athleticism in order to perform a stunt that would save her from elimination and has since put her in the conversation with equally as athletic Superstars such as Kofi Kingston and Naomi.
Speaking with Comic Book, Kacy Catanzaro spoke about what is needed in order to develop a unique in-ring style and how she feels having her name in the same conversations with past WWE champions so early on in her career.
"Oh, man. I mean, I think there's so much of an evolution of your mindset when you're thinking of what you can do in the ring. I know that for me coming in, I always try and be different because I didn't come from a wrestling background," Catanzaro said. "I didn't come from the indies. So I'm like, 'What can I bring here that's different?' and that's the experience that I had when I wasn't...when other people were wrestling on the indies, I was in gymnastics. I was in collegiate gymnastics doing that. I was on American Ninja Warrior on the obstacle course. So how can I bring that to be different and bring something new?'
"I think that that's where it comes in, kind of with my spider monkey stuff and with the handstands and with the flexibility and things like that, where it's really cool, for example, in the Rumble, where I was able to do the handstand spot and the sit-up and everything," Catanzaro said. "That was cool for me because Naomi and Kofi have always been inspirations. I'd watch them and I'm like, 'Wow, that's so different. I want to do something so different as well.'"
"To be able to look up to them and now have people when Rumble time of the year comes along and people are putting Kofi and Naomi and me in the same sentence, that's crazy to me," Catanzaro said. "You know what I mean? I've looked up to both of them and for people to now put all three of us, and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, people are thinking of me in the same moment that they're thinking of them.' That is just a dream come true for me. I admire both of them so much, now both of them, Naomi and Kofi, come to me and say they liked my spot and that's so cool and they want to do something. I'm like, wow, that's a really cool feeling to feel like I've been able to make that impact on the wrestling world in a way that, when that time of year comes along, people think of that, I think that that's really cool."
Catanzaro was not in this year's Royal Rumble, but she was present at the event and took a photo with all of the other competitors.
Currently, Kacy is part of a tag team in NXT with Kaden Carter. They recently lost in the semi-finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament. Learn more at this link.