Kayla Sparks retired from wrestling in 2007 at the age of 17, but returned in a big way in 2021.
After wrestling just a handful of matches on the Independent scene, Sparks received a big opportunity when she faced Thunder Rosa on AEW Dark: Elevation in a match that was taped at Arthur Ashe Stadium ahead of AEW Dynamite Grand Slam.
Speaking on the Shining Wizards podcast, Sparks thanked Rosa for giving her the opportunity.
"Thunder Rosa, her husband Brian called me too, they are both...I can't thank them enough. Those two, I tell them all the time, 'you guys are my guardian angels.' They came in and gave me such an opportunity. When I wrestled at Mission Pro, which was huge for me, they are so great and I love everyone there at Mission Pro. AEW came along and I got the opportunity at Arthur Ashe and they said, 'Hey, it's the biggest AEW show, are you available that day?' 'Heck yeah!' I still kick myself, it's crazy. I can't believe all this stuff happened this year, it's such a dream come true," she said. "I was so estatic. I was calling everyone I knew at three in the morning. I felt so bad, I was waking everyone up."
Sparks also appeared on the November 1 episode of AEW Dark: Elevation when she took on Riho.
Asked if she was happy with how things turned out should her career end tomorrow, she replied, "If it ended tomorrow, there is always opportunity and you want to live for more opportunities. Obviously, I just got back into [wrestling] this past summer and there are so many things I have left to do. If it ended tomorrow, they say 'always be grateful, you never know, tomorrow could be your last day,' if it was, I can say that was one of the biggest moments of my life."
Sparks is a regular for Mission Pro Wrestling and has competed for Beyond Wrestling/WWR+ as well.
She competed at Mission Pro's Silver Bells on December 11. You can find full results from the show by clicking here.
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