Kenzie Paige picked a fight for an opportunity that she believes she’s earned.
Paige, the current NWA Women’s World Champion, spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard ahead of the 2025 NWA Crockett Cup. There, she will face off with WWE Superstar Natalya, and she’s putting “The Burke” on the line. As if the match wasn’t big enough, 7-time TNA Knockouts Champion Gail Kim will also serve as the special guest referee for the match.
Paige highlighted what the match means to her, noting she was a big fan of both women involved. However, she was quick to point out that this is more than a “dream match” to her.
“I feel like it is still kind of a dream, right? I started wrestling when I was 14. So, I just imagine telling like, 14-year-old Kenzie, missing school every Friday and all that stuff, ‘Girl, keep going. You’re going to wrestle Natalya and Gail Kim is going to be your special guest ref.’ I don’t know if that part’s really registered because I’ve been so… I’m not going to say in over my head, but I’ve been so devoted to getting that respect from Natalya and all of that.
“I’ve almost not even [had time] to focus on the fact that this is a dream for me. This is my job now, right? So, I’ve not even got to focus on the fact that this is a real-life accomplishment for me. Personally, within my heart, anyone who knows me knows Bret Hart is my favorite. Owen Hart is my favorite, I’ve painted a picture of Nattie in my high school art class, right? So, this really is a big dream for me. And it’s almost crazy to think that now, I’ve not even got to focus on that part. Because it is my job. And I do have so much more on the line than just a dream match happening for me.”
Kenzie Paige didn’t ask for the opportunity, she made one for herself
Paige was a fan of Natalya growing up, but she made sure that she created an opportunity to face the BOAT instead of asking for one. Asked if she had pitched being Natalya’s opponent, Paige said she did not and took matters into her own hands.
“I didn’t really pitch anything. I kind of took things into my own hands and showed up at Bloodsport. And, if you didn’t pick me, if you weren’t going to come wrestle me, now you are because I picked that fight. I did that because of the fact that I look up to her and blah, blah, blah, all of that. But that plays into the part of like, I’ve respected you and looked up to you my whole life,” Kenzie Paige explained.
“And the one time… I’m not saying she owes it to me, but the one time I could have gotten that back from her, I didn’t. So, I took it. I feel like that’s another reason why that match belongs to me,” Paige added. “Because I’m doing something different than any of the other women on the roster. I went and took it. I didn’t ask for it, I didn’t pitch for it, I took it for me, for myself.”
Kenzie Paige attacked Natalya for herself, and for the NWA
Paige further detailed her motivation in attacking Natalya at Bloodsport, feeling like she was getting the recognition she deserved.
“I do have a chip on my shoulder because I have a whole company on my back. I’m 23 years old. Maybe I went about it the wrong way,” Paige wondered. “But like you said, everyone was talking about it after the fact. So, I had to do what I had to do. Not only for me, but like you said, NWA [too]. If she’s not going to talk about it, I’m going to give her a reason to talk about it. And that’s what I had to do at Bloodsport, and that’s what I had to do when I attacked her at the Dungeon.”
Natalya was talking about it after Bloodsport, flat-out telling NWA owner Billy Corgan that she’s going to “beat the shit out of Kenzie and anyone else who gets in [her] way.” Paige pointed out the phrasing, speculating that it could also mean Gail Kim too.
“Well, is that a threat towards Gail Kim? Because that’s what it sounded like. It kind of sounded like a threat to me,” Paige said.
The 2025 NWA Crockett Cup takes place on Saturday, May 17, at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Watch our full interview with Kenzie Paige below:
The post Kenzie Paige Picked A Fight With Natalya, Says It’s Much More Than A Dream Match appeared first on Wrestlezone.
