WWE Superstar Bianca Belair on the Rise in Female Rap – And Why Megan The Stallion Would Make a Great Wrestler

Over the previous few years, as a number of girls have have blossomed into rap stars — with Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion as heavyweights, and abilities similar to Latto and Ice Spice main the cost for the brand new technology — the WWE is concurrently experiencing the same golden age. Famous person athletes like Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley have been main the way in which with their profitable performances and championship pedigrees.

For the previous, she hopes to stay as much as her nickname “The EST” — as in “the quickest, the strongest, the quickest, the roughest, and the hardest”– throughout her six-woman Elimination Chamber match this Saturday (Feb. 24) in Perth, Australia, for a crack at a title shot at Wrestlemania 40.

“We have now much more girls are shining, similar to in feminine rap,” Belair tells Billboard forward of her match in Perth. “There’s room for greater than only one or just a few, and all people can showcase their skills. We have now a online game cowl with two females — the primary time there’s ever been an all-female cowl for a online game and there’s two! So, it’s exhibiting you the way large our roster is and the way aggressive it’s.”

Belair’s resumé speaks for itself: she’s a two-time WWE Champion, a one-time WWE Smackdown Champion and a Royal Rumble winner. She additionally headlined Wrestlemania 37 with Sasha Banks, as the 2 grew to become the primary Black girls to ever headline “The Present of All Exhibits” throughout its 40-year existence. With Belair and Ripley gracing the latest installment of WWE2K24 with Cody Rhodes, “The EST” appears to regain her swagger, step into Wrestlemania 40, and remind viewers why she’s the last word needle-mover within the Lady’s Division.

“My aim this 12 months is to have extra enjoyable. I really feel like I used to be simply grinding final 12 months, I used to be so critical and wired,” says Belair. “This 12 months, I wish to have enjoyable however nonetheless accomplish issues and luxuriate in these issues once I accomplish them.”

Billboard spoke to Belair about her highway to Wrestlemania, the similarities between the ladies’s division and feminine rap, her love for J. Cole, and why she believes Megan Thee Stallion is WWE-bound.

Your path to Wrestlemania has been carved out over the previous few years. This 12 months, that highway isn’t as definitive. How has that been an adjustment for you?

Final 12 months, I used to be strolling into Wrestlemania as champion. So, it was extra so I had a assured match — I simply didn’t know who my opponent was. This 12 months, it’s somewhat completely different, however I feel most individuals would love to simply have the consolation of figuring out that they’re going to have a Wrestlemania match and — perhaps it’s simpler for me to say this as a result of I’ve already had the chance to have three years of a assured match — I sort of prefer it. I sort of like this 12 months of not figuring out, as a result of it retains me on my toes. It’s making me not be comfy and never simply go into autopilot like, “Okay. I’m simply ready for my ‘Mania match. I do know I’ve one.”

It’s making me return to that hungry section of, “Let me determine how I’m gonna get that. Let me determine what’s gonna be my journey.” Now, I’ve to determine Royal Rumble. Okay, now it’s Elimination Chamber. It’s sort of parallel to what [my husband WWE Superstar Montez Ford] was going by way of final 12 months, but it surely retains you hungry. It’s exhausting to get to the highest, but it surely’s tougher to remain on the prime and it’s additionally very simple to get comfy and complacent there. It’s fascinating this 12 months, switching issues up, and I’m simply excited.

Do you see a similarity with girls in rap, by way of that aggressive nature? 

Yeah, I feel there’s numerous comparisons between feminine rap and ladies’s wrestling, proper now. In the event you look again prior to now, there was the Nickis from my highschool period and now there’s [multiple] artists. After all, there have been a number of [artists] earlier than Nicki and similar factor with WWE. 

You had the 4 Horsewomen, and now you’re beginning to see new folks are available. And due to them, they have been capable of open these doorways and have been capable of have all of those implausible matches and present that ladies can put folks within the seats and promote tickets. They put the eyes on girls’s wrestling. There’s extra girls coming in now. I really feel like Rhea Ripley and I are on the forefront of a brand new technology of ladies’s wrestling and there’s much more coming in with the NIL program and WWE. They’re hiring extra athletes and these women are studying so shortly.

Our roster is so aggressive. I feel this is among the first years, for me particularly, the place anyone can go to Wrestlemania, anyone can essential occasion, anyone can go have a title match and we’re simply sort of like, “Who’s it gonna be?” As a result of there’s no ensures. I feel it’s wonderful.

You and Jade Cargill shared a viral second at Royal Rumble. Everyone seems to be rooting for a singles match, however then again, I’d like to see you guys kind as a tag-team. What’s been your response to that second, and the chances?

When she first got here on the scene, all people was saying, “Dream Match. Jade Vs. Bianca,” and I used to be sort of feeding into it. Then, I began considering, “Wait a minute. We might tag collectively, too.” In the event you put us collectively, we’re simply gonna have the titles endlessly? Who’s gonna cease us? 

I feel it’s simply wonderful that the chances are infinite. I feel that’s what makes this so thrilling and I don’t wish to be the one one. There’s room for greater than only one [superstar]. I feel it’s cool that Jade’s coming in and making this big splash earlier than she even had a match. So to have the ability to step in on the Royal Rumble and us two having the ability to come face-to-face within the ring and the group goes loopy, simply figuring out the potential of what this may be, is loopy. Being within the ring along with her and us having that second, showcasing Black girls and illustration, but in addition being sturdy girls, being unapologetically us and bringing our tradition to the desk, is absolutely cool.

I’ve been very intentional since I got here to WWE, ever since my NXT days and bringing my tradition to the desk and never apologizing for that. From having an HBCU band at Wrestlemania and to now having Jade right here, she will convey much more to the desk. It’s cool that we will do that individually and have this large second with us competing in opposition to one another or we will do that collectively. I feel it’s simply wonderful that both one will be simply as large.