AEW's Willow Nightingale Comments On If Stokely Hathaway's Influence Has Changed Her

Willow Nightingale has had some new backup in the form of longtime manager and hustler Stokely Hathaway, who joined her longtime friend Kris Statlander at her side. In a new interview, Nightingale said that Hathaway has been a more positive force than people realize.

"Stokely, somebody I wasn't originally super hot on. Didn't love him. But he's done the best that he can to advocate for us," Nightingale told "AEW Unrestricted" recently. "We've been really active on television. We've been highlighted as a great, dynamic group, so obviously I can't take that away from him." 

Nightingale says that despite any miscommunication, Stokely has her best interests at heart. "My morals and my values and who I am as a person are unchanged," Willow said, admitting that she doesn't like that Stokely tries to interfere, believing it's up to her to instill her values in Hathaway. "It comes back to the confidence with how they've helped me."

According to Willow, Hathaway is constantly reminding her that she was the inaugural NJPW Strong Women's Champion and the 2023 AEW Women's Owen Hart Cup Winner. Having someone she can trust and on whom she can depend, in both Statlander and Hathaway, has given her an added edge in the psychological side of wrestling.

Nightingale put all that new confidence to good use on Sunday at AEW Dynasty, winning the AEW TBS Championship from Julia Hart, her first singles title in AEW. She will defend the title against Mercedes Mone at AEW Double or Nothing in May.