Julia Hart Explains Why She Abandoned Original Cheerleader Gimmick In AEW

Former AEW TBS Champion Julia Hart might be "The Princess of the Dark Throne" these days, but long-time AEW fans will remember her breaking through as a cheerleader alongside The Varsity Blonds. It wasn't until Malakai Black sprayed mist in her face that fans started to see a change in Hart's persona, eventually turning her into what she is today. 

Behind the scenes, Hart was eager to get away from her cheerleading roots, as she stated in a recent interview with "Sports Illustrated" that the decision to become a member of the House of Black was all based on her wanting to take herself more seriously.

"I think I just needed to take myself more seriously," Hart said. "I think in the cheerleader role, I looked at the cheerleader as like an annoying preppy girl because I was, you know, being a cheerleader, all of high school that's how we were always looked at, you know? Just the annoying preppy girls, but I was never like that. I was never smiling, I always wore baggy clothes and a jacket with a hood over my head in high school, so I looked at the cheerleader thing as a whole different thing. But when I got to AEW, everyone's like, 'Oh, you're so cute, you're so bubbly do this, this, and this,' so then it was really hard for me to be aggressive."

Hart explained that it wasn't until she saw what the company was going to do with the House of Black that she pushed herself down a darker path, leading her to study shows like "Wednesday" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," movies like "Kill Bill," and musicians like Stevie Nicks for inspiration.

Please credit "Sports Illustrated" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.