AEW's Marina Shafir Credits Husband Roderick Strong's Moral Support

AEW star Marina Shafir is a former UFC fighter, having been recruited into wrestling by WWE in 2018. Appearing on "Talk Is Jericho," Shafir discussed the difficulties in moving from mixed martial arts to wrestling and praised her husband, Roderick Strong, for making the process more manageable.

"Roddy was my biggest supporter," Shafir said. "He encouraged me to keep being who he knows. Even when you try and fail, just do it again. ... There are no f***ing roadblocks, it's all learning."

For Shafir, the most difficult part about making the transition was learning to sell following a lifetime of coaches instructing her not to reveal her pain to an opponent. While that aspect of her MMA background didn't prove useful, it did make it easier learning how to take a fall. Even still, Shafir admitted that it took some time for her to get used to performing in the ring.

"Dade City was my first match," Shafir continued. "I got to wrestle Rhea [Ripley] and I got to wrestle Xia [Lee]. ... It was just like — first match, we all knew it was gonna be s**t, but everybody's gonna cheer for you because you showed up and you did it. Watching it back, I'm like, 'Oh, f**k. What the f**k? Turn it off!'"

At the time of her wrestling debut, Shafir was a new mother, having given birth to her and Strong's first child the year before. She believes that feat helped her win the respect of the audience.

Shafir continued wrestling with WWE until 2021, when she was released not long after tag team partner Jessamyn Duke. Shortly after that, Shafir made her debut in AEW, where she now serves as Jon Moxley's muscle in the Death Riders faction.