Bianca Belair Reveals How Her Hair Whip Move Was Developed
NXT superstar Bianca Belair did an interview with Jim Varsallone from the Miami Herald. Belair spoke about how long her hair is, how hair whip move got started, what it's like being in NXT and training at the WWE Performance Center. Here are some of the highlights:
What it's like being in NXT and stepping into the WWE Performance Center:
"Being in NXT it's an experience like none other. I've never had an experience like this. Growing up I played almost every sport in the book, I was in track, basketball, soccer, cheerleading, and CrossFit. Even though I feel like I have a great background that grounds me. I'm able to pick up all things very quickly, I'm coachable, but with that being said wrestling is nothing like anything I've ever done before. It's a skill in its own. It's an art. It's a craft. Stepping in the Performance Center two and a half years ago for the first time I barely knew anything and started from the bottom and worked my way from the top. I'm just so grateful to be surrounded by amazing coaches, amazing facility, and everything is provided for us. It basically just sets us up for success. It's been a great experience being here and NXT."
The length of her hair/how long it takes to prepare before matches
"I've never actually measured the hair, but it's basically almost to the floor. It's pretty long. It almost touches, I would say it's between my ankle and my knee, so somewhere mid-calf, so that's the length of my hair. It's pretty long. Preparing the hair for every match is a task. I'm not even going to lie about that. It's definitely a task. I'm probably one of the last girls in the back to get ready. It's a lot I put into the braid. It's not something that everyone can do and that's what makes it special. All the work I put in the braid is totally worth it, so I'm not even going to complain how much time it takes to do the braid."
How the hair whip move got started:
"When I first started, I was trying to figure out who I wanted to be, what I wanted to do, and how I was going to stand out. I had an idea of wearing a long braid. I looked around and saw no one else had a hairstyle like that. I was going back and forth, 'Do I want to just wear my hair down, have waves, curls, like everyone else or do I want to wear this braid?' So, my husband (Montez Ford) was the one who told me 'No, you need to keep that braid. It makes you stand out.' He pushed me towards that. At first, it was just this thing of just standing out and I was actually in the ring, he was watching and he told me that, 'I could probably use that braid in the ring.'
"One day I was in the with Sarah [Stock], my [NXT Coach], she asked me, 'Can you hit [your opponent] with it?' That was the first time I tried it and that's when I realized I can actually use this thing in the ring. The first person I actually used it on was Ruby Riott in California. It was the first time it ever made the noise. That's when it all started and has never stopped since then."
Belair also talked about when she wanted to be in the Olympics. You can listen to her full comments in the video above.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Jim Varsallone – Miami Herald with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.