Jade Cargill Reveals The Best Advice Bryan Danielson Has Given Her

Jade Cargill may have risen up the ranks of AEW at warp speed in her first year in pro wrestling, but that doesn't mean things have come easy for the TBS Champion.

In an interview with Complex Unsanctioned, Cargill talked about how in the early days of her AEW career, she would get frustrated after her matches, especially when something didn't go according to plan.

"After my matches, I would get so frustrated if something went wrong because I'm somewhat of a perfectionist and I work so hard," Cargill said. "So I want everybody out there to see how much I grow and how hard I work. So if something doesn't go correct, whether it's me, my opponent, something just in the match that is uncontrollable, the time is cut, whatever it is, I used to come back and just beat myself up for it.

"I used to just like 'ah, man, like, something just went wrong. Now everybody is going to blame it on me.' And it could not be my fault at all, but because of the position I'm in right now, it's automatically gonna be pointed at me. Almost because I am still green, people are automatically going to think it's me."

So how did Jade Cargill get over that frustration? According to the TBS Champion herself, it was working with fellow AEW star Bryan Danielson and a specific bit of advice he gave to her.

"Every time after a match, he's like 'hey, how did it go? Did you have fun?' And that's all he cares about," Cargill revealed. "He's like, 'did you have fun? Don't worry about the match right now, it's happened. Digest it. If you had fun, soak that in, and then tomorrow, go over it in your head and watch it. But don't beat yourself up because you have another match to focus on right now.'

"And I started living like that because I would go back and beat myself up. 'What could I have done to do this better?' And I wouldn't have fun. Like, initially, I wasn't having fun. I was just so focused on getting it right rather than having fun. And then all of a sudden, when he said that, it started clicking.

"I was starting to have fun and it's like, I was just living in the moment. Like, I was just living in the moment, listening to the crowd, hearing them say my name, hearing them boo, do whatever, even though I need more people to boo for me. So boo for me, guys. But I feel it, like, I'm just starting to have so much fun. So one of the things he told me is just, 'don't stress yourself out.

"Have fun, because you're going to look at this 20 years from now and think to yourself, like, all that, you're not going to think the same thing you were thinking of, like, beating yourself up. You're going to focus on happy times and when you have fun in these matches, people are going to ask you, 'hey, who was the best match you ever had?' Or, 'who was your best opponent?' Or, who was your easiest to work?” That's what's important. It's about the memories on the journey. It's all a journey."

Jade Cargill also revealed that before taking Danielson's advice, she wouldn't socialize as much and went right to her room after matches to unwind. Now she has started to hang out more because she believes it's important to have fun and create a journey throughout her pro wrestling career.

"I used to stay in my room, like, after shows and matches, I would literally go right into my room," Cargill said. "I'd unwind and just decompress and, you know, I hear all these Hall of Famers and these previous wrestlers and they talk about all these great, fond memories that they had with other wrestlers. And I wasn't doing that, I wasn't mingling. I wasn't doing any of that because I want to come home and relax.

"I started doing more of that because I wanted to create a journey and I want to be able to, with my coworkers 30 years from now go, 'hey, do you remember that time you did that?' Like, that's what makes the journey what it is. It makes it fun. Like, this all should be fun. All the hate and all this stuff, we already get enough of that. At least make it fun while you're doing that and why you love coming to work and why you hate leaving. So that's the best advice he's (Danielson) given me, and I've lived by that ever since he told me."

To quote this article, please credit Complex Unsanctioned and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription