"Not a main eventer yet" - WWE legend on Ronda Rousey's friend's potential
Wrestling legend Tommy Dreamer shared his opinion on Marina Shafir, a friend of Ronda Rousey, and stated that she isn't a main-event player in AEW yet.
Marina Shafir performed under the NXT brand for three years until her release in 2021. After leaving the company, the former MMA fighter competed on the independent circuit before making her AEW debut in December. More recently, she unsuccessfully challenged Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women's World Championship on Dynamite.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Busted Open podcast, Dreamer discussed Shafir's performance against Rosa, stating that he saw potential:
"Marina is not a main eventer yet. She had an excellent performance and I saw a lot in her. It's a way to build your talent as opposed to just adhere to backstage," said Dreamer. (33:20-33:35)
#TheProblem @MarinaShafir lays a hard kick right into the spine of the Champ! It’s #AEWDynamite LIVE on @TBSNetwork! https://t.co/QDhFySE5Nv
With her strong performance, Shafir made a compelling cause to make more on-screen appearances. She had previously wrestled Jade Cargill for the TBS Championship in a grueling match in April. Building on the hype from her bout against Cargill, she has justified her presence in the AEW ring.
Marina Shafir was a part of Four Horsewoman of MMA alongside Ronda Rousey
Shafir made her crossover from MMA to professional wrestling in 2018. "The Supernova from Moldova" is close friends with Ronda Rousey, Jessamyn Duke, and Shayna Baszler. Together, they were once known as the Four Horsewoman of MMA. Shafir and Rousey became close friends when they trained together at the Glendale Fighting Club in their early MMA days.
MMA’s Four Horsewomen have arrived in WWE in full force.
Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir have joined their Four Horsewomen teammates Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler in making the move from mixed martial arts to sports-entertainment, reporting for training today at the WWE P.C https://t.co/KfS7yUubxx
Along with Duke, Marina played a pivotal role in helping Shaya Bazler retain the NXT Women's Championship on multiple occasions. That being said, Shafir's NXT run was somewhat lackluster as she never really got a chance to showcase her abilities as a singles competitor.
Shafir adds depth to the AEW women's division since she is a solid worker with the advantage of being a legitimate MMA fighter. She has turned a lot of heads with her strong outings against the likes of Cargill, Rosa, and Kris Statlander. It will be interesting to see what Tony Khan has in store for the former NXT star in the near future.
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