Brooke Valentine pays homage to some inspirational women in wrestling.
As the month of March soon comes to a close, so does the month of Women’s History. Before it officially reaches its end, though, former ZOWA Women’s Champion Brooke Valentine has issued a tribute to several women who have particularly empowered her personally, as well as professionally.
Looking back on the early days of her career, Valentine cites the likes of “The Party Unicorn” Laynie Luck and former NWA Women’s Tag Team Champion Marti Belle as notable sources of inspiration.
“The first person I remember working with that, I was like, ‘Wow, this person, I learned so much’ [was] Laynie Luck,” Valentine told WrestleZone‘s Ella Jay. “I remember Laynie Luck was the first time that I’d ever main-evented a room, and she really helped me through that. I was so nervous. And that was our first singles match together, so she just really kept me together.”
“Then Marti Belle came in at a time where I was still unsure of my place and she really solidified how I was feeling,” Valentine said. “Also gave me some really good feedback after we were able to wrestle. This was really early on in my career, so I was really thankful for that opportunity. I love Marti so much. Thinking back to the Mae Young Classic when she was in it, I remember seeing her with her hair as big as her personality. That was the first time I’d seen someone on TV with big curly hair that wasn’t straight, that wasn’t long, that wasn’t full of extensions. She honestly is the reason why I got it in my head to shave my hair off, grow it back, and really embrace my curls.”
A Grateful Mentality
In addition to Luck and Belle, Valentine also remains grateful for the relationships she’s carved with the likes of Faye Jackson and Allie Katch. While Jackson herself is retired from in-ring competition, Valentina says her own career wouldn’t have continued without Jackson.
Regarding Allie Katch, Valentine noted that the former GCW Tag Team Champion laid out a big opportunity for her at GCW’s 2021 Fight Forever showcase. As a part of the 24-hour series, Allie Katch was tasked with organizing the Real Hot Girl Sh*t event, which was aimed at highlighting several women in the wrestling space. For Valentine, this event marked her official GCW debut.
“Alllie Katch, she gave me such a big opportunity, and she really let me run with it and thankful for her,” Valentine said. “I’ve gotten a lot of opportunities [that] I wouldn’t have gotten either without her taking a chance on me. “
“My career is littered with women helping me and supporting me. I feel like that maybe not used to not be the case. And I’m really happy that we’re all really actively trying to fix that because, truthfully, if one of us wins, we all win. The only way to get through this is together. This is a hell of a business.”
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