In record time, Mariah May has made an excellent impression in AEW and prolonged this success by winning the AEW Women’s World Championship after beating “Timeless” Toni Storm at AEW All In last month. She further discussed her experience on Barstool’s “Rasslin” podcast after her win regarding her entry into professional wrestling.
"I always wanted to be a wrestler since I was a child," May shared during the podcast. "When I completed my studies, I was an accountant, but I had always loved wrestling since childhood. In the U.K., Getting in, getting places to train, and getting chances is much more difficult."
Though the British often complained about a lack of facilities and coaching, May got rings and trained with the intention of heading for the US to feature on TV days. This, however, changed when she came in contact with Japanese wrestling, which in itself was not so hard for her to digest as she progressed in the sport.
STARDOM Success Journey
The Japanese wrestling promotion STARDOM stood out to May. She was aware that this would not be an easy journey but she was determined to become a champion there. May subsequently joined STARDOM in early 2023 after four years in the English independent wrestling circuit. She soon succeeded, winning the tag team championship of Goddesses of Stardom with Mina Shirakawa. Despite such a record, May’s stay at STARDOM was comparatively short.
Still, some fulfilled May’s desire to go to the USA, although he was getting very engrossed in Japanese wrestling. In early 2023, AEW offered her a deal with clear plans for her character, including complex story arcs. But she had just debuted in STARDOM and didn’t want to leave yet.
“There were still things I wanted to accomplish,” May said. “I still had some goals to achieve. The barrage of action when I came into STARDOM and the training regime of the dojo, it was very harsh I had to admit and I wanted to work on myself more before leaving.”
May, however, had to wait until late 2023 for her AEW debut. She made her AEW in-ring debut on January 3, 2024, in a match against Zeda Zhang. Speaking of her quick advancement in the wrestling world, May more than self-assuredly proclaimed that she had always trusted her skill.