Who was Evie? She was the likeable girl next door you could easily rally behind. The perfect babyface. This Auckland, New Zealand badass always fought her heart out in her matches. She stayed true to herself, strong and brave with a good heart. Evie valued loyalty and friendship. Her pleasant nature was equal to her toughness in the ring. She could take it just as well as she could dish it out. If you pissed her off, she wouldn't hesitate to kick your fucking head off. Evie: The Captain of Team F'N Kick. One of the best wrestlers in the world.
The Melbourne City Wrestling Documentary is a good place to start since it gives a broad overview of her career up to that point. The interview was filmed on April 27th 2017; the day before her final MCW match. That was also her final match on the independent scene. Her next match in June was her first in WWE NXT as Dakota Kai. That was a trios match where one of her partners was Ruby Riott -- her former tag team partner as Heidi Lovelace. One of her opponents was Mandy Rose who would also be her final WWE NXT opponent.
This documentary started with her introducing herself as Charlie but noted most people know her best by her wrestling name Evie. At that point she had been in the wrestling business for nearly ten years. She revealed she got into wrestling around fifteen or sixteen after her brother introduced her to it. Prior to that she admitted she gave him crap for watching it not seeing the appeal at all. She particularly enjoyed the athleticism. Her father wanting all his kids to participate in athletics was brought up. In addition, her grandfather being on the New Zealand national rugby team the All Blacks was noted. She thought it cool to have that in her bloodline.
She revealed that she represented her high school nationally in High Jump. Although she didn't mention which ones, she said she participated in other sports too, eager to sign up for anything she could. She felt how her dad raised her had a big influence on her speedy, athletic in-ring style. Her wrestling training started at eighteen. That is where she really fell in love with it. She trained for six months before she had her first match in December 2007. It was a mixed tag that she admitted was less pressure than having a singles match for her debut. There were clips of Evie in her first gear: Cheerleader outfit complete with pom poms for the entrance.
Wrestling made her feel like she had found her place. She'll never forget the positive crowd reaction for her first match. Her friends were there which made it even more special. Her first promotion was her hometown promotion Impact Pro Wrestling (IPW). There wasn't a large female roster but they all loved wrestling and made what they could of the situation. She was just happy to be able to perform in front of her friends and family in her hometown.
Madison Eagles who helped run PWWA All Womens Wrestling contacted her in 2011 because she wanted to get some of the Kiwi girls over to work a big show. It was the first time she got to wrestle internationally and get her name out. But her longer term goal at that time was to work for the all women's promotion Shimmer. She is eternally grateful to Madison for giving her the PWWA opportunity and felt that is why she was able to get more. Madison was a mentor to her; her belief in her and her ability inspired her to believe she could make more out of her wrestling career.
She revealed she ordered some Shimmer DVD's to catch up on their product. Shimmer owner Dave Prazak sent a handwritten note back with them. He wrote that they wanted her in Shimmer as soon as possible and asked what date worked best for her. She freaked out with excitement and put the note on her cork board. It was cool to her that he handwrote her. Her Shimmer debut would come the following year 2013. It was revealed that all her friends back home stayed up to watch the show Live, chipping in to buy the pay-per-view. She said they were all excited and happy for her, sending messages and texts.
After her first Shimmer show she did her first tour of Japan that she admitted was initially a bit intimidating. She lived there for three months; it was very different from what she was used to. However, it was a good experience that taught her how other cultures treat wrestling. Following her first tour of Japan she wanted to continue to go to other countries to learn more about how different cultures treated wrestling.
In 2014 she got her first tryout with WWE. She trained relentlessly, however admitted nothing could have prepared someone for that two day, intense tryout. She was informed after that they had nothing for her but would keep her on their radar. What she was told made her feel she gave a good impression. She continued to improve her craft and learn as much as possible about it. Around the same time as the tryout she worked her first match for MCW which eventually became her new wrestling home.
She felt the feud she had with Kellie Skater displayed the top level of talent in Australia and New Zealand. A Falls Count Anywhere Match featuring women hadn't really been done at that level in Australia prior so the one between Skater and Evie was revolutionary for that scene. It's brought up that the fans were really into it and appreciative of their work. She pointed out that the Women's Revolution started on the independent scene. And that some of the women who heated the revolution up in NXT for WWE brought the change in style up from their independent roots.
The rivalry with Kellyanne from MCW was brought up next. She felt they built on what Kellie Skater and her did. Kellyanne pushed and challenged her to become better. Her Last Woman Standing Match against Kellyanne she noted as her favorite match to that point. She pointed out there was a lot of hype behind it on an international level via the internet, however to her they were just wrestling. The hype and recognition the match got was good though to her because it emphasized what her and a lot of people wanted women's wrestling to be, which is taken seriously.
She revealed prior to the Last Woman Standing Match she was doing work for Shimmer and got invited to the WWE Performance Center. It was a great experience for her but she didn't make much of it. However, two days later she got the WWE contract offer email that she had been waiting years for. She admitted she balled her eyes out opening the email; getting a bit emotional at the recollection too. Her family were ecstatic for the news. It was pointed out she was the first female signed to WWE from New Zealand. She noted a lot of people in New Zealand care about wrestling so for her being the first Kiwi to be signed by WWE is a huge responsibility.
To end the documentary, there is footage of her preparing for her final MCW match which was against Kellyanne. She credited her time on the independent scene for giving her a lot of friends, lessons and experience. She admitted it's a bit scary and overwhelming to be starting a new chapter of her career. She's just glad to have her final independent match in MCW which has been her family for the last couple years. Gratitude is expressed to her MCW co-workers and fans who accepted her as one of their own. For what is to come: She's going to do what she does which is wrestle while being true to herself.
