In Turnbuckle Time’s latest exclusive interview, Kenzie Paige (@KenziePaige_1) sits down with Turnbuckle Times own, Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) to discuss her time with NWA so far, her upcoming match wrestling alongside Big Mama to defend the NWA World Women’s Tag Team Championships against Tiffany Nieves and Ms. Starr, her relationship with Kylie, Pretty Empowered, Kamille, Natalya, and so much more. Watch it in its entirety below and read it all below.

You and Big Mama will be defending the NWA World Women’s Tag Team Championships against Tiffany Nieves and Ms. Starr this Saturday night at Hard Times V. What’s your mindset heading into this one?

“Me and Big Mama haven’t gotten to team a lot, but in this case scenario, we’re more established than Tiffany and Ms. Starr just getting together. Me and Big Mama, the more we work together, the more I feel the chemistry and everything just kind of connecting. I feel like if we do beat Tiffany Nieves and Ms. Starr, it’ll be a good confidence booster for Big Mama, and the tag team as a whole. Me, Kylie, and Big Mama, we’re all focused on every tag match that we have. Ms. Starr just held the tag team titles, she knows what it means to be a champion and she’s probably hungry to be champion again, but in the same sense I’m the NWA Women’s World Champion and I have been for a year and a half. If nobody has beaten me for that, then what makes you think you’re going to beat me for the tag titles? That’s just my philosophy going into it. But, I’m trying to remain humble. I’m still very focused on the match. I’m more concerned about how me and Big Mama are going to do, rather than if we’re going to win the match because I believe we are going to win the match with Kylie’s help, if needed.”

What has it been like working alongside Big Mama and Kylie in this new group?

“I think it’s been just different. Pretty Empowered was one to ourselves anyway, like in real life we’re too ourselves, and whenever we had our last tag partner they turned on us and went completely against us, so we are kind of backing away from people and not easy to get in with. But, Big Mama just fits right in. She is the mom of the group. You don’t get to mess with Kenzie and Kylie because Big Mama will get you. That’s how me and Kylie look at it. I think the dynamic works perfectly and the longer we’re together, not only will it be good in the ring, but it’ll be more entertaining outside of it as well.”

How did Pretty Empowered begin for you with Ella Envy and of course Kylie Paige, and what made it so much fun working together?

“Me and Kylie are real-life sisters. But before she got into wrestling, me and Ella Envy hit the roads. Ella lived with me for a little while. We were both 19, both going through the same boy stuff at that time in real life. We kind of found each other, we both love wrestling, love the color pink, and love certain things, and we just kind of clicked. Once we started traveling and doing these other shows, we were either wrestling each other or teaming up together. We just kind of felt that chemistry the whole time. I knew from the jump, as soon as I stepped in the ring with Ella Envy that this was going to be magical. Whether we’re together or wrestling each other, this girl and I will make magic together. Then, she came to NWA with me. I was kind of already doing some singles stuff, and I had her come with me. Mr. Pat Kenney saw her, Billy (Corgan) saw her, and they loved her. She oozes charisma. They just fell in love with her like everyone does. Then obviously with Kylie starting, we were just the perfect trio. It was legendary for the National Wrestling Alliance, and it is something I miss a lot. I do miss THE Pretty Empowered, the three of us. Now we just coast along, put Big Mama in that spot. We have the titles again so we’re doing something right. But yeah, that’s how me and Ella and Kylie all started Pretty Empowered.”

When you saw Kylie was going to follow in your footsteps, you as a big sister, how did that feel for you?

“I was proud because I felt like maybe everything I was doing was cool to her. Of course, the big sister was cool, so I was like okay cool. Then I thought about it and I was like okay, I want her to have it, not easier than I did in the wrestling part of it, but in dealing with people and dealing with attitudes and dealing with fans and dealing with certain things she shouldn’t have to deal with. My main goal from that point on was she’s going to have it easier than I did, because I can give her that. Nobody could give me that, but I can give Kylie that. I think with being the big sister, I’m proud of her, but I was in protective mode, and still to this day. She is the heater, she’s the one that will snap and fight, but I’m still the big sister. So, when it comes to the serious stuff, I feel like I pretty much step in and handle that stuff to a tee.”

Whether you’re teaming with Kylie or going against her, how good does it make you feel to see how far she’s come?

“I’m very emotional anyways, like I’d be surprised if I didn’t cry one time on this interview. But, I get very emotional. Being able to stand across the ring and it’s literally like my mini-me, the girl I shared a room with for however many years, forever until I turned 18. Shared a room, I took her to school, and we rode the bus together, I mean everything. Now, we get to share the same dream. We are on different levels, but the same level at the same time. We’re in the same place at different levels. Just to stand across the ring from her, and she gets a shot at the Burke, and let me just say, it’s the number one thing in my life. It’s changed my life completely. So, to stand across the ring from Kylie in the sense that I’m defending the Burke, the NWA Women’s World Championship, and the most important thing to me because it has turned my life completely around, it’s a proud moment and an emotional moment. But also when I’m in there with her, we get it. We do almost have the same brain, so not only is it going to be good for us, but the fans are going to get a treat too. Whether we’re teaming, standing across the ring from each other, whatever it is, me and Kylie set to do the same thing. Put on a good show, and entertain.”

How special was it to you to win the NWA World Women’s Championship, and be the pillar and top of the mountain now in the NWA women’s division?

“I just turned 23 on March 5th. When I won the belt I was young and I was worried about how people would perceive it, like is she too young and can she really carry the load? I feel like I’ve done a really good job. I can go with whoever you throw me in the ring with, I can go on any podcast or interview and do what I need to do, and I can communicate with the fans and have a connection with the fans outside of the ring. Like, I go out and do the pre-show meet and greets before they see me in the ring. I try and start that connection whether I’m a heel or babyface, you’re going to want to feel something towards me. Just being the pillar for other women’s wrestlers to get to, when wrestling fans think of NWA you think of Flair, Dusty, and stuff like that. But, when you think of modern-day NWA, you can’t not think about Kenzie Paige. I’ve done everything I can to put my name in the history books, and that’s something nobody can erase or take away from me. I’m the youngest NWA women’s world champion, I’m the first-ever double champion, I’m the first-ever triple crown champion, and then I was the youngest tag champion until my sister came in, and now she’s the youngest tag champion. Like, we’ve engraved our name in the history and I don’t want that to be forgotten. While I’m here at NWA, I do want to make a change, I do want it to be more serious, and I do want it to be taken as a real thing. I want you to want to watch Kenzie Paige, period. No matter what the circumstances are, what the platform or where we’re at, I want to be so good that the fans are like no matter what is on NWA, I’m watching because Kenzie Paige is on tonight. That’s what I think it’s like to be the real pillar, or the real face of NWA is. Being able to draw that attention or get that attention in NWA, that’s what I want to do. I want to just keep drawing eyes to the National Wrestling Alliance and to the other women like Kylie, Markova, Tiffany, La Rosa, and Ruthie, and all of these women who put their heart and soul into wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance. I want to be the one to shine that light on all of us. Not just me for being the champion, but all of us.”

How important is it to you to win the top prize but stay humble and not forget where you came from?

“I think I have a different perspective because my dad was a promoter and now I’m a promoter. I’ll tell you this, and this is God’s truth. Being a promoter and running a show is ten times harder than being a wrestler. I would go out and wrestle every day of the week. I would run a show once a week, once a month if I had to. It’s a lot mentally and physically. You have to mark off everything. When I go to these other shows and I’m just a wrestler, I see myself in them. I’m like, what can I do to help? Instead of going over there and asking them, to pick something up, use common sense. If you see chairs are getting put up, go over and grab a chair. If someone wants to correct you they will. But, I think I have a different approach than a lot of others because I have to play both sides. That’s probably why I pitch in and help because I’ve been on both sides of the fence. So, yeah. That’s probably why I help.”

The night you defeated Kamille, what was it like to be the one to break her historic reign and start one of your own?

“I have the utmost respect for Kamille. She has been one of those people I look up to. In real life, in wrestling, in my religion, just certain things I do question and I do go to her for those. She does help me out a lot. I feel like she is like a big sister to me. She did watch over the locker room. She was a great champion and did everything a champion is supposed to do. So, to be the one to take the Burke off of her, I was questioning a lot. Can I keep up with it, can I handle it? Then I was like you know what, if they didn’t believe in me I wouldn’t be in this position. This is something that was told to me when I first started, do what brought you to the dance. Now that I’m here, I’m going to keep dancing. I’m not going to stop. I’m going to do what brought me here. I’m going to keep being the best wrestler I can be. I’m going to keep popping off with my little attitude. At that moment I tried to stay true to myself, but realized this was a big change for the NWA, for you, and for Kamille, so not drop the ball and do something with it. That’s one of my problems as well. I don’t ever take something good that’s happened to me and say oh wow, something good is happening, it’s always what’s next? That whole night, my family was all there, nobody knew. When I won, I saw my whole family break down into tears and it was a big moment for my family. So, I cried and had my moment, then as soon as I got back to the locker room I was like, what’s next? I had to keep going. That’s what Kamille did. Kamille just kept going and going and things just got better and better, and the matches got better and better. So, I had to step in those shoes, and here we are, a year and a half later.”

Did coming from a wrestling family make this feel more special or add any flair to this?

“Oh yeah, yeah. My dad understands the prestige of the NWA how prestigious the women’s belt is and how prestigious the Burke is, in general. To not only have the Burke but also be the youngest woman to win the Burke, it was like two big moments for me in one night. My wrestling career is for me, for my family, for my sister, I’m not just doing this for me. My wrestling is for everyone in my family to live vicariously through me. For me to win was a win for my family. This is something I get to take back to my house, and you know, I get to show it to my family. I get to show a real-world championship to them. It was a big moment for me. Every time I fly back and that Burke is still weighing down my suitcase I’m like you know what? You did it again, and it never changed. Every time I defend it and retain it, it feels like the first time again, like you did it again.”

What has this reign felt like for you and working with a who’s who in the NWA, and what can we expect to come?

“I just want to keep growing as the women’s world champion. I want to put the tag titles on a bigger platform. I want me and Big Mama to travel around and defend them against more people. A big thing for me is that I would like an official tag team in the NWA. A real tag team to test Big Mama and I. You have the Lady Birds right now, you have Tiffany and Ms. Starr, and you have me and Big Mama. We’re missing something. We need another tag team to continue to build up that tag division. Just keep building the women up. That’s what I want to do. You know, I have beat Markova, Ella, and Tiffany, so either let’s refresh and beat some more girls in. Or, and I will say this, it’s going to be Kylie and Markova at Hard Times V for a Number One Contendership. Right there, it could be a family feud. Everyone always asks me how I’d feel about Kylie trying to go after the Burke, like why would I hold her back? The Burke changed my life and was the greatest thing to ever happen to me, and I won’t hold Kylie back from that. If she wants to take her pick and try to beat Markova and come after me, you’ll just be another opponent across the ring from me. If that’s something I’m going to have to bear, or cross, or deal with, that’s something I’m going to have to deal with in the future. But, it’s all respect on my end. She’ll just be another opponent on that night. If Kylie wins this weekend, sisterly love, sister feud, that’s what it’s going to be. But I’m just going to keep building and doing what I can.”

What has it been like wearing two hats and running Kross Fire Wrestling alongside Kylie after having it passed down to you guys?

“It’s difficult, I’m not even going to lie. Being a promoter is ten times harder than being a wrestler. Honestly, hats off to all of the promoters that run consistently, and all the time. We do once a month, but we go to different cities and different areas, but we’re hitting different markets, different places, different fans, and different people. We have to take our ring and all of this stuff. From top-to-bottom, every problem, situation, and scenario is the promoters to deal with it. There’s nothing you can’t worry about on show day. I already have anxiety in regular life, so being a promoter is difficult. But the feeling after you have a good show is so rewarding, so rewarding. It’s like if you ever sit out in a hot desert for two days with no water and someone brings you cold refreshing water, that’s what it feels like. That is refreshing, I can breathe again. Like, that’s really what it feels like. Having KFW, keeping it afloat, and keeping it going and taking it to a new level and bringing it to new buildings and new areas, that’s me and my sister doing that. My dad, I love him, he cares so much about wrestling. So, we all just get together and our family bonding time is just putting the show together. I don’t think there’s any other perfect way that we’d be getting together. We have our dinner, think of a wrestling show, and that’s our family time. I do think it helps the family a lot, we are getting closer, which hell how much closer can we get, we’re already really close. But, running the wrestling show, and having to deal with the bad nights, good nights, great nights, and awful nights, all together, we’ve all just started picking up with alright there’s going to be good nights there’s going to be awful nights, but those are things that we’re just going to have to take head on every time. That’s something I needed to know because I’m not used to failure. I’m not used to failing or not getting how I  envisioned something because I like to do everything in my power to make things work how I envision it, and if it doesn’t happen like that I do get upset. But wrestling has taught me that not everything is going to work out how I envision it, but sometimes that’s the blessing. It’s helped personally and in our family lives, and the show is growing and going to new heights that none of us would have ever imagined.”

NWA recently announced that Natalya will be at the Crockett Cup in May. What were your thoughts when you saw this announced?

“I feel like, being the champion maybe in my wildest dreams there’s a possibility we may get to do something. But, I don’t know. I don’t know what her reasoning is for coming to the NWA. But, I’m the NWA Women’s World Champion. So, I respect Nattie with all of my heart. I think she’s the best women’s wrestler in the world, I think she’s a future Hall of Famer, she’s a legend. But, when you come to NWA, this is a territory that I built up. This is my show. This is where I’ve worked hard. I’m glad she’s bringing all this praise and she’s shining a very positive and big light on the National Wrestling Alliance. So for that, being the champion, I have to look at her and have to say thank you. Thank you for doing something which I don’t have the name value that Nattie Neidhart has, but I’m on my way, and this is my territory and I’m building it. So, when she comes in here, I want to say thank you, but also your competition to me. That’s just how I look at it in my head. It’s a full-circle moment to have her there. I got to train with her when I was 16 with Dr. Tom Pritchard. She is, and I’m not just saying this because she’s coming to NWA, but she’s someone I look up to. I drew her in my senior year art class project. Like she was my project. So, this goes past even wrestling. As a kid, she’s who I looked up to. She had pink hair, I’m a huge Bret Hart fan, I have like 48 Bret Hart shirts. Any time I’m at a show it’s usually what I’m wearing. So, it’s all a full-circle moment. From training with her, I got to train with her, Beth, Edge, and FTR, and they treated me with the utmost respect. So now she’s coming into the NWA, and I’m a little bit older, I’m 23 now. Thank you is the first thing I’m going to say. Thank you for shining that light, bringing that positivity, and coming to the National Wrestling Alliance, because I know it’s a big deal for her too because that history is there and everything the NWA stands for, she stands for. So, it’s just a big full-circle moment. I can only be hopeful and pray and wish that if she is coming here for a fight, she wants to fight the champion. But, I don’t know. That’s up to her to decide, but I’m going to be saving my place at the top of the throne no matter what she does.”

How much fun is it to be a part of the NWA with everything going on for them right  now and recently getting a streaming deal with The CW?

“It is a lot of fun to be a part of it. It is even more fun because I have my sister there with me, and I get to work with Billy Corgan and Miss Jazz. I think that’s why I hate seeing negative feedback on social media. But coming from me, I have to think that I’m putting on the best matches I can, they’re enjoying my matches, and whenever I walk in I’m working with Miss Jazz, Billy Corgan, and all these important people that never in my life, like when did I think I’d be walking in a locker room and I’m going to sit down beside Miss Jazz and talk about not only wrestling but life. Miss Jazz keeps up with me and she lets me come train with her whenever I want. NWA has opened up a door for me and has helped me a lot mentally. So, that’s where I see we get some negative feedback online and blah blah blah, but try us out because backstage, and even Nattie said this in one of her interviews, but we are a tight-knit family, and we only want to put on the best show possible that we can. So, that’s kind of where our heads are at. For me being in the NWA, has built me as a person, as a wrestler, as a friend, and just in all aspects of my life, NWA has shaped me into who Kenzie Paige is. I think that’s because I have Miss Jazz there literally molding me into the perfect champion and trying to shape me into the best that I can be. It’s probably from Miss Jazz, Billy, but also I have my sister. Everything just works perfectly. So, right now I’m where I’m supposed to be for the time being, that’s how I feel.”

Are there any dream matches you have or opponents you’d love to face off with?

“Well, obviously Nattie would be my first dream match. That’s not just because of circumstances, that’s because of real life. Another one, just from anywhere, I’ve had great matches with Jordynne Grace. She’d be another one I feel like I can prove myself with. Charlotte Flair. People like that. That would probably be my top three right now. Nattie for my full circle moment, Jordynne to prove to anyone hey, Kenzie can go, maybe I feel like sometimes in the NWA I don’t get to show that all the time, but I can go, and maybe I feel like Jordynne Grace would be a great proving point for me, and then Charlotte Flair is the end all be all, like she’s one that I’m going to work towards, she’s on my vision board for sure.”

What’s next for Kenzie Paige whether it be goals or more you’d like to accomplish?

“While I have the time that I have in NWA, I want to make more history. It’s going to be hard because I’ve done so much already, but I think that’s kind of where I’m at right now, what is next for Kenzie? I don’t like being in that position because like I said earlier, I’m always in the state of mind of what’s next and how could I be better. You can always do more. You can train more, do more shows, etc. As far as history goes though, what more can I do in the National Wrestling Alliance? So, that’s kind of where I’m at. I’m a double champion right now, hopefully, I won’t lose them this weekend. But, what is next? Like really, what’s next? I’ve done everything that I can. So, to be in this position is a blessing but also a curse. Now I have to come up with new avenues. It’s as simple as what’s next? That’s really how I have to think. I’ve checked off every mark that I’ve ever made. Everything I’ve ever wanted to accomplish, I’ve accomplished. So, now it’s time to re-up those goals and restart and re-think. Okay, here’s where I am now, now what’s realistic for you? It’s something I’m going to have to figure out?”

Any message you have to anyone who may be reading this?

“Yes. Take care of your mental health and anxiety is a liar. That’s my number one thing, that’s what I’ve wanted to hear, and that’s what I still have to hear to this day. So, that’s what I want to send off. Take care of your mental health, and your anxiety is a liar.”