TNA Wrestling star Ash By Elegance has undergone an incredible transformation as she looks to make an impact in her new home.
The 35-year-old wrestler, who was known as Dana Brooke in before , stepped out earlier this month and showcased a whole new persona.
Explaining how it’s much closer to her real life self, she exclusively told Metro.co.uk: ‘I’m a very elegant type of person. I like to dress nice. I like to be classy up with the latest trends, the fashions everything like that.
‘I’m very confident about myself and there’s a side of me that I haven’t been able to show… So I feel like confidence is key to go out there and perform and wrestle.’
She added: ‘I’m going to show up and I’m going to show out every single time, and bring a side that I try and live my life like every single day. Elegant, classy, a little sassy. And I’m going to show that in the ring.’
Ash was shown in the crowd for the TNA Knockouts World Title match between Trinity and current champion Jordynne Grace – who both over the weekend – and she was excited to be back on screen in a big way.
She recalled: ‘I was in my my hotel room. I’m like, “Oh my God, it’s happening!” It was surreal. For the three months I wasn’t on TV, I wasn’t to be all done up and have my nails, hair, everything done.
‘And then leading up to it’s like, “Oh my God, I gotta get my hair done, my nails and all this, get all my gear!” ‘
The explained that despite still training and wrestling – she had particular praise for Natalya and her husband TJ Wilson for being big supporters at their school – she wasn’t ‘TV ready’ towards the end of last year.
‘And then after Hard To Kill, it’s like, “Oh my God, I am doing this. This is happening,”‘ she smiled. ‘And I get to live this dream that I’ve been wanting to live for the past 12 years.’
The build-up to her big moment was tense, with Ash having to keep quiet about her surprise debut despite the fact she ‘hates lying’.
‘I just had to keep everything secret. Like, I remember arriving to Las Vegas airport and I put on hat on down to here,’ she said. ‘Nobody even recognised me. I’m like, please, I just really want this to shock the world!’
A makeup artist for TNA came to her hotel to help her get ready, and was even ready to tell people she had a ‘family emergency’ if they wondered why she was late to the show.
‘My little son helped me pick out my outfit. I’m like, I hope this is right because then you can only make one first impression,’ she laughed.
She was ‘rushed in’ to the venue into her own ‘little room’, already in her dress with her hair and makeup all set until she got a knock on the door and it was time to go.
‘I’m walking out and people are doing a double take and they’re like, “Oh my God, that’s her,”‘ she said of the moment fans started to see her walking to her seat.
‘It felt so great for people to be like, “We knew you can do it. We didn’t want you to stop.” It’s such a great feeling for people to support me and know that I am making the right decision.’
It’s been ‘heartwarming’ for Ash to get to meet everyone in TNA, from to the rest of the Knockouts in the lockerroom.
While some comments on social media were disheartening – Ash was instantly compared to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Toni Storm and her classic Hollywood siren persona – she isn’t letting them get to her.
‘How am I getting compared? It’s the same hairstyle. I haven’t talked. I haven’t had a microphone in my hand. I haven’t even stepped foot in a ring. You haven’t seen me wrestle here? What are you making comparisons about a hairstyle? Anybody could have the same hairstyle,’ she laughed.
‘You cannot make everyone happy. So I just have to take away from it, if I’m being talked about, negative or positive, my name is relevant. I’m doing something right.’
And now, she is inspired and motivated in an environment where ‘women are featured throughout the entire thing’ from top to bottom,
‘I can go in with a creative mindset knowing I’m going to be utilised, I’m going to be on TV,’ she beamed. ‘[At Hard To Kill], I felt like a star… For 12 years, it was hard because I never got that feeling.’
She added: ‘And within a matter of 10 minutes, it was like… I’m a star!’
Tune into TNA Wrestling in the UK via TNA+, DAZN and YouTube.
