Marina Shafir on Her Character in AEW Being Like G.I. Jane, Her Reason for Joining The Death Riders, & Being Lone Woman in Death Riders

A recent episode of the AEW Up Close with Renee Paquette show featured Marina Shafir as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Shafir’s thoughts about her current character in AEW and her belief it is similar to a G.I. Jane character.

“I’m not a flashy, flippy toy. I’m a fucking G.I. Jane fucking character. I’m just very different from the rest of the roster and I needed to understand that that was special in itself and just learning how to fortify that and not, you know, just completely go left and start doing shit that I’m not good at. I’m good at fucking people up. I’m just good at fucking people up. I’m good at standing my fucking ground, and I want to draw, like I’ve always wanted to draw something out of the women that was feral and messy and dirty and that’s, I feel like that is my purpose here.”

Shafir also gave her thoughts about her reasons for joining Jon Moxley’s Death Riders group and if the work ethic of the group had attracted her.

“I think so. I think so. I think when I first came to AEW, the Blackpool Combat Club was very appealing to me. But on the hierarchy of things, I was very low on the list. So I just- I saw this group of people and they were just being authentically who they wanted to be. There was no overproduction of anything, and it was just them policing themselves and I just, I wanted to do that for myself. I wanted to not come to work and feel like I had to give up my soul, I was more of like, what can I give from me and add to this make this better? What do you need from me being selfless and being consistently selfless. That’s the shit. That’s the shit that I think drew me into that and like, I always go back to that one meeting, all the top guys just saying like, ‘Hey, if you need help, just come to us.’ I didn’t want to turn into something that I wasn’t. Cause then that’s just, it’s a flash in the pan and I’m not a flash in the pan. I’m not that kind of gal. I’ve never been that kind of gal. That’s just where it all started. I asked for help. I just needed feedback, and that’s kind of where it’s like feedback that I could really resonate with. Not like you’re trying to hit a mark. Where are you now? What are the steps of growth from there?”

Shafir also gave her thoughts about her being the only woman in the Death Riders group.

“I mean, I grew up with brothers and I just kind of- the only thing I can relate it to is just I get to work with my brothers who have my back, who want me to grow and they want me to learn and just evolve as a wrestler, as a person. They care and it’s kind of- it feels very family associated and I really am enjoying that because that’s just what I’m about.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com 1, 2, & 3