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WOMEN'S WRESTLING SPOTLIGHT: THE POWER OF GRACE

The Power of Grace

by Paul Crockett

Her Twitter biography says it all: "I bench 170. I squat 225.  Does that answer all your questions?" But at only 20 years old, do not make the mistake of calling Jordynne Grace a newcomer to professional wrestling (like I unfortunately did).

"I've been wrestling for six years," Jordynne said.  "I'm just a newcomer to the East Coast."

At the age of 14, she started wrestling and spent her first three years in Texas, followed by spending time in the "deep South" of Georgia before making a permanent move to the Northeast.  Although it was not difficult to find work in Texas, the sheer size of the state made things a logistical problem.

"It was kind of difficult because Texas is gigantic as you probably know," she said.  "The time from Houston to El Paso is like eight or twelve hours, one or the other.  And here (the Northeast), you can cross three or four states (in that time)."

Before leaving, however, she spent time plying her trade in Mexico, but did not find it as enjoyable as some others have.  While she found the style to be "so quick and spotty," there were other issues with working South of the Border.

"The learning curve is definitely there," she said.  "The main issue I had really was the language barrier because there's no translators there."

But that wasn't all.

"Oh my God!" she proclaimed.  "I can't even tell you how hard it is to find a gym there.  And you can't really ask anyone because you don't know the language."

In those six years, however, Grace has crafted a look and a style that sets her apart from every other female wrestler in the industry.  With a low center of gravity, an overwhelming sense of power, and agility you wouldn't expect to come with such strength, she has become someone worth watching in independent wrestling.

While she said she is "not a big fan of the guy," Grace admitted that Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling star Michael Elgin is someone she has picked up a lot of knowledge from both in training seminars and by watching him work.  For anyone who has seen Grace, the comparisons are obvious.

"His style is what I NEED to be doing," she said.  "He just throws people around, and that's basically what I need to be doing."

Another past New Japan star that has also caught her eye and been a heavy influence on her style is Masato Tanaka.  After her boyfriend and fellow wrestler Jonathan Gresham showed her video of the former ECW World Champion, she was instantly hooked.

"His presence is other worldly," she said.  "It's like he's basically not human."

That presence and aura are two qualities that she stressed are very important, and something she hopes to bring to the ring whenever she wrestles, whether it be against women or against men.

For her run with Beyond Wrestling in New England, it started with a run-in at their January show in Somerville, MA in January.  It continued with a match in Providence, RI against Veda Scott in February.  From there, she took a (literally) huge step up when she faced 6'7" Ryan Galeone in an intergender match on WrestleMania weekend in the Rhode Island capital.  Now, in the debut of the new Women's Wrestling Revolution promotion in Providence, she takes another step forward with a 2 out of 3 falls match against Scott, whom she had nothing but praise for.

"She's honestly one of the most improved wrestlers I've ever come across," she told me.  "I've seen matches with her from five or six years ago and I wasn't impressed at all.  And then I wrestled her last month and she just blows my mind with how much she's improved in the last few years."

For Grace, her path for improvement over the next few years doesn't have a set plan.  It does, however, have a name that she aspires to be like: current NXT Women's Champion Asuka.  After calling her "the embodiment of what women's professional wrestling" should be, she said something else about her that was interesting.  And if the path Grace takes in wrestling continues as it's currently going, her words about Asuka could sum up her own career when it's all said and done.

"Pardon my language," Grace prefaced.  "But she's not just t***s and a**.  She's a phenomenal wrestler and can pretty much do anything in the ring."

Does that answer all of your questions?  It did for me.

Paul Crockett can be followed @HelloCrockett.

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