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ZOEY STARK DISCUSSES HER LADDER MATCH AT STAND AND DELIVER, HER GREAT ROYAL RUMBLE PERFORMANCE, LIFE EXPERIENCES SINCE COMING TO WWE AND MORE

PWInsider.com sat down with WWE NXT's Zoey Stark at Wrestlemania Media Day to discuss tomorrow's NXT Stand and Deliver and more.

 

Mike Johnson: How are you today?

Zoey Stark: I'm amazing. How are you?

Mike Johnson: I'm doing great. You got to be happy about being here. It was in the Vegas area, not too far from here, where you really started making your name, and you are home this weekend.

Zoey Stark: Vegas is where things really started happening for me, so, yeah, I am home. Born and raised in California, so I love being here. I was raised in San Bernardino, so I'm so excited to be here.

Mike Johnson: Well, welcome home.

Zoey Stark: Thank you.

Mike Johnson: So let's talk the obvious. You've had a hell of a year thus far, starting with the Royal Rumble.  When you found out you were going to be tasked with getting in there in one of the biggest matches of the year, and then you found out you were going to have hell of a run in there-

Zoey Stark: That was unexpected. I was not expecting-

Mike Johnson: The run or the invitation?

Zoey Stark: The run...well, both. I always hope. When I see something big coming up, I'm like, "Ooh, I really want that. What can I do to make sure that I get that?" And then, when I got that, "Great, I'm so excited." It made me really emotional. And then, the run, right? When I found out how long I'm really going to be in there, I wasn't expecting that.

Mike Johnson: When you find out, are you overwhelmed or is it, "All right, let's go, Coach. I got this"?

Zoey Stark: Let's go. I got it. Give me the ball. I'm going to run. I'm hitting a home run with that.

Mike Johnson: Well, you got a big ball this weekend in the shape of a ladder.   Thoughts on the match? Obviously a huge level of competition there.  A lot of really talented women thoughts going in. What's it like for you in terms of strategy, in terms of emotional and physical prep?

Zoey Stark: I'm really excited. Like you said, the talent in that ring is absolutely insane. The prep for me is: I'm just watching a little bit of film, but I don't feel like you could ever really get prepared for a ladder match, because anything and everything could happen in a ladder match. You can't trust those ladders.

Mike Johnson: They don't know how to work.

Zoey Stark: They don't know how to work! [Laughs] Yeah, so I'm really excited for this. It's going to be a great match. We're going to have a blast. We're going to have a hell of a run in that ring.

Mike Johnson: So I often talk about the unique life experience that it is to be in the pro wrestling world. How did your life change in terms of just life experiences going into the WWE system? Because you were already a great wrestler prior to that. That's why they signed you. But there's a whole different world to what they do compared to-

Zoey Stark:It's a different ballgame.

Mike Johnson:  So what's life experiences been beyond just working out in the ring and figuring out who Zoey Stark is on camera?

Zoey Stark: It was like a total turn, because you learn one thing on the indies circuit and everything, but as soon as you get to WWE, it's a whole different ballgame. A different light of things. I had no idea what I was really doing. I was working for about nine years before getting signed. But you learn... It's like you have to retrain your brain to the WWE system, which to me is the ultimate system, because I've been the best I've ever been right now.

Mike Johnson: When you look at all the other women that are involved this weekend in your match, who's the one that you're looking most forward to locking up with that maybe you haven't had a chance to do something that you feel is meaningful for you in front of the eyes of the fans on a big show like Stand & Deliver?

Zoey Stark: There's no locking up in this match. We're just going straight to it. It's going to be a brawl. We're going to destroy each other. The one person I really haven't been able to just share one-on-one ring time with is Lyra, and I would love to be able to do that. I've done that with all the other girls and they're all great. But Lyra, she's amazing at what she does. She's really, really good.

Mike Johnson: So obviously we're on the precipice of WrestleMania.

Zoey Stark: Yeah.

Mike Johnson: How does it feel to be this close and knowing that this will be the future for you at some point?

Zoey Stark: I'm excited. I'm going to keep saying that word because, for me, this is my Disneyland. I get to live my dream right now, and I would love nothing more than for, next year, to be a part of WrestleMania. But I'm just so happy to be here and be a part of Stand & Deliver, especially because I wasn't able to make it last year. So that's a bucket list right there.

Mike Johnson: How are you feeling with the knee? I know it's giving you some problems at times.

Zoey Stark: Great.

Mike Johnson: It feels good? 

Zoey Stark: Yeah, man. It's great. It's probably stronger than my other knee.

Mike Johnson: Knock on wood.

Zoey Stark: Yeah. Right? Is there wood around? No. Damn.

Mike Johnson: We'll pretend.  We'll work it in there. CGI.

Zoey Stark: Throw some salt over my shoulder.

Mike Johnson: I know you've got to go. I wish you nothing but the best in health and success, and we'll see you next year in Philadelphia when you make your WrestleMania debut.

Zoey Stark: Yes, sir! Thank you so much.

 

 

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