Insight with Chris Van Vliet - Sadie Gibbs on being released from AEW because of Covid, Crossfit, mental health, Sasuke Special

Episode Date: October 27, 2020

Sadie Gibbs talks with Chris Van Vliet from London, England. She talks about how she was released from AEW because of Covid and how she was 5 days away from moving to Atlanta when international travel got locked down. She also opens up about how she was originally discovered by AEW, how she is the only female wrestler to pull of the Sasuke Special, her love of working out and Crossfit, how she keeps her positive attitude, the books that have inspired her the most and so much more! Support the show by supporting our sponsors: INDEED- Get a $75 credit to boost your job post by going to http://indeed.com/BlueWire BETONLINE- Get a new sign up bonus by using the promo code BLUEWIRE at http://betonline.ag Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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it's hard finding that reason. But you just have to keep going, follow your intuition, really. It's Chrysomania, brother. That's a great question. Look at you, man. The powerful questions. Woo! This is the Chris Van Bleach Show.

Chris Van Bleach Show. Ladies and gentlemen. Chris. All right, let's do it. Welcome back, my friends, to the Chris Van Fleet Show. This episode is brought to you by Indeed and Bet Online. And since March, you know, we've all been dealing with this strange time together. In quarantine, wearing masks.

washing our hands. I mean, I hope you were washing your hands before, but you know what I'm talking about. Regardless, this has affected all of us. And from my guest today, Sadie Gibbs, it was the reason that she was let go from her AEW contract. She was five days away from moving from her home in London to Atlanta so she could be closer to AEW headquarters so she could be closer to the nightmare factory to train more. And then the lockdowns happened. And boom, she wasn't able to travel. So I'll let her tell the full story here because she's handling it with such grace, a word that she uses often, and also such optimism. Snap a screenshot. Let us know that you're with us on this one. And share this with someone who might need to hear this positive message because there's so

much positivity in this. Tag me. I'm at Chris Van Fleet. Tag Sadie on Instagram. She is at the Sadie Gibbs. And if it's your first time here, it would mean so much to me if you could subscribe on whatever platform it is that you're listening on right now. And if you could also leave a review, if you have like a spare minute in your day, that'd be so great if you could leave a review as well. If it's your first time here, I read a review on every single episode of the show. It's my way to say thank you. And also my way to say, you know, if you'd like to leave a review, I'll read one out for you on the show. I have a very specific goal. Two thousand reviews by May 19th. Now, May 19th isn't just like an arbitrary day. May 19th.

is my birthday. So 2,000 reviews by May 19th. Right now, we are at 1221. So we're getting there. This review comes from Nikki Morts, who says, CVV is the best. Oh, thank you. Just wanted to take the time to thank you for your hard work, Chris. You present a very professional product and ask very interesting questions. Love the content and keep up the great work. Thank you for entertaining us through this crazy 2020. Well, thank you for that, Nick. You appreciate that. Yeah, it's been a crazy year, but I feel like there's the silver lining in this year. I feel like there's there's opportunities out there. But thank you. And we're trying to make the best of this and got some big things coming here for the podcast in the next three to six months, big things. So keep your eye,

you'll see it. It'll be very obvious. You won't have to keep your eyes out for it. It'll just it'll appear and you'll go, oh, that's the big thing he was talking about. Speaking of big, Sadie Gibbs had a big opportunity when AEW offered her a contract last year. And as you'll hear in this interview, she puts all of herself into everything that she does. So just a few months after Dynamite debuted on TV, she had plans to move to Atlanta because that's where stuff was happening with AEW. And then COVID happened. but she is taking this all in stride, and she's coming out on the other side of this

even better than she was when she started. And I was so inspired hearing her story of how she got to where she is now and all the things that she still feels like she needs to accomplish. She talks about the three opponents that she really wants to face, and I didn't expect this,

but she got pretty emotional at one point in this interview. So let's get to it. Please welcome. Sadie Gibbs. Well, here we go. Sadie, it's so good to see you. You too.

Through the magic of the internet, we can be speaking from one continent to another continent. It's crazy. Without any pausing or time delays. At least not for now. Don't jinx this. Yeah, I know. How's everything going in your world?

Really good, really good. Just staying positive and, yeah, just keep moving forward, really, in the direction I want to go with the... fitness side because that's in my control at the moment. So just focusing on that. Wrestling in the UK is pretty much non-existent at the moment. I think, I don't think there's any shows running online or anything at the moment. So I think the WWNXT is still going. But other than that, it's, yeah, no indies. You know, every time I look at your Instagram, I feel like very inadequate,

feel like I should probably be working out like 10 times harder than I'm currently working out. I mean, are you working out seven days a week? I pretty much train seven days a week. Sometimes, yeah, the majority of the time, sometimes I have to remind us, I find a rest day in a while, and I'm like, no. But I soon know, because it catches up on me and I'm shattered. But no, it's a bit of an addiction for me.

I have to say training. Were you always into training and working out, or did CrossFit kind of take it from here to like here? So, no, I've always been into it. I was mostly, I used to do athletics. I did a lot of running and everything when I was at school. But obviously I did gymnastics as well, which you probably know. I'm not sure if I've told you that, actually.

Yeah, I did gymnastics for nearly, I think, eight to ten years. So I went from that into athletics. So I've always trained. I've always been, I used to run home from school just to get some exercise and in my school shoes and my skirt. But, yeah, I'm a fanatic. I love it. Yeah, I think we could see what you did in the ring and went,

oh, yeah, that's a gymnast. That is, those are not always the moves of a wrestler right there. Yeah. There's some gymnasts, yeah. What city are in here? So I come under London, so like southeast London. Okay. I try to place accents, and I feel like your accent doesn't exactly sound like London.

People, when I was in the States, no one could work out my accent. Where does it come from? Have I got a strong accent then? Oh yeah, you have a strong accent. Do I have a strong accent to you? You do. Yeah, you really do. Very American.

Oh, and I'm not even American. I'm Canadian. Really? Well, I think Canadian sound American. Yeah, I've been living here for 10 years. And I've been on TV here for 10 years. So I've kind of done what I can to like work that out of the system. But when you were here, where did people think you were from?

Australia yeah that was I got Australia the most yeah do I sound Australian I mean to someone who maybe hasn't been to Australia yeah I wouldn't say I sound

Australian but yeah I know I got Australian that was I think the main the main one well the interesting thing about where you live and some people thought America though but I don't think I sound American

I've had that as well you definitely don't sound American I definitely don't yeah But the interesting thing about where you live is you travel like an hour away from where you are and there's a completely different accent. Yeah. Yeah, we've got so many accents in the UK. It's unreal. So the plan was for you to be living here.

Actually, I remember speaking to you early in the year. We were both, you know, planning to move. I was going to move to L.A. You were going to move to Atlanta. How many days away from moving were you before things started to get shut down? five days oh my gosh yeah

yeah it's all been I'm one of these people as well that believes everything happens for a reason but when things start to feel completely out your control it's hard finding that reason but you just have to keep going

and follow your intuition really because everything normally does work out for the best as it should do but yeah five days which tells me it must have been a little bit of it wasn't meant to be yet or something because it weren't exactly a month.

It was literally five days. I had my cases all in my room and was ready to go. But yeah. Well, so take me back to before that. So that was obviously mid to late March. So take me back. I'm glad I didn't sign up to the rental because I nearly, the last time I was in Atlanta,

I was looking at renting places. Like, and I was going to sign up to one while I was out there. And I'm so glad I didn't now because if I'd signed up to that, I would have been tied in even if I wasn't in the States. And luckily, I have a friend out who lives in Atlanta, and he said I can move in with him and his missis. So he was a partner, which I was doing a spare room. So that will always be open to me if they've said that.

So if things change or whatever happens in the future, who knows. But yeah, I'm just so glad I didn't sign up to the leasing of an apartment because I nearly did. Well, that's the silver lining here. That is the silver line. It is. That was, yeah. In two different countries right now.

No, exactly. Kind of would have been buggered. But, yeah. So take me back to before COVID, where the AEW was flying you in from London to whatever city you guys were in. So I was going to move to Atlanta, which is where, you know, the main school is now where all the AOW, the Nightmare Factory. and yeah, be training there as well. Just being around more, you know, get to be implemented more into things

because when you live all the way in the UK, like flying over and I just wanted to give it 100%, I think, just dedicate to the promotion for the duration of my contract. And yeah, obviously things change. But that was the plan. That was where my mindset was at. I'm going to dedicate 100% if I give it my all

and see how things go. from there really. But you, you, you, you were being flown in for the shows that you were booked on.

You were being flown in. Yeah, before that, the move decision, I was being flown in for the shows and just, yeah. Yeah.

During that time, I had two main matches. So it's a little bit disappointing, but, yeah, because I was, you know, I was having matches

every week before I got signed on, and, yeah, then when I got signed, it's two, two matches with them. I didn't get to showcase my skills I didn't feel.

But yeah, if this hadn't happened, and it's hard to look back, if this hadn't happened, where do you think your career would be right now if, you know, that was seven months ago, if that hadn't happened seven months ago? In terms of being, you would have had more television experience, you would have been Yeah, so I think I would have been, you know, doing really well now. I think I would, if I was moved out there and training all the time, You know how I am with my training. So probably would have been living in the nightmare factory,

in the gym side and the ring. And just, yeah, having, I guess, a lot more opportunities with them. So that was the plan. But, yeah, I couldn't say really. Yeah, it's hard to think. I should assume I would have been a lot more involved in the company now. So I was slowly getting there with it. We've been out there more.

and when I decided to move, starting to feel like I was getting to know everyone, then all of a sudden. But it is what it is. It's, yeah. So when, you know, when COVID started getting serious and when things started shutting down, we're talking mid-March here. What immediately starts going through your head? Well, I heard the lockdown was happening, but I didn't, I didn't think it would be before I flew.

I thought I'd be fine, to be honest. and then in my opinion when it happened I thought it's okay it'll be two three months added on to not going and then obviously it got worse and worse

and then come August they've let three of us go from the UK so yeah but they've kept a couple from the UK I've noticed though without going into things I noticed there's Anthony Go-go

still with them as well and yeah So it's a bit of sweet, really. It's not, it's a hard one to swallow, but it's, you know, I guess they had to cut their costs and everything. They can't use us. The situation is what it is, isn't it? Well, we probably won't be able to fly over there until, I don't know,

March next year, I think, with the States. Even that's probably earliest. Well, it's literally all I guess right now. But what, but when they, you know, when they did let you go, was it like the door is open, when the world gets back to a normal situation, we'll talk about. Yeah, it wasn't, it wasn't, it was, it was really nicely done. It wasn't said in any way it wasn't about talent or anything like that.

It was about, because obviously, you didn't sign me if they thought that. But it was purely based on the uncertainty of being able to get to the States. And yeah, and that was the reason. and they just said reach out when it's all settled and the world's normal, which can any of us see that normality yet? Yeah, who knows when that's going to happen, right? Yeah, so that's what I mean by just taking now,

I'm actually looking at going into occupational therapy and everything because I do all that with my clients and also been applying right into a lot of directors for film work, like action kind of films and, stuff because I've always wanted to do that tied in with wrestling. I've always wanted to do the kind of stunt woman stuff as well. So I'm still keeping my sights high and just, you know, yeah, stand positive and just doing what you can in this situation, really.

As I look behind you here, the sun is very quickly setting behind you. It's still the morning here. It's still 10 o'clock in the morning here, and the sun's already set in there. Yeah, 6 p.m. here. Jeez, I feel like we're going to have to turn some lights on or else, you know, You know, we're not going to be able to see you. Oh, can you not see me. Yeah.

Oh, you know, now you can see me. Yeah. I'll come back. I was so of you guys. So I was looking at your YouTube channel, and I feel like you're kind of working a little bit of the acting in with the little bit of the wrestling. I like this. You're showing that Sadie Gibbs can do pretty much anything. Yeah, well, that's where the undefinal rule came from.

I kind of like to go for anything I put my mind to. I'm one of those that kind of gets obsessed with things and just puts my all into it and just really sees how far I can go with what my heart's set on, you know? Yeah, and just give it 100%. But the acting side, yeah, you can see that in some of my promos I've done for myself and my brand. And the last one where I did like the end,

it was all based on like the emotions, anxiety and fear because I tend to do it on things that I go through, just to inspire other people. And this is where the site, the therapy comes in, the occupational therapy that I want to bring into the brand because mentally I've overcome so much and I just want,

I have a real passion for that and helping others. So that's where that, that's where I'm kind of focusing at the moment and just anything I'm overcoming, you know, journaling and inspire, I want to inspire others to do the same. Not like setbacks,

they're not there to set us, back, they're there to make us grow and become, get to higher heights, you know. And I don't believe the wrestling's over. I just think it's massively on hold at the moment for a lot of us who aren't with a TV promotion that are allowing you to perform without an audience, you know. So, yeah, it's just doing what you can, just staying optimistic and focused on your goal still. My goal was always to do stamp work and film work and, yeah. All right, so let's let's dive into this.

You talk about you want to help a lot of people and you've been through a lot. Where did this, where did this start for you? In terms of the passion with mindset. Yeah, exactly. So I would say I started to develop like a real interest in self-development when I was, I was going through, I'd say one of my worst relationship kind of things. And I'm about going into that. that's where you really start.

I guess when you get your heart broken and you can get it broken in any sort of way, like losing opportunities and, you know. And I just started thinking, right, happiness isn't in others or in things or in what we do. It is internal and it's, you know, always having that purpose and that pursuit to go after and have hope in our life, you know, every day.

And I think when, yeah, when I started diving into that, I just found happiness without, like having these things around me oh i've got this i've done this i'm doing this and that's where the undefinable came in where i kind of weren't defined by anything i'd done or do or or who i am now because i'm not who i was for years ago you know so you're constantly evolving and changing and becoming a different person so yeah my thing is not to get attached to anything and not obviously you do have your attachments i've got mine to my dogs and etc but

It's not allowing ourselves to be so defined by the people we have in our life, the things we do. And then when we lose them, we completely lose ourselves because that's where the real heart ache comes in. It's when we don't really know who we are. Whereas I think if you're aware of yourself and you've done a load of self-development and you're at a place where whatever leaves, you kind of can just sit back and go, okay, what have I learned from this? You know, how can I go forwards in a new relationship or with better perceptions and, you know, and not make the same mistakes because we all make mistakes. And, yeah, I just, I'm not quite there yet with it all understood,

but in terms of where I've gone, the law of attraction and the secret, that book really transformed me and how I perceived things. And that's when I started wrestling, when I started reading all those books and everything, that I kind of exercised the law of attraction and it did all happen. I said, I'm going to do this in two years. I'm going to do this then and I'm going to be here then. And everything I kind of said came into my life and it happened somewhere or another, you know, whichever crazy path it was, it worked.

So that's why I do believe in everything, it happens for a reason. Because, you know, when I came away from bodybuilding and all the figure comps, I was like, who am I? And that's when I was like, what am I going to do now? and I honestly didn't know and then my life all fell together and that's where undefinable, the amazing grace,

just having grace in your journey. Yeah, I just think it's, yeah, I'm just real passionate about all that side of things and really not getting attached or defined by what we do because that's why I'd never just say, like when people said to me,

you know, oh, you're a wrestler, I'm like, no, I'm Sadie, you know, I'm this. Yeah, I do wrestle. I don't like, I get really, because especially with wrestling, I never wanted to get attached because if you get injured and you're told you can never wrestle again or, you know,

because, you know, dangerous wrestling can be. I mean, especially all the flips and, you know, you can, you might be put out and then what, you know, you're completely at a, so I kind of always wanted to center my brand around being more than just what I do. And, yeah, but I, yeah, that's where I'm at. at the moment. Just figuring, just figuring stuff out. You were speaking my language right now, because I'm all about self-development and I'm all about today, today, better than yesterday.

And, you know, there's a couple quotes for me that I always go back to, but one of the biggest ones is when Tony Robbins says, what you focus on is how you feel. I love Tony Robbins. And positivity and there's negativity in every situation and every day. And it's so easy, especially right now with everything you just summed it up. It's all about how you feel, how you feel creates your life at the end of the day. And, you know, you just have to focus on feeling good and doing the things that are going to allow you to feel better so you can create the life you want to create

because you can't create the life you want feeling low and sorry for yourself and all those things. It's just, you're just going to end up in that downward circle of negativity, bringing those around you down all the time. And, yeah, it's just not the person I want to be. So I'm just focused on becoming who I want to be. be. And that's not to say I don't miss wrestling.

I miss it big time. You know, I love wrestling. I love the writ performing. I love everything about it. But I never made it my life. You know, I never made it until I was going to move, which scared the, if I'm going to beat this out, but it scared the hell out of me because I was actually deciding to give up everything that I built about me, my brand, fitness, everything that kind of

was all my little things. that kept me focused, and I was putting everything into commitment, committing to that, you know, and it did scare me because I thought, oh, if that goes, then what? And you know, it's like having your safety nets as well. So, yeah, it's just, yeah, I'm happy with what's where I'm going at the moment, and I'm just trying to figure things out, so as we all are. I think a lot of people might look at, you know, you right now and go, I could never do what Sadie does.

Look at Luke, she's an incredible shape. She reminds that. She's a pro wrestler. Who was Sadie Gibbs 10 years ago before all of this? I'd say lost. Lost. I could never stick at one thing. I was always bouncing from one thing to another,

trying to find happiness in relationships, and always chasing love in external things, which attracted the wrong relationship. relationships and as well as being completely terrified, like I just said, of commitment to anything, any one. So I probably called a lot of the bad relationships myself as well. So yeah, I would say to sum up, I was probably a lost soul searching for a purpose. And that's why when I found wrestling, I thought it was wrestling that kind of gave me that grace and made me feel alive again. And it did. But it was actually the person I started to become.

and all the books are started to read and I was just really searching within myself and find an internal happiness, you know, and that's where I'm still on that journey now. That's why I think it hasn't completely, I've been low for a good couple of months with losing AW. Obviously, you do, it is an opportunity that I was really excited about and you do have to figure things out again

like we all have at the moment with COVID and it's a lot of uncertainty, but I kind of didn't crash and burn within myself. I still kept my mindset. So my mind was still stronger than my emotions. And my end goals are still there. It's just, I'm just on a diversion at the moment, you know. I feel like we can sneak you over to America somehow.

Somehow, they must be away. Put me in a suitcase on a boat. No, I just had a friend who went somewhere on vacation in Europe. So maybe you go over there and then you travel over here. I was going to say, I've gone completely blank now, and it's really bad. Herzit lives in France again. She's pulled... Oh, gee.

I have I forgotten her name. We've got a few. And Helico lives in Spain. Yeah, he's flying over, though. He's fine, isn't he? Yeah. But I think he's living in Mexico at the moment, though. That's why.

Oh, well, that changes everything. Yeah. Yeah, I think he's in Mexico. But, oh. Why have I gone blank? They're so frustrated. I've got the internet. Well, she's in France,

and I think she's going to be coming over somehow to America. They mentioned it on, I read about it on the internet. Shana. Shana. That's it. Everyone who's watching this right now is being like, come on, guys, you knew this. Yeah, it was there.

We've just been juggling on and on my head's all. Yeah, Shana. So, yeah, I think she's able to fly. I feel like we could get you over here somehow and then figure stuff out. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, you have to fly to another country, don't you? Which I don't know what's happening with America and where they've blocked flights from.

But yeah, they probably is away. Yeah. And as you know, in your life, where there's a will, there's a way. So as you look ahead then, you know, if this is the situation that you're in right now, you're obviously assessing the situation for. Yeah. Where do we go six months from now? What's a year from now look like? I'm actually got a few speaking events booked as well with universities, one in Baff. So, yeah, I'm just excited to see where my path goes now because, as you can see, I'm massively passionate about the coming.

and I think that I'm just going to see where my speaking events land me and what direction I go and yeah it's just let's see let's see if you go down that path you will probably end up making so much more money than you would as a wrestler I just think being a speaker and really like inspiring and motivating others is where and that's what I loved about performing in wrestling because you touched so many people I found it quite a great. how how the crowd are so emotionally connected to you. It's mental. And that's just from the character that you, you know, that you are.

And in the indie scene, I couldn't believe how many people I touched and life I affected. It's crazy. So that's what I, that was one of the main things I loved about wrestling as well, just watching how invested the audience were in what you do and how connected they were. And that's what I want in the speaking of, events that I do.

And it's still, I'm still going in the direction. I've always wanted to go in. I've always, even when I started listening, I said, I wanted to do the speaking events. And even all my, like, promos were about kind of the undefinedable. You know, so I'm still figuring it out, though. I'm not going to, I can't just sit here and wheel off what I'm about and where I'm going yet. I'm still figuring it out.

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So it's really, I've always been in mixed martial arts and I've always wanted to wrestle and do a Brazilian jih Tzu that's called BJJ, so I need your way of saying it, to be honest. And I just started looking online at, like I'm always applying things and came across like a, it was actually a match between backstage, it was in Talia and the Nikki Bella. And I was just like, oh my God, I want to do that. I was just like, I want to do that.

And I applied for a WW tryout. And then after the tryout, and having that discipline and everything, again, it just made me feel like this is what I want to do. And I just went away and, like I said to you, I got obsessed and gave it my old, really. And just, yeah, wanted to get to the top. And I feel like I did get to where I was wanting to go. I just didn't get to, at the moment, I haven't had the chance to kind of live out that height that I reached, you know. But, yeah.

So you tried out for WWE. I'm guessing this was in the UK. What kind of feedback did you get from that tryout? So I got your everything we'd hire. We just need to go away and prove to us. That's what I did. I went away and just went my ars off, really. trained five times a week in wrestling,

including my own training, the gym. I didn't let the gym go. It would be in between clients, and I actually took on, like, a social media job to give me a little bit more time because the clients were morning and night normally. And so two days a week, I decided to get a social media job for a company

so I could travel up to the Midlands, which was a five-hour drive on a Friday to train. And I did that until I found Lucha in Phefinal Green, and then I literally lived there. I was doing private lessons twice a week and joining the classes twice a week, sometimes leaving the house at five and getting in at 11.

And then weekends, I was being booked off. I said to myself on a debut in three months and obviously you get a lot of a, you know, to be ready, Den and all this, but I still did it. And my debut was, I did one in, because I got booked in Holland before I got my debut date in the UK. But then I did one with Lucha

and with BW. and then I went to Holland and that was all in four months of intense wrestling training. Wow, yeah. It's so obvious when you get into something you become like obsessed with this. Yeah, I just felt like it was meant to be

because the bookings just started coming in and everything was doing really well. Maybe I'm just good at marketing myself, I'm not sure, as well. You're really good at working hard and finding a path to make it happen. Yeah, carving your own path. get it, yeah, to get it done, despite all the, all the talk, you're not going to be ready, you can't do it then. And, you know, I was like, no, I feel, I'm good. I'll be fine. I'll learn on the,

I learn on the road. I learn as I go. I feel like you kind of skipped over the part where you're like driving five hours. Like, was that every week? I was doing that most weeks for at least a good, good, two months, good two months. Yeah. That was a lot. Yeah. And then I started to get the train because the driving was just Friday night. It's not good. It's traffic. And, yeah, it's just like to get the train. But it was known as the, you know, political ways.

It was known as the best train you're going to be at if you wanted to climb that ladder. So, yeah. So how did you get discovered by AEW? And who was it that you got on their radar? So I went Japan and obviously had to come back early. My granddad passed in that time. So came back.

early and something it was said on Twitter which caused a lot of exposure in terms of both sides. I mean I didn't, it got to a point where I don't react to things easily, especially online and

anyone that's hating or doing whatever. For me it's just a matter of you know, it just doesn't concern me, I'm not bothered. But when it came to what I'd gone through with losing the first person in my family really.

And it was a sensitive subject. I just responded gracefully in my opinion and without, you know, with integrity and all those things. And it just went viral. And from that, the Young Bucks commented under the post and then I had an email. And we'd like to sign you. Yeah, summon it up. It was an intense coming back from Japan, dealing with grief and everything.

I didn't get inside. In all, honestly, it's been a crazy two years. That story that made me because it kind of went from worst-case scenario to like best-case scenario like that. Yeah, and it's really hard to deal with us because you're still dealing with like, it was a strange. It's been, yeah. I also, I know though that you were on their radar before because you did like a, very perfect saskay special. I think it was the saskate that probably got me the exposure.

I always say that because I was still for me, that's my little legacy because I'm the only female that's ever done that in professional wrestling. And I did buy research to see if any female had done that when I was in the indie scene and I was like, I'm going to do that. And it's funny because I had a mental block going backwards in gymnastics. and that's what caused me to drop from a leap and give up in gymnastics because I just started jumping back on my head because I just developed this mental block going backwards.

And yeah, and then all of a sudden, my, you know, 10, 20, 15 years down the line, I'm doing a saskate special over ropes and tuck back in overroats. So the first time you did the saskate, how scared were you? I wasn't. No. Because that's a terrifying move to watch. I mean, every time I see you, after I see it,

I'm like, that doesn't even seem possible. Yeah, I weren't scared. It was more adrenaline and just performance, really. I just thrived off the performance. So there was no fear in the actual move.

It was more, I don't even know, but I wouldn't self-scare. I've never been scared trying a new move, ever. I'm kind of like, if this is going to get the crowd going, you know, it's going to create a good show. I'm going to do it.

Are you saying you did it for the first time, like, live on a show? Oh, my God. Yeah, I literally practiced round of topbacks in, like, again, joining them because I hadn't joined it for a long time since gymnastics, so I was practicing that in the gym. And I was doing this in a show tonight. And I told the guys, you know, this is the first time I'm going for it. to just catch it on your arm.

If I get caught up in the ropes, you know, just leave me and I'll heal with whatever happens there. As long as I weren't hurting others, that was, you know, I didn't mind. And I did the courtscrew Saskate. I was told by the guys, one of the guys that was kind of got us over there. I think he was an American guy. He just said if you could corkscrew the Sasgate, that would be crazy. So the next show, I just went for it.

Yeah. And it was actually very good. actually really pleased when I watched it back. So I'm very pleased with that move that, yeah, that was a big accomplishment for me. Yeah. No, it's a big accomplishment for any. You know, a lot of what you're saying keeps coming back to the word grace. And it's not a word that we hear a lot in our daily lives. So for you, what does grace mean? For me, it's just going with the flow and just whatever instinctively comes to you, just having grace to follow out the path that you need to achieve it without being.

And when you lose things as well, it's not being stuck on them and bitter on them. It's just going, okay, let's take grace with this. So you're just kind of saved by grace. I got it tattooed on my arm. And you follow through with your faith of yourself, you know. That, you know, this obviously wasn't meant to be because it gives me nothing about anxiety now and it makes me uncomfortable. and I want to follow one where, you know, the anxiety starts to go again and I start to feel

happy and free. I'd say, I'd say grace is just being free. And, yeah, that's for me. It's just feeling free and not trapped by anxiety because it cripples you and you just feel fear all the time and, yeah, and just uncertainty. For as fit as you are, for as much as you love CrossFit, have you thought about becoming a CrossFit Games competitor now? I've had that a couple of times from people.

Why don't you go for the CrossFit games? Yeah. I mean, I'm good at CrossFit, but they're another league. No, no, no. Hold on. I mean, you're better than good at CrossFit, okay? I wouldn't sound better than good. I mean, I could be very good at CrossFit, but I honestly just really love the training

and, you know, how I push myself through limits every time I train. but I've had a couple of people said to him, right, now you can focus on your crossfit training, and I'm like, I know I've got the mentality, but that is a, they are incredible athletes. But think about it.

Maybe if you can't get back in the ring for six months, maybe it's 12 months. Think of how much better of a cross-fit competitor you'd be six months, 12 months from now. Yeah. I mean, I'm, yeah, I could. Oh, she started with a ring. I can see the wheels turning.

I don't know. I used to think, but it's, yeah, I mean, I would love to start competing in it, but I wouldn't want to put the pressure on it because it's something I really enjoy. And it's kind of one of them things where I don't have the pressure of being better than other people. I just do it to be good, just to feel good and, you know, I enjoy it. And I think as soon as the thing with me, since I put pressure on things. I did cost for about a year. a few years ago.

And I know that when you go in there and you do the Wad, the workout out of the day, it is competitive. And I know you're, you know, you're competing against men, you're competing against women,

you're competing against young people, old people. And I would imagine, if we went to your CrossFit gym, you were probably the one who wins the Wad every single day. Mostly, yeah, I make sure I'm winning, yeah. Yeah, I don't like not to win,

but, yeah, I've had a few injuries lately though as well. So it's set me back, but I'm slowly getting back into it. So you probably look at some of the, you know, competitors, you know, some of the times of the people in the CrossFit Games, get them and go, yeah, I could do that. I mean, I could definitely do it, but I was, I want my 20, I'm still young on 29 next year, but I say that, it's like a lot of the people training to get to the CrossFit games now. I know they do have the 25 and over and all, you know, who knows, maybe one day. But at the moment, it's not in my instincts to go for that.

So, yeah. Well, right now you're spending a lot of time training other people. That's your day job right now. Yes. Yeah. Just, yeah, building an online thing is banned and just training people one to one. Oh, which is probably pretty great to train with someone like you. Oh, thank you.

I hope so. I know that you have a lot of tattoos, and with everything that's been going on this year, which tattoo currently means the most to you, or speaks the most to you? Oh, my one on my back. So I've got one down my spine, because obviously it's just fine,

it's just fine that hold you up and each strong. So I got it down the spine. It says success is not final, failure is not fatal. It's the courage to continue it counts. So that relates now. Oh, that's so, say that one more time. That's so good. Success is not final.

Failure is not fatal. It's the courage to continue to count. Oh, that's so good. Yeah. So that's probably my favorite. Are you hopeful that you can be back in a wrestling ring, maybe even just in the next few weeks, months? Yeah, I'm hoping.

I mean, my main goal now is, because obviously I'm living back home at the moment. So my main goal now is to move out, which I'm moving out in two weeks. I'm going to be running there, just a really nice little place. So move out and then I can start again focusing on training. And at the moment I've kind of taken a step back on myself and focusing on my own goal and just putting it into all my business at moment. But yeah, as soon as I can focus on myself as well as that again, I'll be back to that. Yeah, I'm already in touch with, I don't know if you know, the Lutcher School.

So Greg Burridge, I'm in touch with him, and I'll be back training there. So yeah, I think it's like we're driving, you're out for a bit, but as soon as you hit the ropes again, it'll just, I'll be off. I think I'll be bruised for a bit. Because you get conditioned to it, don't you? And I'll go back to it. I'll have all rope marks on the back and because the back pump's going to feel like a car crash again.

That'll be fine. I'll get used to it. Has any part of this year discourage? you from wrestling at all? I wouldn't do say discouraged. I'd say whether I'm looking at kind of taking that step, like I said,

in everything I've done and going more into the acting side of performing, because as I said, I wasn't a huge wrestling fan when I started wrestling. That wasn't the reason I started training. I mean, I know that's a lot of people's story, but that's not mine. I've always wanted to be a performer. I've been a natural performer since I was a kid. I've always showed off and I've always,

I've just always loved performing. So it's whether I'm going to take the next step in that performing side and start doing movies and films. I know that's another hard path, but like I said, when there's a wheel, there's a way. And I'm already in touch with directors. I've got a phone call with one who's just got to film on Netflix. So it's just creating those connections in order to get there.

So, yeah, I believe I've got the, I can do it. And I would be able to do those sort of films. And I really want to give them a go and see. So I'm not sure. I'm not discouraged. I still want to do the performance. It's still a massive part of where I'm going. I'm just trying to take a next step at the moment, if that makes sense.

Yeah. And we'll like, I think that there's a lot of parallels between acting and wrestling. And I don't mean the performance of it. I mean the bad to get there. Yeah, they're very. they're very enthrined, I think, and it's just whether you can take that next step and really go the full.

Yeah, and it's very, very, yeah, I think a lot of wrestling, the main bit that really draws me in is the acting side of it. When I see the people doing the acting side, I love it, and that's what gets you in touch with the character. You can't really get invested in wrestling if you don't know the character, I think.

So the act you're our bloody love. I sit watching all the old stuff and a lot because I just think the characters were so you knew the character and you knew what they were going to be like you knew what you was watching

and that was yeah the characters was everything what are some old films some classic films that you just love in what genre are we talking but you tell me I'm a massively I love action

films. I'm not very good with remembering the names and all of that kind of thing. I've got a memory like a goldfish. But if I saw it, like the Rocky Bell Burrows, I could watch them over and over and over and over. And I love Fast and Furious all of those.

What's a good fight film I love? Try and list off some really good like street with all the street fight. And I was saying to one of my friends every day, do you ever get your head? Just go to down at alley and start like fighting. But like street fighting, like throwing headbuck, knees and throwing people into walls. That's all the stuff that I would.

I think for me, John Wick immediately comes to mind when you say like great fight sequences like that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, fight choreography is definitely where I want to go now. And that will help with my wrestling anyway because there's the psychology behind it that I always found the most difficult grasping, to be honest,

like why you're frowny hits, why you're ducking a line, and while you're doing, you know, that side of it was that took me the longest to grasp. I was just all about the moves, and it was, to be honest, nothing to do with the moves. What match of yours are you most proud of at this stage of your career? My favorite match, and it was rehearsed, like we've, I say rehearsed, but we've gone over it and luckily I trained with the guy that I had the match.

So a lot of my intergender matches that I absolutely love. I love hard hitting and just really going for it and connecting. Like once you connect and there's no, when you're in the ring and you have a match and you connect

there's nothing else like it. There honestly isn't. But I would say it's with Beyond Ballman. He's not a massively known wrestler but he's great in the Indies and he's an incredible wrestler. But that match for me, still i still post clips now when i was 85 kilos and i gorilla pressed him and it was uh yeah so

that match was crazy everything was in it and but at the same time there was a lot of psychology behind it i felt my character was yeah i really had my character nailed in that much so you know what i think a match that i think a lot of people would want to see and when i say this it might make sense to you is you versus jordan grace yeah you talk about grace which obviously makes a lot of sense, but also you guys are both, you know, you're very physical, you're very strong and I think that that match could be amazing. Yeah, I mean, definitely Jordan Grace, Tessa Blanchard, and I actually really wanted to have a match with Chris Gatlander as well. So those three, for me, in terms of physicality and wrestling style was like my goal map. Yeah, I would love

love to wrestle those three, definitely. I think you've got the most important thing here moving forward. The most important thing you have is a great mindset. Yeah, it's all mindset. And if, you know, I was in a negative place for a while. Don't get me wrong. I was frustrated, angry, just, I'd say I was a little bit bitter. And I hate to say that because I hate that.

And I just didn't like who I was. And for me, if you can't look in the mirror and say, I'm proud of you, you know, you're doing a good job and just say like at least three affirmations about yourself, then anything you're judging on other people and saying about other people is clearly a reflection of you because you should be able to like yourself initially. Once you like yourself, you can't say anything nasty about other people because I don't find myself saying nasty things about other people ever. Until I was in that place and I started to get bitter and I was going,

you know, you get jealous and you start saying things. and I was becoming one of that. And it's so easy to go that way. And I'm going to say, be completely honest, it's so easy for anyone to go in that direction because it's fear, it's anxiety. It's, I'm not good enough. I'm, you know, it's all those things.

And anyone can go that way without a mindset and just without kind of just sitting back and looking at things in a bigger perspective and just not, yeah. And then you start to feel that love coming back into your life and you just start to feel happier and your relationships improve. everything starts to improve around you again.

And then you're like, okay, it's me that creates all this, you know, when you start to get in that bad place. It's me, it's my feelings, it's my emotions. And you're in control of that. That is something you're in control of, feeling good. And that's where I'm at the moment, just really doing things and just trying to feel good every day because, you know, at the moment, with the current situation of the world,

it's easy for us all to wake up and look at all the traumas of the world. what's bad and this and how am I going to do this? I can't do this now and I've lost this. And just how's that going to set you up to go for what you want in six months time? It's not. So, yeah, without going on the tandem, it's just about feeling good. And that's when I'm at, I just, I feel happy again now and I'm doing the things that's in my control and not thinking about all the things that could go wrong, really.

Yeah. When you first got to AEW, you, You're starting to doubt yourself a little bit. What was it? Why would you start to doubt yourself? I don't know. Once I can't grasp, but this is why I say sometimes when you enter a nut to the next chapter of your life,

the past chapter makes sense. In a moment, it still doesn't make sense. Like I was flying. I was so certain this was the path I wanted and where I was going was the right direction. And then I got signed and I had hesitations to move. I was fearful, I was worried, and I just started to feel like overwhelming anxiety all the time. That wasn't me.

And yeah, like, I know I always got nervous when I performed, but the anxiety actually overtook, like the two performances I got, I just felt so overwhelmed with anxiety and fear that I couldn't be the performer that I am either in those two matches. I really didn't feel like I did myself any justice. Like when I was in Japan, I really was. just the performing side I was on. Like I'm happy with every performance I did in Japan. And yeah, I really don't know where I started to doubt myself yet.

I haven't figured that out. But I think it was more so, I don't know, I don't know yet. I can't figure that out. But there was an element of doubt. I think it's normal once you've got to level up. You kind of reached a stage where you're around, like, really cool people and just professional, you know, know, people you really respect and you're a little fish again and you're like, okay, I need to

level up to be able to be on these people's level and just, you know, you start to question yourself, which is good because then you start to grow. So I think it was just an element of growth and when I started to doubt myself and I need it. I've got, I still had a lot of growing to do to be at that point, I think. And in, I didn't probably feel 100% ready to be performing in front of a TV audience. So I was thrown in the deep end, maybe before I was ready to swim, maybe, in that kind of environment. And that's how you learn, though.

In my opinion, that is how you learn. And that's why I wanted to come out to train, because I knew, you know, you're never the best wrestler you can be. You've always got things to learn and things to improve. Hence why I started MMA as well to improve the realistic side of how I fight and that aggression I wanted to bring to my character. But yeah, I think it was more, I knew I had a lot of groundwork to do to be where I wanted to go in that promotion, maybe.

Yeah. So I lost the certainty of myself. You know, is Japan still an option for you? They're wrestling there again. I loved, I wouldn't go back to stardom. I know it's a great promotion. I love wrestling, but in terms of the professionalism and the humanity, in terms of grievance, when I said, you know, my grander's passed and I was broken.

We're sitting there watching Wows in a, I know this sounds to me, but, you know, two days ago I lost my granddad, and then we're going to a theme park to watch Wows jump around. The last thing I want to be doing. And I just bawled out in tears and I get emotional talking about it, to be honest. God. But I remember that day, and it was really, I can't live with that emotion. And I went and actually took a lot for me to go tell the promoter that I've got to go home.

Like, I can't be here anymore. And he tapped my leg and he said, no, no, you stay, business. And I just thought, because you know, political ways, I knew I was going to get shit on for going home. And I always do right by me anyway. It's not, like I said to you, it's not about if a career makes you feel like that, leave it in my opinion. And that, for me, was I just changed my flight myself and I went. And I would have loved to have said goodbye and done it the right way to all the girls

and been respectful because I know that culture and everything is all about respect. And it's an amazing culture. But for me, that was. that wasn't respectful to me or my family or myself you know and uh yeah it's a hard time see how much it means to even now talking yeah now thank you for sharing that story i i didn't expect this to get emotional i didn't yeah i didn't expect to that was weird but i guess when you go back you just you realize and it made me god it made me strong yeah but um that was a hard yeah yeah japan was a

a difficult time for me, but. But it sounds like you grew a ton as a performer. You grew a ton as a person there. Yeah, and I channeled it in the ring. Yeah, so it was fine. I loved performing out there. I love the style, and I'd love to go back, but definitely for a different promotion.

Right. As we wrap things up right now, you mentioned you love reading books. We're definitely on the same wavelength. Yeah. Let me make every day better than the last day. What book do I need to read this week? My new favorite one.

I'll get it up. Because I listen to audibles when I'm driving and it's just an easy way because I'm on the road a lot. It's called the subdued art of not giving a fuck. That was one of my favorite. I love that. I love that book. Mark Manson. Yeah.

Have you listened to it? I've read that book several times. That book has changed my life, the subtle art of not giving. Yeah, it's kind of got the different, it's still empowering, but in a different way. It relates to a different perspective, which I loved to the secret. And for anyone listening to this that's going, oh, it's super easy to not give an F. It's like, no, no, that's not what this book is about. This book is about focusing your attention on the things that matter rather than growing, you know,

your Fs around for stuff. that doesn't matter. Yes. Yeah, you should still give a fuck, but not for the things that you shouldn't give a fuck about basically. Sorry, F. No, no, I was trying to not swear. You can.

And the New Earth, have you listened? Have you read that? New Earth. Okay, this is new. I will write this one down. Eckhart Tolly. I'm not sure if I'm reading that right. Did I say that right?

You did, yeah, Eckhart Tolly. That's good. Yeah, that's really good. and there's one, so you've got the new earth, but there's one just before that that you write, so you should listen to before that. It's called entering the now. Is that also, Eckertolli?

Yeah, listen to that one before the new earth. Okay. There we go. Yeah, they're really good. Yeah. You got more emotional. What are you done to me? What an hour we've spent together?

We have. It's been good. But, yeah, I've met a lot of my story out that I haven't spoke about before, So I'm in a place of feeling more open now as well. Like just I think if you're going to be successful in anything, it's being who you are. So like I said, I wasn't a massive wrestling fan when I started.

I became wrestling fan as I started doing it and I gained respect for the sport itself. So I've always been afraid to say that because I felt you had to be a fan to kind of be involved, like a massive fan. And that always feared me to say that. But I just love performing and I love. the connection you gained with the audience.

And like I said, it did set me on fire and really get, I found grace in it. Well, the best is yet to come. It is. I'm not, I'm definitely not done. But it's too much passioning me to not channel it anywhere and share it. I didn't know what to expect from this conversation, but this has, you know, been more than I could have possibly expected. It's amazing hearing your mindset, your attitude, your passion, your passion.

your passion. It just kind of oozes through you, not just with wrestling, but with everything that you do, you have so much passion that you're broke into that thing. Yeah. Try him.

You're doing it. So, Sadie, thank you. I'm excited to see you back in a ring, whether it's there or whether it's here or maybe it is somewhere else in Japan. So I'm excited. I'm excited for what the future has to hold for you. Yeah, hopefully.

We see. So thank you. You too. It would be nice to hear what's going on with you as well. What's your next? When you're able to come to America, we'll meet up and do this in person. That would be good. Thank you so much, David.

Yeah, good luck in Los Angeles. And, yeah, I like you in the back there. Oh, thank you. Yes. I feel like a real champion when I give myself a belt. Did you get that man? It was a gift, yeah. Oh, it's brilliant.

But, I mean, it's fitting. You are on the Chris Van Bleet show right now. We have felt that tells you that. Yeah. Okay. Wow, I just, I feel like we learned a lot there, both about Sadie Gibbs and also just about expanding our minds. Thank you for hanging out with us on this conversation. Take a screenshot.

Let us know that you're on this audio adventure along with us. Tag us on Instagram so we can share this and so we can say hi. I'm at Chris Van Fleet. Sadie is at the Sadie Gibbs, and we talked about it here. But have you seen her Saske special? Have you? Look this up if you have. It is.

It is impressive. And hopefully we'll be seeing her doing it again sometime soon. As independent wrestling shows start to hopefully open up in the London area, you know, eventually, you know, when they can start to do that safely. And I just love her positive outlook on life. And look, yeah, for a lot of people, 2020. has been rough. We're all in this together. You know, 2020 has been, it's been difficult. But I also feel like there's a lot of bright spots in this.

And there is a lot of good if you're looking for it. Yeah, I don't want to tell you what specifically it is for you, but I'm, you know, there is, I'm sure, of a lot of good there. And as Albert Einstein once said, in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. Be great. Be great for my friends. We'll see on the next one. one. The next one is Chavo Guerrera. What a chat. We'll see you there.

Jim Rome takes on sports. Why? Because I have a job to do with rapid fire takes. So I don't want to hear from you lava pigs on this notion today. No idea what you're talking about. You're complaining more than you like to breathe air. It's like you get up in the morning only to complain and cry and moan on social media about things that you don't even understand. He's the spitfire of sports smack. Take advantage of it. Get up in here. The Jim Rome Show podcast. What should be? Follow and listen on your favorite platform. You've been warned.