EXCLUSIVE: Blake Monroe is coming in hot this weekend, making her official debut in the ring as part of the WWE family at the Great American Bash.
Tomorrow night, she will pair up with Jordynne Grace in a tag team fight against Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley) live in Atlanta. Though not a title match, Monroe will be able to show off her transformation from Mariah May to Blake Monroe, which includes new gear and some new moves. She made her first showstopping appearance at WWE NXT on June 3.
So what will Blake Monroe look like when she enters the ring? The purple ensemble in the featured image above and the additional photos below reveal her first fit as The Glamour. P.S. She will also have a matching purple Labubu by her side, Luck, from Popmart’s Big Into Energy Collection.
In our Q&A below, Monroe teases what fans can expect from her debut on Saturday, what costumes she’s been helping to design, and she addresses all this talk about her turning heel.
Blake Monroe
DEADLINE: It’s always been your dream to wrestle at WWE, and now you’ve made it. What can you share about your evolution as a wrestler, and what fans can expect to see from Blake Monroe?
BLAKE MONROE: I’ve wanted to be a WWE superstar since I was a little kid. I’ve always been a super girly girl, very glamorous, if you will. When I started my wrestling journey in 2019 in England, which is where I’m originally from, I was developing my character. In the British wrestling scene, everyone was very punk; everyone wore black. It was a whole vibe, but that just isn’t who I am. It felt very insincere of me to change who I am to fit in. So I was like, “I’m gonna wear pink and purple.” I came out to an Ariana Grande theme song. I was totally different from everybody else, but I think people liked it because you could tell it was very authentic. The kids loved it because it was so bright and colorful.
Then I went to Japan, and they love just the whole idol culture and that presentation. There I learned to develop The Glamour, because I’ve always had that name. It’s nice to see how it has evolved; it got bigger in Japan. And then finally, coming to WWE, which is known for its showmanship, allows me to step it up even more and develop everything from my gear, to my entrance, to my theme song and my persona, and just put it all to the max.
DEADLINE: What was it about wrestling that made such an impact on you when you were younger?
BM: Growing up, I loved Jeff Hardy, Mickie James, and Beth Phoenix. Mickie could never beat Beth, but when she finally did, it was in England. That was a big deal for me. Wrestling is so fun. Growing up, I was very sporty, but I also did theater. I love the theatrics. I love movies. I love telling a story. The great thing about wrestling is that at its heart, it’s for kids of all ages. Everyone can find something they relate to. My goal is to tell stories and try to make people feel something, because I know wrestling made me feel something as a kid, then as a teenager, and now as an adult. It still makes me feel so many things. I’m still a fan, I still watch wrestling, and I still go away feeling excited or angry or happy.
DEADLINE: We’re revealing this purple look you’ll be wearing on Saturday. Why is this the perfect look to kick off this new era?
BM: Yes, we will be seeing this purple outfit. It’s a new era of The Glamour, and I’ve got to step it up. I have a lot of new costumes, but this purple one feels like just the perfect way to debut in the WWE. I work with a ton of different designers from all over the world. The person who made this purple costume is called Emma from Empress Pro Wrestling Gear, in collaboration with me. She also made my first-ever wrestling costume. We’ve had a working relationship for five or six years, and we’ve evolved The Glamour together.
DEADLINE: Everyone has been trying to figure out who Blake Monroe is and whether or not she will be a heel. What’s the scoop?
BM: Blake is Blake, however you want to see her or define her. I feel like it’s pretty clear to me; I would say I’m a good guy. I mean, Fatal Influence is just the worst. I had my little debut segment, and they decided to put me through a table. So, I’m definitely going to have Jordynne Grace’s back and team up with her to take them on and to defeat that evil, one way or another. Jacy is going to lose that title, and we’re going to bring NXT back to the good guys.
DEADLINE: What can we expect from you in the ring?
BM: What you can expect from me in the ring is very different from what you might anticipate. I think people look at me, and they underestimate me because I’m super girly and cutesy when I come out like a pop star. But I’m very hard-hitting. I’ve honed my craft in Japan, and I’ve been training at the Performance Center, which has developed some of the best wrestlers in the world. People are going to be a little taken aback. If you’ve never seen me wrestle before, you probably won’t expect what you’re going to see, but I’m pretty tough in that ring.
DEADLINE: Have you been working on any new moves?
BM: I do have a few new moves up my sleeve, because I have to keep these girls guessing. I’m sure they’ve done research. I was a very hot new signing, so I knew I had to bring something different to the table. I do have a new finish, which you know I’m going to hit.
DEADLINE: Are you nervous at all, or are you going in confident?
BM: I’m going in confident, because confidence is key, but they’re definitely not a team to underestimate. I know people call Jacy the most beatable champion, but this is the best women’s division in the world. It has wrestlers from all over, and she is the champion. She is at the top, so I definitely don’t underestimate her, but she made a huge mistake picking on me. She clearly does not know who The Glamour is, and I don’t take it lying down. She’s gonna have a rude awakening on Saturday.
DEADLINE: It’s a totally different time for women wrestlers than it was when WWE first came out, then it was known as the WWF. Have you thought about what you want to represent?
BM: I’m very proud to represent the UK. I was just a kid from England who traveled the world, slept on the floor in Japan, traveled all over Europe, drove myself around, and worked my tail off to get to the pinnacle of wrestling, which is the WWE. I hope to be someone that little girls might relate to. I hope they see me and see something. Maybe want to be like me, or they are already like me, or they hate me. [Laughs] I just want to make them feel something. One of the main reasons I wanted to go to WWE is the emphasis they have on their women’s division across the board: NXT, RAW and SmackDown. They have matches for women like Hell in a Cell, ladder matches, and Money in the Bank. I have never done any of those kinds of matches. I’m really excited to get my teeth in and tell those stories and test myself. But this is the best and biggest women’s division, and the women get so much TV time. I’m just excited to be part of the team, and I want to make an impact.
DEADLINE: Are you focused on any wrestler in particular you’d love to get in the ring with?
BM: I have a ton, since I grew up watching WWE. The person I would pick has just come back, Nikki Bella. She’s my mum’s favorite wrestler, and that hits personal to me. So, I feel like I need to take her out. [Laughs] I need to be my mum’s favorite wrestler! She’s part of the Bella Army. I’ve lost her. But maybe if I beat her, my mum will come around.
