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Before the Christmas trees get fluffed and the stockings get stuffed, many Americans will sit down today for their annual Thanksgiving dinner. In the spirt of Thanksgiving, WrestleZone’s Ella Jay recently sat down with two of wrestling’s top indie stars, Viva Van and VertVixen, to find out what they’re thankful for this year.
In her life, Viva Van is foremost thankful for her family. Within the world of wrestling, Van is also appreciative of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, brought her in as a regular fixture in their women’s division of the STRONG brand.
“I am grateful for my family because without them I will not be sane,” Van said. “And I am grateful for New Japan, for taking me in and helping push me and making me a stronger wrestler now more than ever. And third, I am thankful for all of my supporters because without them, where would I be?”
RELATED: Viva Van Explains How She Landed ‘I Think You Should Leave’ Role
VertVixen Is Thankful For Her Fiancé, Extended Family, And Her Mentors
For newly-crowned Rhodes Wrestling Association Women’s Champion VertVixen, immediate and extended family remain close to her heart as well.
“The first one [I am grateful for] is my fiancé, Lil Evil [formerly known as Prince Adam]. I’m extremely grateful for him because he constantly pushes me to be a better person both inside and outside the ring,” Vixen said. “[He] pushes boundaries that I really never would consider that I would push or even give me a slight nudge or like a slight check.
“If I’m not necessarily doing what I need to be doing in that moment or that day, he’s like, ‘Hey, what are you doing? Go to the gym. Do it.’ Helping me keep on track. But also too, with how stressful and how crazy essentially working two full time jobs is, being a wrestler and a full-time video game producer, I’m very grateful that I can rely on him. We can rely on each other, and I can come home to a loving family.”
Also in her home, Vixen is happy to spend time with her three dogs, Stella, Freya, and Thorgi Bear, the latter of whom is unfortunately battling a disease right now. According to Vixen, though, he is standing strong and in good spirits. Outside of her home, Vixen is grateful for Lil Evil’s family that have brought her in as one of their own in Texas, as well as her personal family based in Florida.
Finally, Vixen remains thankful for the figures and places that have provided her with guidance and opportunity throughout her in-ring career thus far. These figures include Ray Campos from APW, Dustin Rhodes, Jerry Lynn, and Matt Farmer of DEFY.
“[Grateful for] DEFY in general for absolutely believing in me and giving me opportunities that I never thought I could have. That’s TJPW for believing in me,” Vixen said. “I could just continue on and on and on and on with this list, but everybody that I have met in this business that has helped push me in one way or another, be that in the ring or outside of the ring and been there for me because this s*** is hard. This s*** is hard physically. It’s hard mentally. It’s hard spiritually, it’s just hard.”
RELATED: VertVixen Explains The Significance Of Defending DEFY Women’s Title In Japan
