Josh Alexander got “goosebumps” when Jordynne Grace made an appearance at the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event last month.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Alexander said, “I watched it live, and the second her music hit, I got goosebumps. When she locked up with Trin[ity] Fatu], who I’ve been lucky enough to build a relationship with over the past year, I literally welled up.”
He continued, “Seeing that moment for my friend Jordynne Grace, someone who tirelessly puts in work, she deserved that fanfare. It’s great for TNA, it’s great for her, and it’s great for our locker room. I thought she had the best performance of anyone in the Royal Rumble, and that is a testament to the talent that she is.”
The Gates of Agony’s Toa Liona trained at Rikishi’s KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy in California as he got his start wrestling business, and he recently appeared on the “Talk Is Jericho” podcast to discuss his experience of learning there.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On how he started at the school: “Man, it was awesome. My thought process when I first started going to wrestling, I was like, ‘Alright, who can teach me to be the best wrestler I can?’ I was looking at San Diego and Rikishi’s school is in LA. I was like, ‘Man, no better person to teach me to be a Samoan wrestler than a Samoan Hall of Famer.’”
On the experience: “Training under him, it was three times a week, he really took a lot of time out of training to work with me after class or before class because he saw that I was really invested in it. Me and my whole family man, coming into post-football, I got hurt, I was into power lifting stuff and I know that if I benched 100 pounds, it’s not gonna put a million dollars in my bank account. So I needed to make a lateral move here because I don’t know what to do. My wife suggested wrestling so that’s when I looked it up and once I decided to do that, we just put all of our eggs into this one basket, whether it’s us moving to the Bay Area during the pandemic to live with family so I can still drive to LA for training, or whether it was us driving to LA to fully commit to training and hopefully get an opportunity, those were the things. I was happy he was able to take us in.”
Jordynne Grace’s Appearance at WWE Royal Rumble Receives Praise from Josh Alexander
Last month, Jordynne Grace made a memorable appearance at the 2024 WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event, and her fellow wrestler Josh Alexander couldn’t help but express his admiration. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Alexander revealed that he got “goosebumps” when Grace’s music hit during the event.
Alexander, who has built a relationship with Trinity Fatu over the past year, was particularly moved when Grace locked up with Fatu in the ring. He even admitted to welling up with emotion at that moment. Alexander believes that Grace deserved the fanfare she received and praised her talent, stating that she had the best performance of anyone in the Royal Rumble.
The impact of Grace’s appearance extends beyond herself as an individual. Alexander believes that her success is great for TNA (Total Nonstop Action Wrestling), great for her personally, and great for their locker room. It serves as a testament to Grace’s hard work and dedication.
Meanwhile, Toa Liona, a wrestler from The Gates of Agony, recently appeared on the “Talk Is Jericho” podcast to discuss his experience training at Rikishi’s KnokX Pro Wrestling Academy in California. Liona trained at the academy when he first entered the wrestling business.
Liona shared his thought process behind choosing Rikishi’s school, emphasizing that he wanted to learn from the best. Being of Samoan descent himself, Liona believed that there was no better person to teach him about Samoan wrestling than a Samoan Hall of Famer like Rikishi.
During his time at the academy, Liona received extensive training three times a week. Rikishi recognized Liona’s dedication and invested extra time working with him before and after class. Liona explained that he and his family made a conscious decision to pursue wrestling as a career after he got injured in football and realized that powerlifting wouldn’t lead to financial success.
To fully commit to his training, Liona and his family made sacrifices, such as moving to the Bay Area during the pandemic to be closer to the academy in LA. Liona expressed his gratitude for Rikishi’s willingness to take them in and support their journey.
Both Jordynne Grace’s appearance at WWE Royal Rumble and Toa Liona’s training experience at Rikishi’s academy highlight the dedication and hard work required to succeed in the wrestling industry. These stories serve as inspiration for aspiring wrestlers and demonstrate the impact of strong mentorship and support within the wrestling community.