Poppy Talks NXT Appearances, Her Friendship With Io Shirai
Photo Credit: Alex Santa Maria
Musical artist Poppy has been no stranger to the world of WWE, having performed on a handful of NXT episodes in the past. During a recent interview with Yahoo, the superstar spoke about how she felt about the appearances, and how she’s been able to become friends with Io Shirai.
When asked about her most recent appearance on NXT – where she performed “Scary Mask” during NXT’s Halloween event – the artist expressed her love for Shirai and wrestling as a whole. “I played the intro music for Io Shirai, and we’ve become friends. She’s one of my favorite wrestlers now. She had a bit recently where she put a trash can over her head and jumped into a group of girls during a match, which was awesome,” she said. “I love wrestling, so when I had invitation to come play, I had to do it. That was also one of my side dreams from a very long time ago — I wanted to work with WWE.”
Poppy went on to say that she got the idea for working with WWE from none other than Paul Reubens, who appeared on a WWE broadcast as Pee-Wee Herman many years back. “I got the idea after I saw Paul Reubens, Pee-Wee Herman, make an appearance on WWE back in the day,” she said. “They used my music in a video game and for a couple of intro songs, and then invited me to play. I think I’ve done it three or four times now. [Before the 2020 appearance], I had to go through some pretty intensive testing and screenings because they run a very tight ship. Everyone had to wear masks — it was a whole process. But I was cleared, and it happened!”
Clearly, Poppy is a fan of wrestling, and given her blossoming friendship with Io Shirai and love of performing in general, it wouldn’t be too shocking to see her return to NXT at some point, especially as Shirai continues to dominate in the ring.
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