Before signing with AEW, Britt Baker made a name for herself working in the independent circuit. She spoke to Talk Is Jericho, where she revealed how she almost got a job in WWE.
During the podcast, she told Jericho her WWE tryout went very well. She received an extra physical and there was a good chance she would get signed. Then she was told by Canyon Cemen her dental career would not allow her to get the job. She is a dentist who has worked very hard to become one, which is why it was painful for her to start getting booed by fans for it.
“So, I had to tell a lot of lies to be able to get out of school for that weekend because it’s a couple of days, and actually, my tryout was pretty stacked with talent. Bianca [Belair] was in it, Lacey Evans, Velveteen Dream, Sonya Deville. It was a loaded class and all those names I just mentioned plus myself at the very end got pulled aside to do this extra physical with the doctor and I asked, I’m like what is this for? He’s like, ‘Oh, it’s basically the people on this list have intentions of being hired.’”
“So, I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m gonna get a job with WWE,’ and never forget at the very end of the camp, Canyon Cemen pulled me aside and if you’re an independent wrestler, Canyon Cemen is like the gatekeeper. You shall not pass or come on in the WWE… and he told me, ‘You really impressed a lot of people at this tryout’ and I was so excited, so excited and he says, ‘As a father, I have a really hard time pulling someone from a professional degree for this business’ and my heart just sank.”
“I was like, ‘Sh*t!’ So a couple of weeks later, I get an email from him saying, ‘You have a lot of the qualities we look for, however we don’t have an opportunity for you at this time but if you have the passion to succeed in this business, you’ll find a way to make this work throughout dental school,’ and I never forgot that, which it didn’t work out in WWE but it worked out to my advantage even better because I’m able to do both careers. I’m a dentist and a professional wrestler on TV.”
She waited a long time until she got her degree before signing with a wrestling promotion. While it is unknown whether she will ever sign with WWE in the future, she is certainly happy where she is.
h/t to Post Wrestling for the transcription.
