Davina Rose: The Dirty Dirty Sheets Interview

One of the hidden gems of 2011, Davina Rose is a name fans slowly are becoming more aware of. With her appearances for SHIMMER and ArenaChicks, Northern California’s Rose has made an impressive step into the national spotlight and is severing as a worthy ambassador for her home promotion, Big Time Wrestling. Her passion, heart, and constant smile reminds fans of the woman who happens to be her mentor, the amazing Serena Deeb. An admirable, but daunting, comparison. Filling those boots won’t be any easier with the likes of Portia Perez and Nicole Matthews already gunning for her. Luckily, she has an Egyptian god watching her back. DDS is proud to present, Davina Rose!

Becoming a wrestler isn’t something the average person aspires to. Who or what captured your imagination and made you a fan? What was the defining moment when you knew you wanted to become a wrestler?

Well, I was always a tomboy growing up (and still am), playing all kinds of sports everyday so I already had that love for sports in my blood. The first time I saw wrestling, my Dad and brother were watching it and I honestly thought nothing of it until I saw Randy “The Macho Man” Savage. All I saw was huge muscles, bright colors, and a big smile on this guys face. It looked like he was having the time of his life. That was when I was when I got hooked into wrestling. It wasn’t until I saw the women wrestling, like Ivory, that I knew I wanted to actually be a part of it. Throughout time like my teenage years I fell in love with the Hardy Boyz and Lita, and they are definitely a big part of me being a wrestler right now.

Tell us about your gear. You of course have a rose, but you also have an Egyptian symbol. Can you explain the symbol’s significance to you?

I try to keep my gear very athletic looking. Ever since I was younger, I knew I wanted to treat wrestling as the sport that it is and not use my body or showing off skin to get any other attention. As for the rose on most of my tights, it obviously symbolizes my name. “Rose” is actually my middle name. My Mom gave me that name because ever since she can remember, my Grandpa would give my Grandma a dozen roses every week, so it meant a lot to her, which made it mean a lot to me. Even more now that my Tadgu (Grandpa in Welsh) recently passed away in June.

The Egyptian symbol is the “Eye of Ra” which symbolizes protection. Before my first wrestling match my family was excited but, of course, worried about me. So a few days before my match I got the Eye of Ra tattooed on the back of my neck to feel protected and know that someone is always watching my back. It’s also just a cool design; I was getting bored of the roses!

Big time wrestling seems to be your home promotion, give us some insight on that company and how you discovered them? Who were you trained by and what was your training like?

Yes, Big Time Wrestling is one of the biggest promotions in Northern California and it is run by Kirk White. My Dad first found out about them back in 2001, because he saw a sign outside of the San José Boys and Girls Club near his work and it had Buff Bagwell on it. I was 11 and that was the first live wrestling show I had ever been to. Since that night I never missed any of the Big Time Wrestling shows.

I began training in 2008 when I was 18 with my head trainer Jason Styles, along with Ryan Von Kool, Kimo Kanaloa, Chico Navarro, Mike Silva, and Shane Kody. My first day there were also 3 other guys starting who were all best friends. I was the only girl there, and still am to this day. We trained twice a week for 2 hours in this small warehouse that barely had enough room for the ring and no bathroom! It was perfect. It was a very intimidating being a teenage girl with all these men, in a man’s world, but I loved it.

Southern California wrestling gained a lot of national attention last year. As someone in Northern California, how do you view the scene? Would you say you’ve had great opportunities there?

I believe Northern Cali and Southern Cali are two very different wrestling worlds. Southern Cali has way more promotions, way more exposure, and way more women wrestlers! I’ve only wrestled there a few times for NWA Hollywood and I had a great time.

When I first started, all the girls I wrestled were from SoCal. With the exception of Christina Von Eerie, whom I had the pleasure of working with a few times, I think I’m the only NorCal girl around right now. But honestly, I cannot complain one bit. Kirk White has given me the biggest opportunities with BTW and I couldn’t ask for more. He has never let me down since day one, I was never left out of a show and he’s always brought someone in for me to wrestle. Through Kirk and BTW shows I’ve had the opportunity to wrestle ODB, Awesome Kong, Daffney, Serena, and many more great women.

Is there any place you’re very interested in working or training outside the country? Any promotions you have on your radar to perform for?

I want to go anywhere! The more I wrestle, and the more people I meet, the more anxious I get to see the world. Like any other wrestler I would love to go to Japan, Mexico and Australia being that wrestling is very big and respected in those places. But I’ve got my eye on Canada for the next place I want to train and wrestle in. I love the Canadian style; I believe it will add so much to me as a wrestler. I would love to work for ECCW over there. In the states, WSU in New Jersey is the next promotion I’d like to wrestle for.

You have quite the list of talent you’ve worked with, including the likes of Awesome Kong, Sara Del Rey, and The Canadian Ninjas. Who have you learned the most from, either inside or outside of the ring?

I learn something every match from everyone. I remember Awesome Kong telling me to slow down and take my time in the match, which my trainers told me I had a bad habit of not doing. Sara Del Rey and Allison Danger were both very helpful, and pointed out little things I could do to be a better and smarter wrestler. Like I said, everyone has been helpful but, of course, I’m closest to Serena. I feel very comfortable to email her whenever I have a question about anything and she’s been so helpful not only on the wrestling itself but how to handle certain situations or bookings.

At SHIMMER you debuted against a veteran of the company in Mercedes Martinez, how were you feeling leading up to this match?

Going up against Mercedes Martinez was one hell of a surprise. I was excited, but nervous, and afraid, all at the same time. It was awesome though, because knowing that I’d be going to SHIMMER I was watching a lot of the DVD’s and studying all the girls’ styles. I made sure to pay close attention to Mercedes because the first time I met Serena I asked her who she loved to wrestle the most and her first answer was “Mercedes Martinez”.

She’s awesome because she’s a fan favorite but she’s also a bad ass. She’s so intense in the ring, but keeps a smile on her face. I’m not going to lie, when her music hit and I was standing in the ring, I kind of just wanted to sit in the crowd and enjoy it with the fans. But in the end I couldn’t ask for a better opponent to start off my SHIMMER debut.

Tell us more about how Serena has mentored you. How did it feel when Portia invited her to your match against one another on SHIMMER Volume 42?

Having Serena willing to help out with my career has been a blessing. I really owe what I did in SHIMMER, and anything that comes of it, to her. Since we first met for our tag match in October 2010 she offered her hand to help get me out there any way she can, without me even asking. She’s just an amazing person, besides her skills in the ring. When Portia invited her out, all I wanted to do was make her proud. Not only was there pressure on me to hold up my own in that ring but in a way all eyes were on her as well because she brought me into that company, so I didn’t want to let her down. It definitely lit a spark and made me want to fight that much harder and put on a better show for the fans and Serena.

You followed up on Volume 43 with a great showing against Nicole Matthews. However she spent much of the match belittling you, as Portia did the previous night. How do you feel about the disrespect shown to you by the Canadian Ninjas?

Honestly, I respect the Canadian Ninjas as wrestlers because they’re veterans and have wrestled in places that I can only hope to. But as for them bullying me throughout the tapings, maybe they felt a little threatened in the ring with me? Or did they just not respect me because I was the new girl? I don’t blame them if they felt threatened, especially with Serena in my corner. But if I haven’t gained their respect by proving that I can hang with them in our matches, then I guess I’ll just have to come back and get it some other way.

SHIMMER is never short on arrogant or egocentric individuals and volume 44 you met “the indestructible one” Kellie Skater in your final match of the weekend. How do you think you faired against The Rate Tank? Also, after having time to reflect, how do you feel about the weekend overall?

Kellie Skater is definitely confident of her ability in the ring and not shy to show it, so I’m sure she thought our match would be a stroll in the gym for her. Our styles are pretty different because I’m a bit more humble about my in ring work, so I think that’s what made our match a little more competitive. It was tough going against her in my fourth match of the weekend, but I thought I still had a good chance. In the end, experience played a big factor and Skater came out victorious.

Looking back on the whole weekend my two favorite matches, and the ones I heard the best feedback on, were the two against the Canadian Ninjas. My SHIMMER experience was better than I could have ever imagined it would be. From the amazingly talented, welcoming wrestlers in the locker room, to being halfway across the US (the furthest I have ever been in my life), to meeting Dave Prazak and everyone involved in the back, the camera men, referees, agents, etc. They were all awesome and made my trip feel complete.

Is there anything you would have like to done, or that you regret? And if we see you again this coming March in SHIMMER, are there any wrestlers on the roster you’d like to meet?

I have no regrets. I think I took good advantage of my peers at SHIMMER. I asked questions as much as I could, from whoever took the time to watch my matches. I love all feedback and advice or criticisms. I learned so much in that locker room and in that ring that I will carry with me for the rest of my career. With that being said, if I have the opportunity to come back I will be lucky with whoever I get put in the ring with. But just to name a few, I would love to wrestle Daizee Haze, Jessie McKay, Christina Von Eerie again. I’d also like to face any of the Joshi girls who I think would be a big, but rewarding, challenge for me.

What’s Davina Rose like outside the ring? What are your hobbies? What music, shows, books, etc. are you into?

As far as music goes: all music! I’ve even been into a little country lately, as I was forced to give it a chance. But mainly I’m into different types of rock. For example Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Offspring, and a lot of indie rock bands. And yes, I’m a fan of Paramore. Don’t judge me!

I still stay pretty active and play basketball every now and again with old team mates. I love being with my friends and family just like everyone else. I’m into going to concerts and shows, hiking crazy places and trails, trying new places to eat and, honestly, walking around Wal-Mart playing with everything like a little kid is a hobby of mine. And of course I have work and school full-time.

In high school I only read the books that I had to! Now I’m more into autobiographies, mainly about wrestlers.

I like to collect belts! Different colored and styled belts. I love colored socks so I can mix and match them. I wear beanies. I skateboard, own a pair of heelies and can pogo stick really well! With no hands even. I love That 70s show, Friends, and I hate Seinfeld! I’m always cold; I can never get warm. I love animals and people.

What do you have on this year? Anything you’re very excited about?

This year is going to be a big year for me as I have some things getting put together which will be a big step for my career. I’ll be at Wrestle Reunion in LA and wrestling on the Arena Chicks VIP show that weekend. I’ll also be at Undrenaline Unleashed in Vegas this March. I also hope to be invited back to SHIMMER!

Is there anything else you’d like to say to your fans?

Thanks for all your support! Please checkout BTWrestling.com, my home promotion. I also started a twitter, follow me peeps @itsDavinaRose!

See Davina in this match with Amber O’Neal, as she tries to get revenge after a “controversial” loss in Big Time Wrestling.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3xOIQBF570