5 Explosive Star Feuds: Who Said What?

WWE star Zelina Vega is showing off the impressive results of her intense training routine, on social media. Vega, 33, posted highlights of her life recently, including a stunning snap of her posing in gray sweats and a matching sports bra, looking strong and toned. “Thank you all for the bday love yesterday. Means more than you know. Never know what helps fuel a person to keep fighting. Or just to simply not feel alone. Love you guys. Now, back to work💪🏽,” she captioned the post. Vega works hard to stay strong and ready for the ring—here’s how she does it.

1. HIIT and Muay Thai

Vega does plenty of HIIT workouts mixed up with martial arts. “I workout probably, like, six days a week,” she told Muscle & Fitness. “My husband [Malakai Black] likes to make these, like, powerlifting routines for me and then we also mix it up with Muay Thai. So, it’s a lot of different things that I feel like helps me a lot in the ring, whether it’s strength-wise, speed-wise, so yeah, it’s tough but you gotta fit it in.”

2. Diet Advice From The Rock

Shutterstock

Vega enjoys a vegan diet, and brings her own food on the road. “It is very difficult to eat though, I will say that, because you are just so busy running around all the time,” she told Muscle & Fitness. “Like even with [media calls], I completely forgot to eat, but I learned this from Dwayne Johnson: He had a timer on his phone that showed ‘OK, it’s time to eat’ and he would stop what he was doing and he’d make sure he gets his meals in, and then he would continue doing what he was doing.”

3. Video Game Star

Shutterstock

Vega appeared in the Street Fighter 6 video game as a commentator, and would love to expand to other games. “I've always loved Mortal Kombat and Tekken 2,” she told Screen Rant. “I think what's cool about the fighting game community is that I think we just kind of support all games. It's not even just after one, that's all you can ever be. But also, I would love to be a part of something that has to do with Naruto or Demon Slayer or something like that, because I'm such a big anime head that I'd love to kind of blend those two. Because obviously, I've played Naruto and Ninja Storm, stuff like that. So in some ways, I'd like to find a way to blend the anime gaming space there.”

4. Puerto Rico Pride

Vega is thrilled about the increased diversity in the wrestling world. “It has always been important to me. I’m Puerto Rican from New York,” she told TV Insider. “We’re all very proud of who we are. My family, I’m proud of them and feel like I’m representing them. I’m also representing the culture while I’m doing what I’m doing. I want that to reflect well on all of us as Latinos and Latinas. You think of Eddie [Guerrero] and Rey [Mysterio], but I wanted people to initially, especially in NXT, to think of me. That was a huge thing for us.”

5. Pre-Fight Ritual

Vega has a moving ritual before she gets in the ring for a fight. “I have a moment where I talk to my dad,” she told HOLA! USA. “I call my guardian angels. I go through my list: my dad, my uncle, my grandfather. I mean, even my little puppy that I lost. So I get to talk to them and tell them to be there with me because, without them, I wouldn’t be where I am. And even though they’re gone, I feel them making sure that I’m safe in the ring. I always say, ‘Make sure I’m safe, make sure I remember everything, make sure that the fans love it.’”

Babylon 5, the iconic 90s sci-fi series, is renowned for its compelling narrative and memorable characters—oh, how we miss Vir Cotto. Here we offer a glimpse into the lives of six pivotal cast members. Claudia Christian, passionate about cooking, finds solace in culinary arts. Bruce Boxleitner reflects on his career's twists and turns with gratitude. Phil LaMarr advocates for diversity in voice acting, stressing its importance. Julie Caitlin Brown shares insights on negotiating contracts amidst cultural complexities. Bill Mumy discusses the nuances of child acting and sustaining a career. Beata Pozniak highlights her activism, particularly in establishing International Women's Day in the U.S. Read on.

1. Claudia Christian

Claudia Christian played Susan Ivanova on the first four seasons. She is an avid cook, and talked about her love of cooking with Tor.com. “Cooking is my sanity, my joy and my way of showing the people that I love that I appreciate them. I have no children, so my friends are the recipients of my maternal love. When I cook homemade meals for them, when the soufflé turns out perfectly, I feel that anything else … any negative minutia of life cannot affect me, I am at peace.”

2. Bruce Boxlietner

Bruce Boxlietner played John Sheridan from seasons 2 to 5. He talked about how he feels about his career to Smashing Interviews Magazine. “I don’t think there’s anyone in this business that doesn’t have regrets. Maybe you should have gone one way, and you didn’t, or there was a role you were offered, and you turned it down. Everybody has those in this business. But, no, I’ve got to tell you that I’m very blessed. Actually I’ve been very, very blessed for the most part for the paths my career has taken.”

3. Phil LaMarr

Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Phil LaMarr played Stephen Franklin in The Road Home. In an interview with Twin Cities Geek, he talked about the importance of diversity when it comes to voice acting. “Diversity and representation weren’t buzzwords, but they were in the minds of people who had raw vision,” he said. “We need new stories; we need new perspectives. That’s what makes things interesting.”

4. Julie Caitlin Brown

Julie Caitlin Brown played Na’Toth in season one. She makes sure to negotiate her contracts correctly, and shared her approach with RosterCon. “There are always cultural differences, this is the way of the world. There can be a bias against women, their can be a problem with language and customs, there can be socio-economic issues that must be considered. I take into account all of these things when I am negotiating a contract.”

5. Bill Mumy

Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

Bill Mumy played Lennier in the first five seasons. He talked about his career in an interview with FOX News. "I’ve been very fortunate to work in so many areas of show business and be professionally rewarded for that," he said. "But I will say it’s a hard thing to adjust to when millions of people watch you perform week after week and then one day nobody is paying any attention to you. I can see how that can be troubling. But you know, I just kept finding a slot to work in. I never suffered financially like many other child actors whose parents spend their money. My parents invested and they kept me humble."

6. Beata Pozniak

Beata Pozniak played President Susanna Luchenko on the show. She is an immigrant, and has worked to empower women. Pozniak also was a factor in making International Women’s Day a holiday. She talked about her activism with Voyage LA. “The most proud thing I have done is to have met and found women that are inspirational — giving voice to the immigrants, who came here for a safer life. In searching for my new self, for my new identity, I wanted to find other immigrants, women from different walks of life that could serve as a positive role model. I met so many extraordinary immigrant women, from Ghana to Japan that words can’t even describe how uplifting their stories were. Therefore, in 1994, I spearheaded the introduction of the first bill in the history of the U.S. Congress (H.J. Res. 316) to recognize International Women’s Day in the United States. I wanted to celebrate the diversity of this great country.”

Step into the world of AEW's female wrestling stars and discover the incredible dedication, determination, and strength that have propelled them to the top of their game. In this article, we delve into the wellness routines, fitness secrets, and inspiring journeys of 20 remarkable athletes. From Toni Storm's commitment to her physical development to Thunder Rosa's candid discussion about mental health struggles, these women showcase not only their prowess in the ring but also their resilience and dedication to leading healthy, balanced lives. Join us as we explore their stories, workouts, and the challenges they've conquered to become the incredible athletes they are today.

1. Toni Storm

Shutterstock

Toni Storm talked about her wellness routine and changes she’s made to Muscle and Fitness. “I’ve always trained, I’ve always stayed consistent, but it’s really in the last year that I’ve really started to see myself developing as an athlete,” she says. “For example, when I was in NXT, you can even see in the footage, I’m not in the greatest physical condition that I ever was, but with moving to America from the UK, huge lifestyle changes, Covid, life just in general can really be harder at times than it is in others, and during my time in NXT I didn’t feel like I was perfect with my training and my nutrition, but really in the last year I’ve been kicking it into gear and taking it up a notch. I’m training the most consistently than I’ve ever been, and I’m starting to see some really good results.”

2. Jamie Hayter

Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

Jamie Hayter talked about how she changed her wellness routine during the pandemic to Sports Illustrated. “I started taking my diet more seriously and got into better shape. I stopped drinking. I needed to focus entirely on lifting myself up. If I was healthy on the inside, I’d be healthy on the outside.”

3. Britt Baker

Shutterstock

Britt Baker shared some of her go-to workouts in an interview with Muscle and Fitness. “I’m really big on Pilates too,” she said. “It’s something I have got way better at in the last year or so. I actually work with a stretch therapist twice a week just to help with my flexibility because I’ve had my fair share of injuries. I think one thing that is really important for your body is mobility.”

4. Nyla Rose

Shutterstock

Nyla Rose is the first out trans wrestler. Unfortunately, she’s had to deal with a lot of backlash. She talked about this in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “People might feel it’s a conflict of their beliefs by simply respecting someone else, but it’s not,” Rose says. “You don’t have to understand or even agree with somebody’s situation to show them simple respect and kindness, like respecting their pronouns and respecting their way of life. I’d love for people to be cool with it, but if that’s not your thing, it’s not your thing. But shouldn’t people want to treat their fellow humans with a little respect and kindness?”

5. Jade Cargill

Shutterstock

Jade Cargill shared some of her fitness secrets with PopCulture.com. She says that she has made some changes to the exercises she chooses to do. “Instead of doing a lot of squats, for example, I do leg press,” she says. “So I try to compensate and do two for one because I'm not trying to burn myself out too much. And I'm trying to more so maintain rather than get big, if that makes sense. So I'm not trying to over-exhaust myself. I take rest days, like tomorrow I'm going to take a rest day."

6. Leila Gray

Leila Gray / Instagram

Leila Gray talked about her success in an interview with Toned In. She says that her success is due to believing in herself. “Everything is starting to pay off. And just believe in yourself. Things are possible, dreams come true. And it sounds cliche, but it's really true. If you apply yourself and you believe in yourself, you can really achieve anything."

7. Kiera Hogan

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Kiera Hogan opened up about her approach to the Knockouts Tag Team Championship with WrestleZone.com. “I feel like people are finally going to just understand why we are the best and why we are going for these titles at Hard To Kill. That’s exactly what we are, we’re hard to kill, especially me. I’ve been there for four years now and I’m ready to prove it. I’m ready to leave it all in the ring and leave it all on the line.”

8. Madison Rayne

Joern Pollex/Getty Images

Madison Rayne makes sure to stay in shape. One thing she likes to do is weight train. Rayne shared this gym video on her Instagram. In it, she is seen stepping on and off of a stool holding a weighted ball, and using hand weights. She captioned the video, “Let’s go!”

9. Mercedes Martinez

Bryan Steffy/Getty Images

Mercedes Martinez talked about the evolution of women’s wrestling in an interview. “I’m one of the fortunate ones that has been able to keep my career on the up-and-up and be able to see these ups and downs and these changes … and maybe even influence some of these changes. I take credit, I pat myself on the back all the time, to know that I am a part of this women’s change in wrestling. There’s still a lot more to go, trust me.”

10. Kris Statlander

Kris Statlander / Instagram

In an interview on the No Longer Novice! Now What? A Fitness Podcast, Kris Statlander talked about how wrestling helped her deal with an eating disorder. “Once I started wrestling, and getting involved in wrestling, and training I realized how winded I was getting. I was getting to the point where my legs would go numb. I had horrible circulation. I was like, ‘I guess I should try and eat something, and get food down, because I need to try and get better at this — I need to get stronger’. And then, I remember, I started actually really work out, and I would eat. I think I gained like 40 pounds once I started eating again. But I wasn’t upset about it. I was happy about it for the first time, because I was like a lot stronger now.”

11. Serena Deeb

Serena Deeb / Instagram

Serena Deeb makes sure to keep her fighting skills intact. She shared this video of herself practicing some moves with a trainer on Instagram. Deeb captioned the post, “Big thank you to Jason Mello for teaching me some fight choreography and knife work. It was so bad ass to train with you!”

12. Taya Valkyrie

Barry Brecheisen/WireImage

Taya Valkyrie talked about how she wants to focus her energy and her career in an interview with SHAK Wrestling. “I just really wanna work and make an impression and continue to build my legacy. For now, I'm still incredibly happy working absolutely everywhere. I'm not a person to sit at home and sit still and drink a tea and talk about the weather. I’ve never been like that, I get bored very easily, so this has really kept me on my toes and kept me inspired and motivated. We’ll see what happens this year. I’ll just keep moving along and being the Taya Valkyrie that everyone knows.”

13. Paige VanZant

Sergi Alexander/Getty Images

Paige VanZant shared her diet secrets in an interview with Women Fitness. “Dieting is a huge part of being any sort of professional athlete,” she said. “My husband and I love cooking and we really enjoy making healthy meals together. I like to think of myself as a chef and have competed on many cooking shows. We of course have our occasional cheat day here and there. But once we have a flight scheduled it’s down to business. Then after we fight we go a little bit crazy and eat everything in sight.”

14. Marina Shafir

Hans Gutknecht/Getty Images

Marina Shafir talked about how she got into wrestling in an interview on Ronda Rousey’s website. “The day I decided to just do it was like any other day, but the decision to do it was more that this is an amazing opportunity to learn a whole lot about myself that I didn’t know and couldn’t find out through fighting. Because fighting, you kind of suppress emotion and fight through emotion. And in pro wrestling, you have to harness those emotions. Everybody fights different, but personally, it was a brand new, refreshing way to engage myself.”

15. Leyla Hirsch

Frank Jansky/Getty Images

Leyla Hirsch talked about her career on an episode of the AEW Unrestricted podcast. In it, she talked about what inspires her in the ring. “I would say amateur wrestling," Hirsch revealed. "I honestly feel if I didn't do amateur wrestling, I wouldn't be this type of wrestler. Also, training at CZW, I wasn't going to be a girl that put on a lot of makeup. I wanted people to believe in everything that I did in the ring.”

16. Athena

Athena / Instagram

In an interview with the Dallas News, Athena talked about her life and career. She says that she wants to inspire other girls like her. "I just want to show people that it's OK to be you. That it's OK to defend everything that you want in life to accomplish your dreams no matter what other people say. That's my main goal."

17. Red Velvet

Frank Jansky/Getty Images

In an interview on the Wilde On podcast, Red Velvet talked about her journey to wrestling. “I quit dance, I was kind of in a bad place, I switched the channel, and at the time WWE was casting for Tough Enough. You didn't need any experience, you just needed to submit a video that you are Tough Enough. The training didn't matter. I kind of geeked out and was like, 'I don't know what's going to come of this, but let's just try.' I went to my friend's backyard, I had moved on from the break up, I dyed my hair red, it was super red. 'Let's do this.'”

18. Skye Blue

Skye Blue / Instagram

In an interview with the Daily Star, Skye Blue talked about what her career goals are. “I would definitely like to break some of the standards and the mold. I would love to have an intergender match on TV. I would love to do a hardcore match on TV. I love doing hardcore matches even though I really shouldn’t. But just something, you know, I want to show that the girls can do it too.”

19. Willow Nightingale

Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

Willow Nightingale talked about how she approaches her career in an interview with Pitchfork. “For a long time I’ve been this bubbly, cheery, enthusiastic character, but I know in my heart I can’t be eternally happy, because that’s not life’s journey,” she says. “We change, we grow, we evolve.”

20. Thunder Rosa

Bennett Raglin/Getty Images

In an interview on Busted Open Radio, Thunder Rosa opened up about some mental health struggles she went through after getting hurt. “It made things much more difficult than they were mentally for me. There were days that I — I’m gonna be honest and I’ve said it on my YouTube channel, I wanted to kill myself. Everything stopped and there’s nothing you can do and I’m so thankful that I have a really good team and a really good family. My son, I think he’s the one who’s helped me the most and he helped me many times many nights, just telling me everything’s gonna be okay and I was lucky enough to have some resources and I was able to be in therapy. There were not good sessions at times. There was a lot of crying, there’s a lot of letting things go and accepting things that you cannot change and you’re just moving forward.”