Bianca Belair on Bayley being a legend, Megan Thee Stallion meeting | "Out of Character"
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
This week’s guest on "Out of Character" is the toughest, the fastest, the strongest – and the friendliest yet.
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Bianca Belair joined Monday’s podcast for a nearly hour-long conversation covering everything that has happened in her life since she won the SmackDown Women’s title at WrestleMania.
That includes feuding with Bayley, wrestling at the Rolling Loud Festival and, most importantly, what she has learned in her 121 days as champion.
RS: "The last time we spoke was leading up to WrestleMania, in which you went on to win the Smackdown Women's Championship in the main event of night one. In the 100 days that followed, what have you learned most about being a champion in WWE?
BIANCA: "I've learned that you have a target on your back. Everyone is coming for you. I've also learned that it starts over. Everything starts over.
"In your mind, you think like, ‘Oh, when I become champion, I've already proven myself. I'm champion. What else do I have to prove?’ NOOO!
"You are champion, and everybody's seeing like, ‘OK, show us what you got! Show us why you deserve to be champion.’ So everything kind of starts over. You’re proving yourself every single day.
"Opportunities just keep coming fast, and becoming champion, you don't get to just sit back. People are fighting to get to you, you know? You're working overtime.
"It's so much work. It’s a huge responsibility, and you have to keep proving yourself over and over and over again.
"The work never stops, but it's been cool, and I love it."
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One of those opportunities came in the form of meeting hip-hop artist Megan Thee Stallion before her performance at the Lollapalooza festival.
Their photo-op together lit up social media, and after, fans were left wondering if Meg might be interested in making a future appearance in WWE due to their blossoming relationship.
Here’s what Bianca had to say about the meeting:
RS: How did meeting Megan Thee Stallion at Lollapalooza come about?
BIANCA: "I've always been a huge fan of Meg.
"I actually did a couple of interviews before Rolling Loud, and they were like, ‘If you could team up with anyone, who would you pick?’ And Meg was always at the top of my list.
"I've always been a fan of her art and her music, and the opportunity was there. She was going to Lollapalooza in Chicago. I had a show that night in Milwaukee. It was maybe like an hour away, and the opportunity presented itself to where we could meet each other.
"It was really cool! We just kind of took a few pictures and chatted it up for a few minutes. It was right before she had to head off to Lollapalooza, and I had to hurry up and get in the car and drive to Milwaukee.
"It was just so cool to link up and just chat for a bit. It was fun! I'm just glad that that moment could happen."
RS: Did you kind of put the word in there to see if she wants to come to SummerSlam or any future WWE events?
BIANCA: "Well, we definitely talked about music, and then we talked about the WWE. I mentioned how I had just done an interview, and I was saying if I could ever tag team with anybody or collab with anybody, it would definitely be you!
"She was actually at Rolling Loud, but she was there another night that we weren’t there. So we didn't really get to meet that night, but I'm glad that we could meet that day. I don't know. The possibilities are endless!
"I mean, WWE was at Rolling Loud on the same stage as all the top hip-hop rappers. So who knows what can happen!"
Another opportunity that came about after winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship was getting to feud with Bayley, someone who has become a locker room leader among the women in WWE.
Their matches at WrestleMania Backlash and Hell in a Cell not only helped Bianca establish herself at the top of the food chain but also seemed to give "The EST of WWE" a boost of confidence coming out of it.
Speaking on the experience, Bianca agreed with this notion, giving props to Bayley for helping her grow in more ways than one:
RS: Since Bayley is so good at being a heel, I feel like feuding with her after WrestleMania really strengthened your role as babyface champion. What was your favorite part about working with Bayley in that time?
BIANCA: "Everything, man. Bayley is so talented.
"The amazing thing about Bayley is that she's so talented at what she does, that she makes it look so easy that sometimes I feel like she doesn't get the credit that she deserves because she just makes it look so easy.
"I have learned so much from Bayley, even outside of the ring, just watching how Bayley adapts to things, how she handles things, her creativity, her mind, her persona, her charisma, her wrestling skills and ability. Everything about Bayley.
"She’s a locker room leader. She’s a legend in the making.
"I feel like I learned so much from Bayley, especially at Hell in a Cell. I feel like a new side of Bianca Belair came out.
"I wear this long braid, and that's the first thing people want to do is touch my braid. I’m like, you know what? I got to give a reason for people not to touch my braid, and she helped me showcase what happens when you touch my hair. You're never going to win that war!
"She also challenged me mentally, which – everyone knows I'm ‘The EST of WWE,’ right? Physically, I'm strong, I'm fast, I'm tough, I'm rough.
"Even if you look at my back story, everybody knows that mentally, that's the part that used to always get me. That's the part that was my struggle, and she really tried to get to me mentally.
"She really helped me grow mentally as a competitor, which everyone knows, that's like the biggest part of who you're competing. If you're not there here, then you're not going to be able to succeed.
"So, working with Bayley really grew me mentally, which is going to help me even more when I get in the ring with Sasha Banks.
"Bayley was Sasha's right-hand man. So just getting in there and getting stronger and faster and better against Bayley, that's only going to help me even more against Sasha."
This drive in Bianca has led the 32-year-old WWE star to set a lofty goal for herself as champion, one that hinges on a certain former Women's champion returning from maternity leave.
Yes, "The EST of WWE" wants to prove herself against "The Man."
RS: I feel like over the past year and a half or whatever, you've slowly become The Four Horsewomen Hunter. You feuded with Bayley, you feuded with Charlotte Flair, you feuded with Sasha Banks. What are your thoughts on Becky Lynch?
BIANCA: "Man, I think Becky's amazing! Just the way that she came about, ‘The Man’ and all the accomplishments that she's had, and now she's gone to have a baby – which I think is an amazing accomplishment within itself.
"I can't wait for Becky to come back. I would love to feud with Becky.
"I always say that one of my main goals – I look up to the Four Horsewomen. When I was in NXT, I remember just looking at the Four Horsewomen and standing in in the locker room thinking like, Wow, they used to be here in the same spot that I’m at, and now they're on Raw, and they’re on Smackdown. They're doing these amazing things.
"And if I could ever just get up there and be in the same ring as them, that's when I know that I'm doing it, I've made it. And I'm here now. And the fact that I’ve pinned Bayley, I've pinned Sasha.
"And now my goal is to eventually feud again with Charlotte and Becky and hopefully pin the other two Four Horsewomen.
"They've set this amazing standard for women's wrestling in WWE.
"Now, I feel like there's like a new generation coming through, and I'm kind of at the forefront of it. I would love to be the first woman to pin all Four Horsewomen and really be at the forefront of the new generation of women's wrestlers that are coming through."
In the words of Mo’Nique, "I would like to see it."
Watch Bianca Belair defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship LIVE at SummerSlam on Aug. 21 in a rematch for the ages against "The Boss" Sasha Banks.
For more with Bianca, watch this week's "Out of Character."
Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.
