Leyla Hirsch was born in Russia and moved to the United States with her twin sister after they were adopted at 8 years old. Leyla talks about coming to a new country, learning to speak English, what she misses most about Russia, and how she discovered pro wrestling. She speaks to all the things that hooked her into wrestling, convincing her mom to let her try, and giving up her college scholarship to pursue professional wrestling. Leyla remembers her first day training, her first match, wrestling in Germany and Japan, and how all of that led to signing with AEW! Plus, you’ll hear her thoughts on her matches with Hikaru Shida and Serena Deeb, why Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson are two of her favorite wrestlers today, and how her amateur career has influenced her in-ring style.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.