WWE Superstars Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill exemplified the importance of diversity in Brooklyn Friday as hundreds of fans looked to meet their heroes.
For the droves of young girls of color who lined the block surrounding the 61 Graham Ave Cricket Wireless Retail Store on June 26, the former WWE tag team champions are not just larger than life figures who run roughshod over the roster, they are symbols of the power of black women and an inspiration.
“It is so important to see representation, not just in wrestling but in anything. I feel like if I saw them growing up, I might have been a different person,” fan Luxury Leah said, who arrived dressed up as Jade Cargill. “Having athletes like them, who are beautiful, who are glamorous — I am just honored to be part of the community.
Both Cargill and Bianca Belair spoke to amNewYork Metro before their scheduled meet and greet where they candidly talked about representation and what it means to them to inspire others. According to Belair she actually got the idea to have a group of young ladies accompany her at her Wrestlemania entrance during a Cricket Wireless meet and greet.
“The Cricket meet and greets is actually one of my favorite things to do. The idea to have little girls to do my entrance I got from being at the Cricket meet and greets because I see so many girls dressed like me,” Belair explained. “Getting to meet these fans you really get to see how you impact their lives. We put smiles on their faces and they put smiles on our faces.”
Cargill agreed, stating that the sight of the long lines of people just waiting to meet her is an awe-inspiring sight.
“It shows that what we’re doing is worth it, you know, like they’re standing in line for hours and hours for us. It just makes us humble and makes us grateful,” Cargill added.
The pair have been dominating the women’s tag team division as of late and even swiftly became tag team champions before losing them in a three-way match at Clash at the Castle in Scotland to Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn. Despite this bump in the road, the pair say they plan on regaining their championships.
“We’re definitely going to get our titles back,” Belair declared. “You know, the best team won that night, we got caught slipping. It’s only gonna make us better. We didn’t get to finish what we started with the tag team division. We want to continue to elevate it and continue to put our women’s roster on the map.”
“We are going to get those titles back,” Cargill repeatedly with firm confidence.
WWE Smackdown will be live at Madison Square Garden on June 28.
