Prior to signing a full-time contract with WWE, Grey said she seriously considered its pros and cons, with one con being that it would take away the opportunity for her to try out for the Olympics. Still, she ultimately opted to pursue WWE.

“I came and tried out, and ever since then, I loved it,” Grey said. “I’m so grateful to be here. I’m so grateful for the opportunity. Wrestling is a weight cut sport; I was wrestling at 109 pounds, very small. I am still small. I’m still trying to gain weight and still get bigger, but I was super small. So when I came to my tryout, I know there was concerns like she’s really small, maybe her wrist can break. I’m like, ‘No, I swear. I promise.'”

Since the age of 11, Grey had cut weight out of necessity for her various athletic ventures, including amateur wrestling. Armed with a desire to join WWE on a permanent basis, however, she vowed to bulk up at that point.

“I want to get bigger. I want to do this,'” Grey said, “so I think I had to bet on myself and they kind of had to take a risk on me to see like can she handle it? Can she handle stepping into the ring? I feel like they took a risk. But I hope I’m showing that I am taking this serious, I love this, and I’m so passionate about it.”

Two years removed from her WWE tryout, Grey has made major strides in the professional wrestling world. Come time for “WWE NXT” New Year’s Evil, she could now possibly reach the highest peak in “NXT.” 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Denise Salcedo with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.