When Lash Legend first came onto the “WWE SmackDown” scene, I wrote an entire piece on how she was just another “WWE NXT” star destined for a mediocre main roster run, based entirely on her coalition with Nia Jax. After being traumatized (dramatic, but whatever) by the precipitous drop of Carmelo Hayes, I was quick to assume that Legend was doomed to forever be the second fiddle to Jax — never destined to become a first chair of her own within the large, sometimes-cacaphonous orchestra of WWE.

After seeing Legend’s performance in Saturday’s Women’s WarGames match, however, I have to issue a formal apology. She’s going to be alright.

Saturday’s Women’s WarGames was stacked with talent. Of course, you have a huge spectacle in AJ Lee, who entered that devilish double-ring structure for the first time. You have Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, two of the original Four Horsewomen. You have multi-time world champions in Alexa Bliss, Asuka, Nia Jax, and Rhea Ripley. It would have been so easy for Legend to just bleed into the background — in fact, I expected her to. Her coming out last almost felt like an afterthought, like WWE only just remembered that she was in this match, and they needed to send her out quickly to officially start WarGames.

In a sea of competent and high-performing competitors, Legend killed it. She brought a certain brute edge that nobody had — not even Ripley. Like, she was swinging Bliss with such reckless abandon that I thought Bliss’ spine would tweak and twirl into itself, like a cord. She had the gumption and gall to chokeslam the Charlotte Flair (14-time world champion and 5’10” Charlotte Flair), and while it wasn’t the best chokeslam, by any means, it did the job. Legend shone alongside Jax — the mentor I was so sure would bury her by association alone — as they both military-pressed SKY. Legend sold Asuka’s mist so well, with her howls of pain being a highlight of what was otherwise a slow, nothingburger night. While everyone else felt like they were playing the wrestling game safely, with muted sells and microexpressions, Legend came out guns ablazing. From the moment she stepped in that ring, it was a full send for Legend.

Was it a perfect performance? Not necessarily. There are several women in that ring who could out-wrestle her, technique-wise. What made Legend stand out was her passion. You could feel it oozing from her every move — every big, bold, flamboyant move that mirrored the spirit of professional wrestling. For someone with a not-wrestling background, that is impressive. You can feel the passion Legend has for this medium. For that, she has a bright future on the main roster.

Written by Angeline Phu