“Make Them Hate You”: An interview with NWA World Women’s Television Champion Kenzie Paige

Most kids when they’re 14 years old are involved in the standard extracurriculars. Sports. Hanging out with friends. Watching the tube. 

Kenzie Paige was locking up, hitting the ropes and throwing punches in the back of thrift store as she began her career in professional wrestling. 

Seven years later and Paige has been a fast learner quickly emerging as a standout in Billy Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance. So much so that she became the inaugural NWA World Women’s Television Champion back in March after defeating Max The Impaler at NWA’s 312 pay-per-view event in Chicago. 

Watching Paige, especially in the last year where she was also one half of the NWA World Women’s Tag Team Champions (Pretty Empowered), it’s easy to see why Corgan has steadily raised her position on the card. Her in-ring work is ahead of her time. But perhaps more importantly, she knows how to pace a match, and she knows how make fans hate her. 

“Being in wrestling since I was 14, and I’m still only 21 years old, you hear negativity all the time,” Paige said. 

At first, the negativity was a drag. But then her heel instinct clicked, and she figured out how to use it. “If they’re gonna hate you regardless, make them hate you,” Paige explained. “Have fun with it. Let it be hate that you’re antagonizing. I’m not scared to get a reaction or look a certain kind of way to get a reaction. Give them something to hate. I’m bothering them, and they give it back to me.”

Paige’s early understanding of wrestling psychology comes from her family. Her dad, Tommy Henry, runs the Kross Fire Wrestling promotion in Tennessee. Her uncle was her first trainer in the back of the aforementioned thrift shop. “It’s always been a staple in my life,” Paige said. “It’s a big family business over here.” 

She has since trained with Glenn Jacobs (WWE’s Kane) as well as Tom Prichard and Ricky Morton. She made her pro debut in 2018, and in 2020 she was the first 18-year-old to compete on AEW Dynamite in a match against Nyla Rose. Her sister, Kylie Paige, also recently debuted for the NWA taking Kenzie’s place in Pretty Empowered alongside Ella Envy. 

Paige will defend her title at this weekend’s NWA 75 pay-per-view in St. Louis, and it’s strongly rumored to be in a re-match with Max The Impaler. Recently Paige talked about her beginnings in wrestling, working for the NWA, and the goals she has for the future in this Web Is Jericho exclusive. 

When did you know wrestling was what you wanted to do for a living? “My dad is an independent wrestling promoter. So I’ve been around the wrestling business. My first memories as a child were watching my dad and my uncle get ready for their backyard wrestling shows. I watched my dad go from the backyard to the armories and to conference centers. Once I saw his love for it, I showed interest in it. And once I had his full support, I was like ‘This is what Im gonna do.’”

Outside of the family, who were the wrestlers that inspired you? “My favorite of all time is Bret Hart. Right next to that is Shawn Michaels. Those are the two staple points of what I try to be in professional wrestling both on the technical side and with the persona. Now, there’s a lot of people I see so much of myself in them that I can relate to it and use it and take something from it. But Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart are the two that pulled me into wrestling.” 

Any standout heels that you take inspiration from? “Besides HBK, I try to do the same annoying tactics of Chris Jericho. Where it’s like, ‘I want to hate this girl but she’s funny right now, but I still hate her.’ I try to take some of those tactics with the mannerisms the in-betweens. Randy Orton is another one with the slow, malicious vibe he has. I try to channel that between beating people up. I try to take all different aspects. Not only can I be funny and entertaining, I can be serious and hard-hitting when I have to. I can also be charismatic and make you love me.” 

What has Billy Corgan meant to you? “He really has changed not only my life but my family’s life. When I went to the NWA, mentally and physically, I felt I wasn’t ready to be there. To have a guy (with his status) take a chance on me not once, not twice, but three times, and put me on pay-per-views even when I didn’t believe in myself — that takes a lot. So obviously he saw something in me. Then to have my little sister get into wrestling and after a year — he also signs her, and he’s like, ‘I want you two to be together. I want you to help your sister and let her grow.’ It goes past business at that point, because he cares about my personal life and my family. He talks to my dad, he’s talked to my mom. It goes deeper than, ‘You’re a wrestler and I’m the owner.’ He looks out for me and my sister. Especially with wrestling being a family business in all aspects of my head, that’s what I needed. That’s the comfort I needed from him, and I really appreciate that.”

The big takeaway I’ve had from interviewing NWA talent is that he doesn’t micromanage much. “I feel like with him coming from Smashing Pumpkins and rock ’n’ roll, he gets that we want creative freedom. From where he went against the grain in the rock ’n’ roll industry, I feel like he’s allowed us to bring our own ideas to the table, because he understands it. He’s coming from a point of view we all understand. He doesn’t micromanage, he doesn’t hold anyone down or water anything down, and he’s very open to, ‘You have an idea? Pitch it to me. You have something to say? Tell me.’ That helps me and a lot of other people. He’s very cool when it comes to creative freedom and how we want to present ourselves.” 

NWA tends to be much more of a traditional wrestling promotion in how it’s presented both in and out of the ring. What do you think NWA is offering that’s different from other wrestling companies? “Again, we have an owner and promoter that’s not afraid to go against the grain. He’s gonna follow his heart and do what he feels is best for the company while also listening to other people’s opinions. His music speaks for itself, and the NWA speaks for itself. I think we offer a lot of time for the women, too. Billy Corgan and everyone there respects the women’s division. We’re not playing sidelines to anyone.”

So how do you go about preparing to wrestle Max The Impaler? “It is rumored to be Max The Impaler. If it’s Max, that’s who I originally beat for the NWA World Women’s Television Championship. So that’s a tough task. But I feel like it will really present me as a dominant champion if I can beat them not once but twice. Going into a match with them is like going to war. To me, knowing that opponents are bigger than me and have those advantages on me, I have to play the speed game. And I have to come in with a great game plan. When you’re going to war with Max The Impaler, you better have a game plan, because your ammo might not be enough. I could have every move in the book, but Max is ‘Warlord of the Wasteland.’ So it’s a little intimidating, but to be a champion you have to be up to the task.”

Looking forward to the next five years, where would you like to see yourself? “I’ve already achieved a lot of goals I set when I was younger. Obviously, Wrestlemania and getting to the WWE is something I want to do. But I want to think of how I can make history in my own way. I’ve done a bunch of things that are adding up. I was the first 18-year-old to wrestle in All Elite Wrestling on national television. I was the first ever NWA Women’s World Television Champion. I’m only 21. I feel like there’s more barriers I can break down. As of right now, my goal is to be the NWA World Women’s Champion. And whether it’s Natalia Markova or Kamille that has that title after NWA 75, either way I would like a shot at that championship. If I beat Max The Impaler, that’s my ticket.”