TNA’s Masha Slamovich on WWE Crossover, Shawn Michaels & Why ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Plagues Her

Photo by MP/WWE

What’s your mindset right now going into Slammiversary? 

Masha Slamovich: It means a lot to me that everyone has my back and believes in my work and ability to this extent. I intend not to prove anyone wrong. I intend to prove everyone right as I continue to try to do every single day. 

What do you make of the WWE and TNA partnership so far? 

I think it has been really great for everyone all around. It has been a mutually beneficial relationship. Every time I’ve gone over to NXT I’ve had a fantastic experience. It has been a really nice and fun and new experience having the NXT talent join us in our locker room. I think it has led to some really fun matchups in the last year this has been going on. I really can’t wait to see where this goes. 

TNA President Carlos Silva has made no bones about his plans for the company including securing a bigger TV deal. How would you describe the leadership of TNA now? 

It’s quite clear to see TNA’s growth if you look at attendance. We’re looking at well over 5,000 people in attendance on Sunday at Slammiversary. I think that will speak for itself. It’s wonderful to see. 

How would you describe the locker room vibe at TNA? 

It’s a really good vibe and always has been. I don’t think there has ever been a moment in time where you’ve looked at the Knockouts division and said, “Oh, this isn’t a good division.” We’ve always been stacked and had great talent here. It’s no different from when I got here till now. We have a bunch of new people and a bunch of longtime wrestlers from TNA part of the locker room. It’s really cool seeing wrestlers bringing something new and fresh and integrating with us. I personally look forward to working with all of the new wrestlers and seeing what can be done. 

You’ve had a couple of interactions with Shawn Michaels at NXT and others. What have you taken from those experiences? 

Working with Shawn Michaels and everyone else at NXT has been a very educational experience. As someone who thoroughly loves pro wrestling, it’s always fun for me to be able to learn more and observe more and learn how things are done in the world of professional wrestling. I think who better to learn from than people like Shawn Michaels himself. 

We’ll call it even because I will have the NXT Women’s Championship and NXT’s Trick Williams  currently has the TNA Championship for the men. So, I think we would be a good balance 50-50. 

Has there been a match you’ve always wanted to have now that the door is swinging both ways with WWE and TNA? I know you have Natalya coming up during Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIV. Maybe that’s one. 

I look forward to wrestling everyone as time goes on. I love wrestling. I love being active. To be a champion, you have to be a fighting champion. So, I’m ready to put this championship on the line at any time. As for Natalya, that is a whole separate can of worms. I really look forward to opening at Bloodsport during SummerSlam weekend. That’s a match I’ve always had my eye on. I’m really excited for it to finally take place. 

We just came off the WWE Evolution PLE. Do you want to see TNA have another all-women’s, all-Knockouts show they used to have? 

You never know. When I first started with TNA, it was really with Knockouts Knockdown in 2021. I think we have a Knockouts Knockdown in 2025 or 2026. It’s a wonderful idea. 

What are some of the TV shows Masha Slamovich likes to watch? 

I really haven’t been watching an awful lot consistently. It’s very hard for me to keep up with shows because I’m so busy. It’s really just a lot of music and an episode here and there. For God’s sake, I’ve been trying to catch up with Grey’s Anatomy since it started. It’s never going to end, so that show has been plaguing me forever. It’s also summer, so I’m just outside on my roller skates, putting on some music and going for a skate. It’s nice cardio. It’s a nice way to get a tan. 

Is there one thing that might surprise people about you? 

People always give me a hard time because I love badminton. Badminton is really fun. You can just whip up some rackets and birdies at a park or beach and get a fun workout. It’s an easy enough sport to place. Masha Slamovich likes badminton. 

You have the most bad ass name in wrestling. How did it come about? 

The name Masha is actually the name of my childhood friend who passed away when we were teenagers. I wanted to take her name and do something good with it. Slamovich was the name that came with a friend who unfortunately passed away last October. We came up with Slamovich because it sounds like Slamobitch. It sounds Russian and cool, so we run with it. So thanks to my friends for coming up with it. 

TNA Wrestling

How would you describe the landscape of women’s wrestling now as you perform all over the world in TNA and for independent promotions? 

It’s so cool because I love to stay busy and wrestle all around the world. I love what I do with TNA. I love what I do with GCW (Game Changer Wrestling). I love working at other random promotions. Like I got to wrestle for IWF (Independent Wrestling Federation) in Moscow and got to have people like my grandmother and some cousins come to watch me wrestle live. If those companies didn’t exist, I would never have had that opportunity. So, I really never take for granted the ability I’m blessed with to travel around the world and wrestle around the world. I love it. 

Is there a match type you haven’t done yet you wanted to? 

One of the first times I worked with ladders was the match I had with Rosemary that I had in January. That makes me want to have a ladder match now. 

What do you want to see for TNA as the year progresses with all this momentum building? 

I just can’t wait to see TNA continue to grow. We’re breaking company records,  going bigger and better. We’re improving everything in the company internally and externally with our production. With our streaming service, the TNA+ streaming app. We’ve completely updated that. It’s very exciting. 

Who has been someone helpful behind the scenes as you’ve evolved as a performer? 

It has been really great working with Jazz. She has recently come aboard to TNA [again], so it has been nice to have that different opinion and set of eyes 

What do you want to say to people who are going to be tuning into a TNA Pay-Per-View or show in general for the first time on Sunday? 

I can only say this is going to be one of our most exciting Pay-Per-Views. There is not a single match not to look forward to. We have such a stacked card. The show is going to be out of control like most of our shows. This is going to be bigger, better and more fantastic as it has ever been. 

TNA Wrestling’s Slammiversary, July 20,8/7c, Pay-Per-View, FITE TV and TNA+

TNA Impact, Thursdays, 8/7c, AXS TV