Ivy Nile, a prominent WWE Superstar known for her role in the American Made faction on WWE Raw, recently took part in an extensive interview on the podcast INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet. In the conversation, she discussed various aspects of her career, including her participation in The Titan Games, her early roots in MMA, mentorship under Chad Gable, and her aspirations for future WWE matches. The focus on Ivy Nile WWE Titan Games MMA highlights her versatile journey and ongoing evolution inside and outside the wrestling ring.
Journey into The Titan Games and MMA Beginnings
Before becoming a WWE competitor, Ivy Nile immersed herself in mixed martial arts and related disciplines. She started with Taekwondo, transitioning into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where she particularly enjoyed grappling with larger opponents. Her motivation was driven by wanting to be prepared for real-world situations involving bigger adversaries. Ivy even tried her hand at professional MMA fights, describing the experience as challenging and eye-opening, balancing her daytime job as a massage therapist with nighttime fight training.
She recalled the difficulty of fight camps, weight cutting, and the rough realities of the MMA lifestyle. However, a turning point came when, while watching a late-night television show featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson promoting The Titan Games, her sister encouraged her to apply. Although initially skeptical about the process, Ivy eventually completed the application and was surprised to be contacted shortly afterward by casting producers inviting her to participate.
Her first trip to California for the show was a striking experience, as she had never left Tennessee before or been on a plane. Among more than 100 competitors, Ivy made it through the combine stages and went on to compete on the televised series. While she did not win the entire competition, she was named one of Dwayne Johnson’s Titans, marking a life-changing milestone in her athletic career.
“For a little bit after I got out of Taekwondo, I got involved in Jiu Jitsu, and I fell in love with it. It’s awesome to fight these big dudes, because if anything, if anyone’s ever going to attack me, it’s going to be a big dude, not like a small whatever. So loved rolling around with bigger guys. Got into MMA for a little bit, boxing, all that stuff. I got my hands on everything because I just wanted to be someone who was well-rounded. So when I did my first MMA fight, and I lost. At the time, I was a massage therapist, and I was like this is a crazy life, because I was massaging during the day, and MMA at night, totally different world. I’d show up to my massage job with busted lips and people thought I got lip injections or something. I was like, No, I got punched in the face. This is nuts. Anyway, so after that first MMA fight, it was rough. Fight camps are rough. Cutting weight is rough; it was a rough time. So shortly after that, I was watching Jimmy Fallon or something, and my sister and I were watching it, and The Rock was on there talking about his new competitive show, the Titan Games. That was like, six, seven years ago. That’s crazy to think it was that long ago. My sister was like ‘You should try out for it.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean? Just fill out a form or whatever?’ She’s like, ‘Yeah, do it.’ I was like, ‘No, that’s ridiculous, that’s absolutely ridiculous.’ So at the time, I filled out the form online, and then I just put it down, I didn’t finish it, this is never gonna happen. This is silly. So a couple of days later she asked me, ‘Did you fill it out?’ [I said] ‘No, this is crazy, they already are picking people or whatever.’ So a couple of days later, I finished filling out the form, and not even a day later, LA called me, and I half assed it. I sent in pictures and videos I already had on my phone, it wasn’t anything crazy. And they called me and said they loved my story. They loved the stuff that I sent, and I thought it was a prank. I really thought someone just got my number from the website, and they were just pranking me, like this is mean, whatever. They said, let’s set up a Skype call. So went to my gym, I did a Skype call, and I still thought it was a prank. I was like, whoever this is, this is so mean, but I’m going with it. So then the interview was weird, because the lady was outside. It looked like she was on a roof or something. I was like, this is a prank, this is silly. Next thing you know, I was getting legit emails from the Titan Games. And I was like, Oh, this is actually [happening], someone living in a tiny town in Tennessee, you’re going to pick me? This is crazy! So they had a big combine thing, sent me out to California. Never been to California. I was like a Beverly hillbilly walking up to California. I was like cool, no one knows my story. No one knows me. No one knows I’ve barely been on a plane, barely been to California. I don’t think I’ve ever been to California at this point, and I was there competing on a show with Dwayne Johnson. I was like, what is happening right now? I went out there, there’s over 100 people, and I made it through to the actual show. Then once I was on the show, I did really well. I didn’t win the whole thing, but I was crowned one of Dwayne Johnson’s Titans. Went on the show, and it was the best life-changing experience I ever had.” —Ivy Nile, WWE Superstar
Mentorship and Development Under Chad Gable
As a member of American Made, Ivy Nile works closely with Chad Gable, a veteran in professional wrestling with an extensive career. Nile described her initial experience with WWE beginning in the difficult COVID-19 period, which disrupted normal training and opportunities. Despite these challenges, she observed and learned from Gable’s work ethic and adaptability.
She praised his ability to excel regardless of the task, admiring how he consistently delivers high quality performances, showing resilience and professionalism. Ivy views his dedication as inspirational and something she aspires to internalize throughout her WWE journey.
“Chad has been in this business for so, so long. When I first started with the company, I kind of started unlike anyone else. I started three months before COVID hit, and then I was in the COVID era as one of those people in the audience behind the hockey windows, or whatever. So I was one of those people always there cheering and whatever. And at the time, you know, he was Shorty G at the time. It was crazy to see his growth from there, because I’ve always admired him since then, because it’s crazy no matter what you give him, he kills it. So I think once you get to that level of whatever they throw at you, they know that you can kill it and run with it. It’s such an amazing skill to have that. I aspire to be that.” —Ivy Nile, WWE Superstar
Overcoming Early WWE Challenges and COVID Setbacks
Ivy revealed that starting her WWE career during the pandemic was especially difficult. After only a short period in NXT, the entire wrestling world paused due to global shutdowns. Training facilities closed or reduced operations, which interrupted her progress and made it harder to build momentum.
This uncertain time forced her to regroup and rebuild her skills under unusual circumstances, delaying the development of her in-ring capabilities. Even so, Ivy remained focused on improving and adapting to the evolving environment around her.
“You know, like I said, I had a really, kind of a rough start with NXT. Started and then three months in, everything shut down. The world shut down. Basically had to start over, because we couldn’t really train as much, because we kept getting shut down, or whatever. And so it was hard to kind of get my feet running because I couldn’t consistently train at the time. It was a horrible time to start.” —Ivy Nile, WWE Superstar
Significance of Her Early WWE Raw Match Against Rhea Ripley
One of Ivy Nile’s most significant moments came with her main roster debut match against Rhea Ripley on WWE Raw. This encounter was a major test to prove she belonged on wrestling’s biggest stage, where the competition and audience expectations are heightened.
Ivy felt the pressure of proving herself against a high-profile opponent, noting the difference in atmosphere and stardom levels between NXT and Raw. Ultimately, competing with Ripley helped her gain confidence and reinforce her place within the WWE environment.
“We got moved up, and my first match on Raw was Rhea. Because sometimes when you get to main roster, it’s like, Who are you? Can you hang? It’s a whole different playing field. The crowds are bigger, the stars are bigger. So on main roster, it’s almost like, can you hang? I kind of felt like I was treading water a little bit. But once I got that Rhea match. I was like, I deserve to be here.” —Ivy Nile, WWE Superstar
Dream Opponents and Future WWE Match Aspirations
Looking ahead, Ivy Nile expressed excitement about potential matches with several WWE Superstars she admires. Among them, she mentioned Asuka, praising her as an incredible competitor. Bianca Belair, a Tennessee native like Ivy, remains a dream one-on-one opponent she has yet to face.
Ivy also highlighted her appreciation for working with Liv Morgan and Stephanie Vaquer, describing Vaquer’s collaboration as especially memorable. Lash Legend, another favorite and frequent opponent in NXT, is on Ivy’s wishlist for future main roster clashes, with whom she has shared many outstanding in-ring moments.
“Absolutely Asuka, she’s incredible. Haven’t had Bianca one on one, Tennessee girl from Knoxville. I’ve had Rhea. I love Liv, I would love to have the singles with her. Stephanie [Vaquer] was amazing. Loved working with Stephanie. Lash Legend and I have had amazing matches in NXT. She’s one of my favorite people to work with ever so Lash is definitely one of my I would love to work with her on main roster.” —Ivy Nile, WWE Superstar
Looking Forward: Ivy Nile’s Place in WWE’s Landscape
Ivy Nile’s path from MMA athlete and Titan Games competitor to WWE Raw superstar exemplifies resilience and versatility. Her evolving skillset, guided mentorship under Chad Gable, and the perseverance shown during pandemic-driven setbacks position her well for continued growth in WWE.
The matches she seeks with notable stars like Bianca Belair and Asuka promise exciting opportunities to elevate her profile further. As WWE’s landscape continues to expand and diversify, Ivy’s combination of athletic background and wrestling prowess aligns with the company’s drive for dynamic storytelling and compelling competition.
Fans and observers can anticipate Ivy Nile’s continued presence as a determined force within WWE’s roster, with potential breakthroughs coming in future high-profile encounters and faction storylines.
