Popular WWE Star Claims WWE Hall Of Famer Inspired Their Character

Smackdown star Bianca Belair has revealed that WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry inspired her to develop her EST persona.

Speaking with Inside the Ropes, Belair revealed that a conversation with the former World’s Strongest Man inspired her to develop the character which would later be known as ‘The EST’.

Here is the quote, courtesy of WrestlingInc:

“Well, when I was in NXT, and I was new, I remember Mark Henry coming down to NXT, to the Performance Center and asking me, ‘Who do you want to be, what do you want people to see and think of when they see you?’ And you want it to be so easy that people already know who you are, what you’re about without you even having to open your mouth,’

so I was sitting there trying to figure out who I want to be, ‘I know I’m strong, I know I’m fast, I know I’m tough and I’m all these things, I feel like I’m a hybrid.’ But it was just all over the place and I couldn’t break it down to simplify it so that people could very easily understand it.

I remember being like, ‘OK, I have to pick one thing and focus on one thing so it’s very simple. I remember I was talking one day, and I was like, ‘Yeah. you know, I’m just the strongest and I’m the fastest, and I’m the roughest, I’m the toughest, I’m the quickest, I’m the greatest, I’m the prettiest, I’m the best. I’m just… I’m the est. I’m the est. The E-S-T. And I’m in NXT. EST rhymes with NXT. Simple’.”

Mark Henry’s advice turned out to be life-changing, with Bianca becoming the EST of NXT, Raw and now Smackdown, all within four years of her pro-wrestling debut.

Belair attributes a lot of her success to the former World Heavyweight Champion, who requested a WWE try-out for Belair after meeting her through the CrossFit circuit.

Despite only joining The Blue Brand in October, Belair has already made an impact on Smackdown’s female roster. After teaming with Smackdown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks at Tribute to the Troops, and feuding with the former champion, Bayley, 2021 could be the year that the EST wins her first title.

What are your thoughts on the above story? Let us know in the comments on Twitter or Facebook.

• EST
• bianca belair
• Mark Henry
• Smackdown

Share this article with friends