In any discussion about rising stars in professional wrestling, the names Masha Slamovich and Sam Leterna are sure to be mentioned. The pair have been making major impacts both inside and outside of the ring, respectively, throughout the pandemic, with Leterna earning a reputation as one of the industry’s top personalities, while Slamovich has become one of pro wrestling’s most well-travelled and feared competitors.

Not only are Slamovich and Leterna two of wrestling’s hottest prospects, but the two are good friends after years of training and working together. In recently having the good fortune to chat with Leterna for Love Wrestling, I had to ask the Camp Leapfrog showrunner about her long-time compatriot. After chatting briefly about Clara Mortensen, the muse behind Leterna’s last name, I did so.

“One other person that I did specifically want to ask you about [that’s] a little bit more current is Masha Slamovich,” I began. “Just tell me a little bit about her, because I know you guys are good friends, obviously, from your guys’ social media’s. But, she’s been a huge influence on you from again, your own social media.”

“So again, put somebody over, let’s take some time to talk about good people!”

“I will put Masha Slamovich over any day,” Leterna smiled. “She’s like, my best girlfriend in the industry. We began training together, actually, at Johnny Rodz in Brooklyn, New York. She trained maybe six months before or nine months before me. But [when] I came in, she was like the first girl I locked up with. She was really young at that time. She’s grown up a lot since then. I’m a couple of years older than Masha. But yeah, we kind of lost touch for a couple of years. But then, through a work opportunity that popped up, we wound up working together. I got her a job at a restaurant I was working at, and we got really close through that and started working out.”

Fear Masha Slamovich

As Leterna continued, she described Slamovich’s impact on not only her in-ring career but her current work as one of wrestling’s premier broadcasters and hosts.

“Then, she really helped me through the period where I wasn’t wrestling and I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life at all, because I wasn’t involved with wrestling at that point at all. She kind of pushed me to continue on and see the value in what I do now and what I am good at and how I can apply that to wrestling. I’m really grateful to her for that. Since then, it’s been a crazy year. She’s returned from Japan, she’s doing amazing. She is the hardest working woman in wrestling, honestly. On the indies for sure. She trains every day, two times a day. She does Brazilian jujitsu, or MMA, whatever the case not entirely sure, and she killed my legs yesterday at the gym.”

Leterna laughed before concluding.

“That lady goes in and – fear Masha Slamovich because she’s a force to be reckoned with. But yeah, that’s my put-over of Masha, and we always have good times when we go to Texas together.”

Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any of the above quotes & transcriptions.

In 2011, Alexia Nicole began her wrestling career at Ontario’s Squared Circle Wrestling Academy under the tutelage of Rob Fuego and TNA/IMPACT Wrestling legend Taylor Wilde. Wilde, of course, recently made her return to the ring after a decade-long absence, and I had to ask the Bubblegum Princess about her former trainer’s return as part of our upcoming chat on Love Wrestling. Following some words about Josh Alexander, I asked her about her long-time compatriot.

“Someone else on the IMPACT end that I was really excited to ask you about: how cool is it to see Taylor Wilde back in the ring?”

Nicole beamed.

“Oh my god it’s so cool,” she exclaimed. “I’m so happy for her. It makes me happy to see her again, because the last time I saw her, she was training me when I was starting out. It’s really good to see, and she hasn’t missed a beat.

That’s awesome. It’s just good to see her having fun, still killing it.

It’s cool to see your trainer do things! Really cool.”

“How much do you guys keep in contact?” I asked Nicole of her former trainer. “Maybe graduation isn’t the right way to put wrestling school most wrestlers will continue to go to wrestling school, but how often do you guys keep in touch? How often do you pick her brain on your professional wrestling or otherwise?”

“We’re not talking constantly, but I’d say every few months we’ll just kind of check-in on each other [and] see what’s going on,” she explained. “Again, she’s my wrestling mother, essentially. She’ll give me advice, she’ll tell me what to do, if I have a question I can ask her, so that’s always great.”

“Have you guys ever had an official match?” I asked the Bubblegum Princess. “I’m certain you guys have locked up when you’re training and that sort of stuff, but ever had a one-on-one?

“

Nicole laughed before giving her answer. “We have not and I’ve asked people to do it but no one’s gotten around to it yet!”

Please credit Spencer Love/Love Wrestling with any of the above quotes and transcriptions.