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Denise Salcedo catches up with TNA & ISPW Wrestler, Vicious Vicki. She also sits down with up-and-coming pro wrestler, Gabby Forza!
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Welcome to the Busted Open after dark podcasts. It's your girl Denise Staucedo, and today we
are highlighting two women that are doing something incredible in the indie wrestling space. We're
going to kick things off with Gabby Forza, and then we're also going to be joined by Vicious Vicki.
This is the Busted Open podcast. Guys, we got another very special guest here today. She is on
her first tour of Japan. I'm so happy to welcome Gabby Forza Gabby. Thank you so much for
making the time to come on here and join us. Congratulations on your first tour of Japan. How's
everything going? Oh, thank you so much for having me. I am so over the moon right now. I'm in Japan
for the first time ever. My first international booking, living in the States, obviously.
I've wrestled a Canada pretty easily, but getting to Japan has always been a dream, and I'm so
happy to be here, and it's been going amazing. Okay, how many shows have you had already in your
tour and how many more do you still have? So I am in Japan with ICW, no holds barred, and they
have had three shows so far. I've been on two of them, so I actually made my Japan debut in the
Chains, which if you're not familiar, it means they have the Chains as ropes. So it's pretty nuts.
So in Japan, I'm a traditional wrestler, a professional wrestler, but I actually made my death
match debut. Oh my god, that's incredible. My first match in Japan was with weapons, and it was
insane, and it was awesome, and I'm so happy. Oh my god, no, I can see it in you. You look so
excited. How did that go? How was the death match? It was insane. I was expecting it to be
absolutely nuts, and it absolutely was. My opponent was Ann Cham. She is crazy. She's an amazing
Japanese wrestler, and I got to face her as my first opponent in Japan. That was a few nights
ago. Yesterday, I was going to just be a manager at Corcoran Hall with Bear Bronson, my husband,
and I was just going to come out when his entrance and be there for his match. I got added
to the show like an hour before. I got really lucky just being in the right place at the right time,
and they were like, she had an amazing match the day before, get her on the show. Let's go.
And I got to wrestle yesterday. So that was like a huge, huge deal, and it's just like a miracle,
and I'm just, I got really lucky, and it's just being part of this tour has been so amazing,
being able to wrestle in Japan twice now. I'm wrestling two more times the rest of this week
in Osaka, and I'm just blown away. Everything is amazing. Japan is as amazing as everyone said,
and the social media has been amazing, like the response and the fan interactions and meeting
people that I didn't know would, I didn't know I had fans in Japan, and it was really cool to find
out by showing up and seeing signs for me. Really cool. Oh my gosh, that is so sweet. I
going to tell you, I love your vibe, and I hope that once people, I listen to this interview,
they can also, I catch the video because I was going to say, you have such, you have such a good
aura about you. I can't explain it, but you just have good vibes. Like I feel happy talking to you.
Does that make any sense? Yes, that makes me happy. Yeah, that makes me so happy. I love making
people happy, and thankfully in wrestling, I get to do a lot of that. So it's been an amazing
experience, just the whole journey. I do have kind of a funny story if you'd like to hear it.
Oh, please do share, yes. So this entire month, I'm only in Japan for 10 days, which is amazing.
I'm so grateful, but the entire month I've been away traveling abroad, and I got to wrestle
internationally. Not, I was booked in Japan to wrestle internationally, but I was in Italy
for two weeks at the start of March, and I was losing my grandmother, and I just had family there,
and then a layover between Italy and Japan is Paris. So I stayed in Paris for five days,
and it just so happened to be the same time that Mercedes-Moneille was going from Italy to Paris.
So I was in Italy the same time as Mercedes-Moneille, and I saw that, and I was like, oh my gosh,
did a seminar. I'm five hours away from that. I wish I could have gone. Then I see she's wrestling
in Paris the day I'm in Paris. So I go to the show. I got added to that show. So I got to wrestling
France, all thanks to Mercedes-Moneille on her independent wrestling tour, defending her belts,
and her exposure to independent wrestling overseas, it actually got me my booking, my first
international booking before my international booking, which was just supposed to be a layover,
and I was just going to go as a fan to watch her wrestle. Instead, I got to be the opening match
on that show, and then watch her in the main event, and then I got to talk to her, and she actually
thought that story was amazing, and asked me to be in a documentary she's working on, which is
it was like the craziest, that's just how wrestling goes sometimes, where like you just show up,
and go where you're called to go, and you meet the right people, and tell them your little story,
and I'm just over the moon excited about how everything's going.
I, wow, I got chills when you said that, because right away when you said, oh, Paris and Mercedes,
I had seen that she's, you know, she's obviously over there. I mean, who doesn't follow Mercedes,
why? But what I love that you said is that she really is changing the game, or like elevating the
game for women's wrestling, indie women's wrestling, because she's going out there, she's wrestling
all of these promotions, and when Mercedes is there, more people show up, more money is made,
more people can get booked, and it's a whole, you know, freaking cycle.
It's a thing, it's so special, and I got to personally thank her, because she's changing lives
of so many people, she'll never meet, but she had, she had amazing fan interaction that day,
but I got to tell her backstage when we're a little bit familiar with each other, because
my trainer is Pat Buck, and she works at AW, so they know each other, and then I got to form
that connection with her and tell her, I did the Bailey seminar at Lodestone a few months ago,
and she's obviously very close to the Bailey, so I was like, I'm so excited to get to tell you
about this, and then she was like, please stay after the show, and if you're available to be in my
documentary about women's worldwide wrestling, I was like, I would love to, just talk about how
amazing she is, it's just what we're doing right now on this now. Okay, that's amazing, congratulations,
now you did mention getting to be part of Bailey seminar, wow, what an opportunity, what a gift
that she did for a lot of people, what was that experience like? It was so special, she picked 21
women, it was an application process, which all of us that were in the house at the Lodestone
seminar, we all got to bond over being picked by Bailey, and then getting to meet her in person,
but she made a free seminar, which is amazing, she's just so giving, and she wanted people to send
her matches, and based off the matches, she would select a few women, and then she said you just have
to get there, so you, I made myself available, I actually had to pull off a show with ICW in Japan
with right now, and they were super understanding, and I still got to be here, but I also got to do
the Lodestone seminar, which is advanced, my wrestling career, and made me an amazing wrestler,
she's incredible, she has so much support from her colleagues, like Chancena, Rhea Ripley,
Bianca Valer, we got to meet Charlotte Flair, who came to the house that Bailey put us up in,
Liv Morgan bought our food for the week, it was just such a collaborative women's empowerment seminar,
where Charlotte was in the house with us having coffee with us and telling us stories they've had,
and matches they've had, and just fun stories, and how Charlotte said to us, she never got to do
the independent wrestling scene, and that what we get to do is really special, and that we should
enjoy every moment that what we get to do at our level, because it's just as specials what they get
to do, and honestly, we all needed to hear that, like just being able to wrestle, being able to
have bookings wherever, but across the world, in your own regard, represent yourself, how you want
to be represented, like it is so special, it is so empowering, and we all needed to hear that,
and I think post seminar, we all have exploded in our own way just because of that confidence that
they instilled in us with those words and those actions, it's so special. I'm so happy that you got
to experience that in hearing the details of it, I mean it looked cool from like somebody that was
observing on social media, but to actually hear like first hand what that was like is incredible,
coming up next we're chatting with vicious Vicki. Now, finding a doctor is a little less
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Offer not to bail the one all-stage terms apply, see magnetic supports we get.
I'm excited to chat with you because you kind of got a lot going on, and I want to get started
with that image that you have right, well I should say image, I should say picture,
that picture that you have right behind you that is framed before and after of you and John
Cena. You went viral at the end of last year through John Cena's retirement when you sent a,
you posted a love letter to John Cena's career and you ended up at the show, the day of his last
match, you got this amazing picture that you were able to put side by side. Tell us what happened,
what went down and just everything and how that felt. Yeah, no, it was literally like a fairy tale
for me. This is a guy who, aside from my hearties, this was a guy who was a big reason
into why I wanted to be a pro wrestler and that 2004-2005 era for me and just his mantra and
everything. Being able to be number one in the building like when he retired was, I couldn't
ask for anything better, but my boyfriend had a, he has a website and whatever and he did like,
he had people write letters to Cena and like write, you know, just, just things to him and about
his career and whatnot. So I had wrote something and it was maybe, I think it was after the
Bailey Lodestone seminar, I kind of got a little bummed like, I was like okay, like happy for all
these girls, I didn't get picked, like that's just how it be, it's all good, you know, but I was like,
then I saw John Cena was there and I'm just like, damn man, like, I would have done anything to
be in a ring with John Cena for eight hours. I'm like, oh, like, and I was like upset, like,
I'm a cryer, like I'm very emotional about wrestling, I'm very passionate about wrestling,
I cry about wrestling probably like 10 times a day, whether I'm watching it or whatever,
I'm just, it's just me, I love it so much. And I remember after seeing that, I'm like,
I wish I could just tell him how I feel. Like, I might not be able to get the chance to tell him
I feel and it's not really about me, like, but just because of how much he meant to me, I was like,
I have to like, put this out there, like that letter that I wrote for the website, I was like,
I want to post this on my Twitter, like, we're a couple days before he retires, like, you know what,
screw it, I'm going to do it. And I put it out there and I was like, I don't know if you're going
to see this, but here's my love letter to you. And I remember it was like, I think it was the next
day. It was like, it was definitely the next day. I just saw like John Cena's name on my
notifications. I'm like, whoa, wait, wait, excuse me. And then it was like, John Cena reposted and
recorded everyone's hitting me up like, Vicki, Vicki, he said something and I was like, oh my god.
And I was just like, this is not real life. Like, he doesn't do that. He doesn't respond
in detail. And like, not that he doesn't care because he does. It's just, he's so busy and has like
a ridiculous amount of things he's doing. Like, for him to take time out of his life and do that.
So funny story when I actually was booked as an extra to be at Saturday Night's made event
already. So I'm like, when I talk to Dave and bully on the air and like, you know,
everyone's telling me like, you have to talk to him. You got to get the picture. You got to talk
to him. Like, if you're going to be there, I'm just like, all right, like, I'll do it. Like,
and it was so funny because when I finally got to the building, like, my mission was, like,
see John Cena. But also, I'm respectful and I'm like, well, I'm not just going to go up to him
because, like, this is like the biggest night of his life. It's ending his career. Like, I'm,
I'm nobody. Like, this isn't about me. And all the extras were super supportive. Like, just,
like, go talk to him. Go talk to him. Like, just go and I'm like, nope, won't do it. So he kept going
up and down this one hallway. And I kept missing him. And I'm just like, oh my god. Like, people
would be like, Dickie, you just missed him. And I'm like, you got to be a kid of me. So then I finally
was like, you know what? I'm just going to stand here because John Cena is very, we all know this.
Very respectful. He says hi to everyone. Like, anytime we're backstage, like, he shakes everyone's
hands. Like, he's just like the best. And I was like, let me just stand in this spot and see if I
can catch him again. And sure enough, he came walking down the hallway. And I just looked at him
and I was like, and he put his hand down. I put my hand out and I just grabbed his hand like with
both hands. And I was like, thank you so much for reposting that. And he was just like, that was you?
No shit. Oh my god. Give me a big hug. He was like 10 years. Huh? That's awesome. Thank you
for being here. It's like, I really appreciate it. And I was like, no, thank you for like my life.
And and then he's like, do you want a picture? And I'm like, yes. You know, because it's like
as an extra like, I try to follow all the rules, you know, and be professional and whatnot. So
I wasn't going to be like, can I have a picture? Even though everyone's telling me to get the picture.
But he, it's almost like he knew and like he asked me, do you want a picture? And I was like, yes.
And yeah, it was, it was a fairytale. Like I couldn't even believe like, it was insane.
Insane. I love that John Cena has that. He knows. Okay. I know that this moment means a lot to
this person. Yeah. I know that they can't, you know, be asking for a photo. So I'm going to ask
him, I'm going to make that like, you know, a possibility. And I feel like people that have that
kind of insight and that they can really, you know, read the entire room in that given moment.
It's a gift to have that because so many people don't. And he does have that. And he makes it
even though, you know, you're the one that was, you know, freaking out about meeting John Cena.
He made it like, you know, made you feel good. And that's amazing. Vicki, you know, you've been
hustling. You've been working. We've been seeing you appear. You made a couple of appearances.
I know last year you on you wrestled Mara Shade on TNA. And then afterwards earlier this year,
it's crazy how fast these times go by. But earlier this year, you teamed up with Indy to take on
Tessa and Mila. So what's going on? I mean, you know, you got in a couple of appearances on TNA.
What is it going to happen when are we going to see you more consistently on this show?
Yeah. I appreciate it. You know, for me, that it was kind of like a right place, right time thing.
You know, I've very grateful to Tommy Dreamer, shout out to Tommy Dreamer for, you know, a lot of
the opportunities that I've had with TNA. You know, I owed him for sure. You know, that particular
moment for me, I felt like I was really heavily introduced to the TNA crowd. You know, you know,
just the backstage interaction with me and Tessa and just kind of being in the mix with the big bad
knockouts. And then you kind of have the underdogs, the baby faces. And, you know, I really felt like
in that moment, I made it, right? It was a fairy tale. It was, I literally started the new year
with a complete bang. And, you know, truth be told, indie wrestling, it's tough because, you know,
I had this moment and I know my heart there will be more, for sure. You know, I'm not going to
give up or back down and whatnot. But it's one of those things where you, you know, I come out there
and I'm in Texas mind you. Okay. So this was Texas and I'm like, oh, wow. Like I got this like
great reception for a Jersey girl in Texas, which filled my heart with so much joy because I'm
just like, okay, like people do know me. Like that's cool, you know? And then it's like, you know,
I get my beauty shot and I'm on that turnbuckle and I could just like the feeling of like the crowd
and the lights and everything that I've ever wanted since I was a little girl. Like it was all
manifesting. But the best way I could explain it is like, as grateful as I am for this opportunity
that's like, you're in that moment and then you just wake up in like a dark room and it's like,
it didn't even happen, you know, and it's just like, okay, now what? You know, and but really,
you know, and that's the reality of wrestling, especially indie wrestling. But, you know,
it's a moment for me that I was there. I'm like, I want more of this. Like that in that moment,
I was just like, I know this is what I want to do. This is what I want to feel every week. Like,
I want to feel this way every week and just give it my all. And, you know, TNA right now is hot.
TNA has always been one of my freaking go-to dream places to work. So I think Vicious Vicky would fit
in quite well in the knockouts division if I do say so myself. Yeah, I was going to say I would
definitely like to see you do more with TNA. I'm always talking about how there's definitely more
room for more women to go out there and have matches because I still think there's plenty of
room in there. Catch the full three hours of busted open every day of the week at 9 a.m.
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Busted Open
