AEW Star Britt Baker on Dealing with Trolls & 200th Episode of ‘Dynamite’
Q&A
Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D has experienced quite the transformation throughout All Elite Wrestling’s short history. The legit pro wrestling star and dentist broke through after the company’s launch in 2019 and became arguably the top female talent on the roster. A lot of that emergence happened Wednesday nights on AEW’s first weekly program Dynamite.
She along with Thunder Rosa were the first two women to main event the show St. Patrick’s Day 2021 when they tore the house down in an “Unsanctioned Lights Out Anything Goes” match. They would follow that classic with a rematch a year later in a milestone steel cage battle.
Despite being the villainous heel for much of the time, fans have been getting behind Baker. These days the popular 32-year-old is looking to work her way back up to the top. The former women’s champ and Owen Hart Foundation Tournament winner has added a few victories including against Taya Valkyrie to accomplish this goal. As we approach the milestone 200th episode of Dynamite, Baker talks state of the women’s division, and how she deals with online trolls.
What are your thoughts on your match with Taya?
Britt Baker: It was a first-time match. I’d never been in the ring with her. This was our first interaction ever, which can be fun and exciting. I look forward to getting back in the ring together down the road…I have nothing but respect for everything she has done in Mexico, Lucha wrestling, and Impact. I think Taya is a star.
Unfortunately, after the match she mentioned she woke up to so much negativity on social media with people saying these hurtful things. You’ve certainly endured your share of this online toxicity. What do you think it will take in 2023 to see less of this stuff because, at the end of the day, you’re also human beings?
I told her when she first got here to AEW that fans, whether they be WWE diehard supporters or just AEW haters, are very passionate in a brutal way on social media. I get it every single week if I’m on TV or not…It’s relentless. It’s to the point where I open Twitter and 85 percent or more is negative. It’s really sad and disheartening, but you have to put everything in perspective. When I come out, the fans are so excited to see me. They are chanting D.M.D. the whole time. I see it as I can’t hear these Twitter trolls because these D.M.D chants are so loud. When I come to comic conventions, there are these fans that are so grateful to meet me and be able to talk about AEW and what it means to them. That’s the stuff that means a lot to me. Those are the real fans. They are paying to come to the shows. They are enjoying the show.
Not people who get on social media to troll. There are literally people who invest hours and hours in their days to make troll accounts for what reason? I’m such a driven and motivated person I can’t imagine that my goal is to make everyone else’s lives miserable or show flaws in people and what they can and can’t do. It’s such an insane concept. I wish I could understand it. At the same time, what will be will be. We have the best fans on the planet. As loud as the trolls are, there are passionate fans too who are thankful to have AEW.
AEW
What kind of impact do you think the AEW All Access reality show had after the first season?
A lot of people loved All Access and getting to see the behind-the-scenes stuff. I think for a lot of people it put in perspective everything [my boyfriend] Adam [Cole] was going through. He was getting it so hard on Twitter with people body-shaming him or saying he wasn’t the same and he needed WWE. No, this guy was going through a potentially career-ending injury. That’s real life. Not wrestling. It was his livelihood we were worried about. I was so happy he was so open to sharing that. He is one of the strongest people I know. I wish I can be more like him in that way. He is such a positive human. All Access showed just how scary this business can be because we do put so much on the line…I would love to do another season. I think it really does show fans a different side. Maybe we can do a new cast, so we can show a new talent roster.
We saw some serious dance moves from Adam. Are you worried he might take your spot and get recruited by Dancing with the Stars?
After that performance a few weeks ago, no. But I will say he is a very good dancer. [What we saw on Dynmaite] was not a good representation of his dancing skills. I’ve actually said if we were on Dancing with the Stars together, I would be in trouble because he is actually a fantastic dancer. He has actually been called Magic Mike in another life.
What do you make of the story we are seeing between MJF and Adam? It has really taken on a life of its own.
Adam is too good at seeing the good in everything. He tries so hard to be so optimistic and positive that sometimes he needs to be more cautious when you have people like MJF. He has a track record. He finds friends because he is a lonely, miserable soul and turns on them. At the same time, I really do see Adam having so much fun right now. I don’t want to be selfish and take that away from him. He is bringing out the best in MJF.
AEW just added Collision to its show lineup. When it comes to the roster, do you like the fluidity? Or would you prefer a set roster for specific shows?
I think it’s a work in progress. It’s going to take time to see what the best equation is here. I think there is no better person to handle that than Tony Khan. I put full faith and trust in him. He has done such a good job navigating the waters of a brand-new company in just a few short years. I think it’s exciting we have so many shows because we do have a huge roster and such a hugely talented roster, which is a blessing and a curse because you want to showcase everyone. The more the merrier as far as TV time. We just need to find the best way to tell these stories.
The 200th episode of Dynamite is coming up. You were in the first women’s match to the main event. What does it mean to you for AEW to reach this milestone? What are you most proud of?
I have so much pride in the growth of the company itself, but the OG wrestlers as TV stars. You look at the day one AEW roster and basically, almost none of us had live TV wrestling on mainstream cable experience. You go out now and some of the AEW stars are among the biggest stars in wrestling. It’s so exciting and something AEW created. We created this beautiful world in professional wrestling where everyone is wanting to come. People from all promotions. Just to put that spark and interest in the wrestlers’ minds who for the longest time thought the only place they wanted to wrestle was WWE. Now we are an option.
AEW
You had these memorable matches with Thunder Rosa. Do you think there are more chapters of this story to tell?
I have no idea if and when she will be wrestling again. If the planets align, great. With stuff like that you have to be really careful because when you have such an iconic history and a beautiful story, it’s delicate. You don’t want to shatter it or tarnish it. Time will tell.
We just witnessed another “Blood and Guts” match. There was a lot of excitement at one point that we might have seen a women’s “Blood and Guts” match. That didn’t come to be. How close do you think we were to having it in the past? Another milestone to achieve.
Tony keeps stuff tight to the chest as far as his booking plans go. We were definitely hurt by the injuries in the women’s division. With the strong story we were telling, we lost some key players due to injury. I think absolutely within the next five years or less we will have a women’s “Blood and Guts” match. If I’m not in it, I will riot.
You talk about the passion of the fans. There was a sign on Dynamite that was a fan’s sign shown that said: “Book the Women’s Division Better”. When you see that, what kind of reaction do you have? You’ve talked before about the importance of maximizing your minutes, putting the time in but also the women getting the time to tell the story. Fans are so passionate about wanting more than what we are getting.
I see both sides to that because I completely agree. The absolute best matches that come out of professional wrestling come out of storylines you are so invested in. There are weeks and months that tell this beautiful story. It’s something we haven’t been able to invest as much time in the women’s division lately. Again, there are many factors. Injuries, this and that. I definitely want to get to the point where we can get some solid storytelling with the women.
At the same time the fans who hold signs that say to book the women’s division better, that’s great. Then when I go on Twitter it doesn’t echo that. I don’t see the same support. It’s I hate these two wrestlers. This match was too long. This match was too short. If all you see about women’s wrestling is all negative online, it doesn’t add up to what they are preaching. If you want the women to be booked better, support the women.
You don’t have to like every wrestler and every match. You also don’t have to get on Twitter and preach from the mountaintops how much you hated things. Some stuff, keep to yourself. I can’t tell you how many times I go to a restaurant and I don’t like how my steak is cooked. I don’t need to talk to the chef and take 30 pictures of the steak to tell them I don’t like how this steak is cooked. There is too much invested in the negativity that it does so much harm. I hope people realize one day how much harm it does to not only the individuals and mental health, but to the industry as a whole.
AEW
Do you have a dream match for Wembley Stadium at All In?
There are so many people I have so much history with that I would love to be in the ring with. There are so many girls worthy of being on that show. I have a rich history with [Hikaru] Shida, Kris Statlander. Willow is an up-and-coming megastar. The Outcasts are three girls who have helped the growth of crossover of getting fans to AEW. Saraya had a massive fanbase in WWE before she came here. Now some have trickled over. She is responsible for that.
Do you think we’ll see Rebel again by your side one day?
I hope so. Reba is absolutely one of the best parts of the creation of Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. She and Tony Schiavone. It was such a fun time. It’s not the time and place right now, but hopefully one day.
AEW Dynamite, Wednesdays, 8/7c, TBS
AEW Rampage, Fridays, 10/9c, TNT
AEW Collision, Saturdays, 8/7c, TNT
