Inside Marina Shafir’s career-changing AEW rise and finding her ‘safe haven’ bond with Death Riders By Joseph Staszewski Published March 14, 2026, 12:32 p.m. ET
Marina Shafir’s career-altering character change didn’t happen overnight, nor was it a grand plan.
Shafir, 37, reached out to AEW star Jon Moxley after she was released by WWE in 2021, with the former MMA and judo fighter looking for advice on navigating the professional wrestling world. She needed to develop as a performer after three years in NXT and felt she wasn’t getting the reps needed.
Moxley recommended she work for several independent promotions, and her development began to take shape. She “needed to be encouraged to be me” and was going to have to figure it out on her own without anyone telling her what to do.
“Then eventually, he just called me and was like, ‘Listen, ‘s–t’s about to pop off. I just need you to be ready,” Shafir said. ‘I said ‘OK’ because I had been ready. We just took it week by week. It was not this grand conversation.”
