Willow Nightingale Opens Up About Recent Depression Admission

AEW’s Willow Nightingale has opened up on her statement about being depressed for the last year.

On the AEW Countdown to Redemption show that aired on Saturday, it was revealed that Willow Nightingale had been suffering from depression for the last year, something which came to light during video package breaking down the AEW Women’s Title Match between Nightingale and Thekla. The former TBS Champion’s struggles threw many fans off given her “Smile Anyway” mentality, and she’s now opened up further on her experiences.

During the AEW Redemption Media Scrum, Willow acknowledged her discussion around depression in the video package, explaining what she truly meant by it.

“I will say that wasn’t like a diagnosis. It was very much me just kind of being in a place. People have thoughts about self-diagnosis. I have people that I speak to. We have mental health help here. That is one great thing about AEW is that we do have a therapist who travels with us and is there whenever anybody needs him. But I went in to record that stuff for Countdown that day, and I was going through it and I was having a really hard time being Willow and thinking about wrestling. If we really think about it, the past year has been so crazy in a world sense. Like, who isn’t struggling right now? So they were like, ‘What are your thoughts on this?’ And I was like, ‘Man, really, I don’t know. Why do I deserve to be champion? I don’t know. This is how I feel. This is what I’ve been going through.’ This is All Elite Wrestling. Everybody is the best. We all deserve it. But I guess at the end of the day, this is how I’ve been feeling, and I’ve still been showing up. When the opportunities are there, it doesn’t matter how I feel. I have been delivering. If the opportunities are there and I’m winning and showing up, then that shows you I can do that when I need to. Speaking of mental health, it’s very important, especially being the happy smiley girl, to be honest and say, ‘That’s unrealistic to have that 24/7.’ Nobody is that all the time. I think it is good to strive for a little positivity to try and allow ourselves some grace when things are tough and say, ‘We all mess up. We all don’t feel great. But what is something that can bring even an iota of joy?’ Wrestling is that for me so much. Being able to do it, watch it, absorb it, live it. And that really is Willow.”

-Willow Nightingale

That message will likely solidify why so many adore Willow both as a person and as a wrestler. There have been numerous stigmas over the years about mental health in sports, including wrestling, and many in the wrestling trade have been taught to keep it all in and not let it affect their performance or character as they have to be on it all the time.

Yet, with people like Willow Nightingale and Eddie Kingston not being afraid to open up about their struggles and feelings, it helps fans to feel more comfortable getting help themselves. Even on a night when she won the AEW Women’s World Championship, it’s clear that her inner thoughts and emotions are still something for her to wrestle with moving forward.

Speaking of her in-ring achievement, though, Willow’s title win puts her as the first female Grand Slam Champion in the company’s history. You can read more about that here.

As always, we’ll aim to provide any further updates on future plans for Willow Nightingale as soon as we hear more.

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