WWE NXT champ shares how she received 10-year volleyball ban after deciding to take chance on pro wrestling

WWE NXT prima Izzi Dame was spiking volleyballs into the faces of opponents conscionable a fewer years agone earlier her meteoric emergence arsenic the women’s North American champion.

Dame, whose existent sanction is Franki Strefling, played collegiate volleyball for the Eastern Michigan Eagles and played professionally overseas until 2022, erstwhile she officially joined WWE and embarked connected her pro wrestling journey.

She talked to Busted Open Radio earlier this week astir however she got her commencement successful WWE, and expanded connected her root communicative successful a caller interrogation with Fox News Digital.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Izzi Dame makes her entranceway during NXT astatine the WWE Performance Center connected Aug. 13, 2024 successful Orlando, Florida. (WWE/WWE via Getty Images)

Dame said she was connected a interruption from playing volleyball successful Cyprus erstwhile she received a connection that she thought was fake. But her determination yet had consequences for her vocation successful that sport.

"So, I played collegiate volleyball and past aft college, I went and played professionally successful a small land called Cyprus successful the Mediterranean Sea. I did a afloat twelvemonth implicit there," she said. "I re-signed my declaration to spell backmost and play different twelvemonth but you bash get 3 months of a summertime break. So, the week aft I touched backmost down successful the States, I got what I thought was a scam WWE enlistee message, similar anyone would deliberation due to the fact that wherefore would the WWE privation thing with small aged maine playing successful the mediate of the Mediterranean? Like, travel on.

"It ended up being real. They flew maine retired to Nashville. I got offered a declaration and past I had to interruption my declaration successful Cyprus to beryllium with the WWE. So they banned me. Cyprus banned maine from playing determination for 10 years. A small dramatic, but yeah. Can’t play there! But I don’t deliberation we’re going backmost to volleyball immoderate clip soon. We’re doing bully implicit here."

Dame is similar galore WWE NXT wrestlers who person travel done the company’s recruitment process. Several apical stars successful the institution started without pro wrestling experience.

She told Fox News Digital that she took a accidental due to the fact that she thought she had much wrong herself than conscionable serving.

"If I’m being wholly honest, I americium 1 of eight," Dame explained. "I person a large family. So, not lone was I overseas by myself – I was astatine slightest doing what I emotion – but for immoderate crushed determination was ever thing successful maine that was conscionable like, ‘You’re meant for more.’ Volleyball displays your athletics but you person truthful overmuch much to offer.

Izzi Dame speaks during NXT astatine the WWE Performance Center connected Jan. 13, 2026 successful Orlando, Florida. (Kevin Sabitus/WWE via Getty Images)

"So, WWE was conscionable the cleanable premix of nationalist speaking, performing, entertaining, inactive being an athlete, and I was like, ‘Why not?’ And, I get to beryllium home. My parents, household and siblings tin travel alert to maine whenever they want. I’m not 24 hours crossed the satellite anymore oregon nevertheless long. So, it benignant of conscionable seemed similar the cleanable opportunity."

WWE NXT STAR SOL RUCA REVEALS REACTION TO TATUM PAXLEY WINNING TITLE, KENDAL GREY'S TREMENDOUS GROWTH

Dame captured the Women’s North American Championship astatine New Year’s Evil to commencement 2026, but she said she hoped to amusement much of herself and summation the prestige of the title implicit the adjacent six months to a year.

She added that she wanted to interruption escaped from the stereotypes of a pistillate pro wrestler with blonde hair.

"I seriously, due to the fact that I’ve said before, however overmuch this rubric has bounced around, I earnestly anticipation that I tin instrumentality this rubric and marque it mean something, marque my sanction mean something," Dame said. "I consciousness similar Izzi Dame present is conscionable coming into herself. We’re starting to fig retired who she is. How large of a manipulator, mastermind she truly is. I deliberation radical are inactive kinda confused on, ‘Is she conscionable different blonde heel? Like, what is she truly bringing to the table?’ So, successful six months from now, I anticipation that it is wide arsenic time who Izzi Dame is.

Izzi Dame Winning the NXT Women's North American Championship during NXT astatine the WWE Performance Center connected  Jan. 6, 2026 successful Orlando, Florida. (Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images)

"We each tin person the aforesaid hairsbreadth colour but I don’t deliberation similar each the blondes successful the industry, there’s a batch of us. I deliberation it’s ace important we each differentiate ourselves done our quality work. Obviously, successful ringing arsenic well. I’m not hitting a moonsault similar Tiffany Stratton – that’s each yours girl. That’s crazy. She’s insane for that. I’ll instrumentality the much ‘big man’ stuff. But arsenic acold arsenic quality work, I’m truly trying to thin into gathering extent and layers into much of the manipulative, mastermind, calculated mode and I deliberation that’s going to marque maine conscionable a small spot antithetic than everyone else."

Dame is the look of The Culling – 1 of the factions that person made a sanction connected the NXT brand.

Shawn Spears, a seasoned successful the industry, has been 1 of the leaders of the radical successful the months since helium returned to WWE. Dame said she’s been capable to thin connected Spears arsenic she gets her footing successful betwixt the ropes.

"Shawn Spears has been my stone passim this full thing, arsenic a friend, arsenic a mentor, arsenic a coach," she said. "He’s helped me, not lone successful ring, but truly enactment this full travel into position due to the fact that it is ace taxing. You person to person a batch of patience and this is each astir timing. Sometimes it doesn’t consciousness similar that. It feels similar I’m not doing enough. Maybe I’m disappointed with the mode I did thing but helium truly reels everything successful and reminds maine that I haven’t been successful this manufacture that agelong and it’s OK to marque mistakes – larn from it and don’t marque the aforesaid mode again. He’s truly been conscionable an state for maine passim this full process."

Ultimately, Dame said it was present her clip to radiance arsenic champion and forestall the rubric from bouncing astir the women’s locker room.

Izzi Dame makes her entranceway with Tatum Paxley during NXT astatine the WWE Performance Center connected Aug. 26, 2025 successful Orlando, Florida. (Michael Marques/WWE via Getty Images)

Since the title was established successful April 2024, Dame is the seventh to clasp the belt. Other champions included Kelani Jordan, Fallon Henley, Stephanie Vaquer, Sol Ruca, Blake Monroe and Thea Hail.

Dame told Fox News Digital that keeping the loop is going to assistance marque the rubric mean something.

"I consciousness similar this rubric has bounced astir truthful overmuch and I deliberation I did notation that arsenic well," she said. "For me, my extremity with this rubric close present is keeping it with me. Giving not lone maine depth, but giving this rubric depth, making it mean something. I don’t privation to accidental I privation an Oba Femi reign, but I’m not opposed to an Oba Femi reign. Give maine a small something!"

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Dame added that she’s going to prime and take who gets the adjacent changeable astatine her title.

"Unfortunately, not everybody is going to get a changeable due to the fact that present I determine who, what, where, when, however anyone gets adjacent the title. I’m going to beryllium a small much strategical with who I springiness opportunities to, dissimilar Tatum (Paxley) who conscionable gave anyone an accidental and we spot however good it worked retired for her."

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.