Rousey credits Moxley for Shafir's rise in AEW

Ronda Rousey praised AEW star Jon Moxley on Monday for the role he has played in helping her friend Marina Shafir establish herself in All Elite Wrestling, saying Moxley’s support has been a major factor in Shafir’s rapid development since joining his faction last year. Rousey made the remarks in an interview with Yahoo Sports’ Uncrowned, reflecting on Shafir’s progression from an inexperienced performer to a fixture in high-profile AEW storylines.

Rousey said Shafir has “come into her own” over the past year, becoming “really confident and just becoming like a real f ing pro,” and noted the contrast between early questions like “How do I do an arm drag?” and Shafir’s recent participation in main-event quality bouts. “Going from being like, ‘How do I do an arm drag?’ to being part of five-star matches and stuff like that, it’s really great to see her just having so much joy with it and rising to the top level of the industry,” Rousey told Yahoo Sports.

Rousey attributed much of that growth to Moxley, calling him “the most incredible human being ever” and praising his humility, passion and willingness to lift up fellow performers. “He is just so supportive and so kind and so...