The FFW logo appears on the screen before “Focus” by Ariana Grande begins to play. Then we see the studio being set up, the glass table sat in the center being cleaned, two cups sat on opposite sides of the table. Next we see Zack Hudson tying his shoes and checking himself in the mirror before he heads out to the set as a producer puts a microphone on his shirt before sitting down. When he looks across, we next see the various men and women who make up FFW and Future Shock flash by in images from their careers until it finally stops on Valerie McKinley. And then we find her sitting across the glass table from Zack as the show begins.
Zack: Hello, fans. Welcome to Focus on FFW All Access, the show dedicated to helping you get to know the movers and shakers of FFW and Future Shock, whether that be people in charge or the talent that makes up the rosters. I’m Zack Hudson, and today, I’m joined by a woman whose matches I have called all of them since her arrival. She’s a former tag champion and Future Shock Champion. Welcome to Focus, Valerie McKinley.
He says as he turns from the camera to face the One Percenter on the other side of the glass table. Valerie sits comfortable across from him, one leg crossed over the other as she regards him with a small smile.
Valerie: Thank you for having me here, Zack.
Zack: Happy to do so. You’ve spent quite a few years in FFW, and those days start back to your arrival in Future Shock. But obviously, there’s a lot that went on before we ever saw you on television. You’re billed from Providence, Rhode Island. Is that where you also grew up or just where you call home today?
Valerie: Born and raised in Providence. I’m the youngest of three kids and the only girl, so that was fun. Being the only daughter of not one but two doctors, it made growing up, well let’s just say it was interesting. So when I am billed as being from Providence, I grew up here.
Zack: Tell me more about your family. I assume expectations were high in your home for you and your brothers, considering your parents were doctors. Where did you fit in with the two brothers? Were you the eldest or the little sister?
Valerie: I’m the baby of the family. My oldest brother Miles is five years older than I am and my other brother Preston is three years older than I am. They were the typical protective brothers, always making sure that no one messed with their baby sister. But at the same time, they looked out for me and knew what pressures the three of us were under because of who our parents were, and still are. We still fought like cats and dogs, as all siblings do, but at the end of the day, they were my first best friends.
Zack: Growing up, what were you the most passionate about? Was there a hobby or fandom that you couldn’t get enough of?
Valerie smiles a bit, almost uncharacteristic of her.
Valerie: I played two sports growing up, tennis and field hockey. I started playing field hockey in fifth grade and tennis when I was in elementary school. So I am one of those people who actually enjoy watching tennis on television. But what people might not know is one thing that I enjoy going to and watching in ballet. Because my parents were always busy with their respective medical careers, that didn’t really leave a lot of time for other things. So when he had time, my father would arrange “Daddy-Daughter” days, where we would go out to dinner, just the two of us, and he would take me to the ballet. It didn’t matter what the performance was. I never danced, but I always appreciate what they are able to do.
Zack: I can certainly see that. You mentioned your school, so let’s look at that a bit more. What kind of student were you? I’m assuming you scored very well across the board, or were there areas you struggled with at times? Also tell us about your friend group and any cliques you found yourself in then.
Valerie: I went to an all girls Catholic school before I went to Dartmouth. I would like to say I got consistent straight As all throughout high school, but I did not. The only subject I really seemed to struggle with was actually biology. Which is pretty funny considering what my parents do for a living. For some reason I could never get above a B in that class, but that was okay with me. Shockingly enough, any of the math classes I took were the easiest for me. I made some good friends over the years through athletics or the performing arts. There were a little group of us that were a little clique who people saw as the ones to be like. I’m still friends with most of them to this day, actually. Even though we went to opposite colleges.
Zack: That’s impressive because I can’t say I’ve maintained any relationships from my days in school. Since you went to an all girls school, do you think that helped or hindered your development when it came to members of the opposite sex? I’ve known some girls with similar upbringings who said it made them more shy and felt awkward around boys at first.
Valerie: Honestly, it helped, and not just because I had brothers. Going to an all girls school, it actually made me appreciate the friends that I had before boys came into the picture. We did have social events and mixers with one of the all boys schools that was an affiliate of ours, so it wasn’t like we went without having zero interaction with the opposite sex. I just kind of appreciated having the atmosphere where the pressure that comes along with romance and the opposite sex wasn’t part of the daily life. It made me appreciate it more when I went off to college.
Zack: That sounds pretty ideal to me then. Everyone handles things differently, after all. What college did you graduate from and with what degree?
Valerie: I’m a proud alumni of Dartmouth College. Everyone, and by everyone I mean my mother and most of her friends, had their hopes of me going to Brown University and pursuing a career in the medical field. Well, getting rejected from Brown put a damper on that, so I got accepted to Dartmouth and majored in Political Science. It was something I’ve been interested in, so I majored in it and graduated with honors.
Zack: Well done there. Dartmouth is certainly one of the best in the country. Now tell me where in all of this time did a Poli-Sci major at Dartmouth happen across something like professional wrestling.
Valerie: It’s a combination of having brothers who loved to watch wrestling on TV and being a Daddy’s girl who got away with watching it on TV with my father and brothers, much to my mother’s chagrin. That is what started my love of wrestling. It wasn’t until I was in my final year at Dartmouth where I really went “I think I want to do this.” So I enrolled in wrestling school and found that I really loved it. I was used to competitive sports before, but this was on a whole other level. After completing both college and wrestling school, I found my way out to a small promotion in the Midwest and found…eh, modest success there. It was a bit before I caught the attention of one Samantha Star and she put me on the path to Future Shock. That was one of the best choices I ever made, coming here to not only Future Shock, but FFW as well.
Zack nodded in agreement with that.
Zack: You’ve certainly had your fair share of success since arriving. Was it the lack of experience that made you decide to go Future Shock first instead of FFW? Or was there another reason that roster drew your attention more?
Valerie: Honestly, and considering WHO is saying this, there was still a lot I wanted and needed to learn in wrestling. I could have gone right to the main FFW roster, but I took the route of starting off in Future Shock first. I saw how good the women down in Future Shock were, and I wanted to test myself against them first before jumping right into the fire of FFW.
Zack: What was your first impressions of Samantha Star? You said you met her first, whereas most of the girls I’ve spoken with who started in Future Shock met Adam at the beginning.
Valerie: Samantha Star is an intimidating figure, that goes without saying. She is one of the most successful business owners in the entire country, and what she has built with FFW, making it into one of the premiere wrestling companies in the world, is a testament to her dedication and passion for what she does. But outside of that, she is an incredible person and one of the best people I know. I would call her a friend, because she is.
Zack: I think we can all agree that some of your biggest successes in this company stem from your longtime friendship with none other than Lacey. She seems pretty standoffish to most that I’ve seen, but I assume there’s a side of her we don’t see? Tell me about your friendship with her.
This brings a smile to Valerie’s face.
Valerie: Lacey is without a doubt one of my absolute best friends ever. It's rare that you find someone, especially in wrestling, that you click with immediately. Lacey is one of those people. Yes, she appears standoffish to people, but around others, she is an absolute sweetheart and will do anything for those she cares about.
Zack: The other person in FFW that you are most associated with on the roster is Elizabeth Lannister. How did you two meet? I assume it was through wrestling because you both grew up on practically opposite sides of the country from Rhode Island to Arizona.
Valerie: We met almost right after she joined Future Shock, though we didn’t start really talking until we both started being managed by Kyle. Like Lacey, Elizabeth is one of my absolute best friends. People see her as this stuck up and full of herself woman who coasts by on her looks. Let’s face it, she’s drop dead gorgeous and has earned the right to show off what God gave her. But what people don’t realize is that she is more reserved than what they are used to seeing and she’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. I consider her, and Lacey, to be the sisters I never had.
Zack: You have a very unique support system there. While we’re at it, there’s one other woman you’ve been aligned with after she arrived in Future Shock and then FFW. Tell us about Stacey Sky.
Valerie: Stacey Sky is one of the most intense wrestlers I’ve ever seen. She can more than back up anything that she says, and then some. She’s also one of the best people out there, and I am a big Stacey Sky fan. We are all different people outside of the ring, and Stacey is no different.
Zack: Even though you have been with FFW for some time, I’m sure you still have plenty of goals you want to achieve. That’s been made clear more than once. But let’s say someone out there watching us on All Access right now wants to do what you did. What’s the best advice you could give someone who is ready to dive into this sport? What is the advice you wish someone had given you before you did?
Valerie taps her chin for a moment, as if she were in thought.
Valerie: The best advice I could give someone is first, go to school and get a degree. Wrestling isn’t a permanent thing, and if you don’t have a career or anything like that in mind as a backup, you are going to set yourself up for some hard times. Something I wish someone told me before I got into wrestling was this business is just as much mentally draining as it is physically draining. Surrounding yourself with a good support system will help make the bad days seem manageable.
Zack: Excellent advice. Valerie, I appreciate you taking the time to visit me today and help some of our fans get to know you better than just the woman they see on their television screens at FFW shows.
His attention diverted back to the camera.
Zack: I’ve got quite the guest list coming up on future editions of Focus. But I’d be interested to hear who you want to learn more about. Just hit up either Adam or Jake on X, and let them know and I’ll go from there. Thank you for watching and to Valerie for being today. I’ll see you in the arena.
He turns back and shakes Valerie’s hand as Focus fades to black on FFW All Access.
