The stunning Piper Niven can very well feature in Bridgerton. The Scottish WWE Superstar who is the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, breaks into peals of laughter when we tell her this over a Zoom call ahead of WWE Clash at the Castle 2024. Her positive vibes are infectious and her cats make for an adorable presence in our chat. Excerpts.
How excited are you about WWE Clash at the Castle?
I am incredibly excited. This is going to be Scotland’s first premium live event and something that I had always dreamt would happen... for it not only to happen but to be featured on the show is just a dream come true for me.
I actually get quite a lot of stage nerves. Usually, I try to do a lot of things like meditation and yoga. I have already been practising everyday meditation and breathwork. Visualisation is also another big one for me and those things help me.
Tell us about your visualisation process...
What I like to do is try and visualise my day and how I want that day to go and what I think that day should look like. It is important to try and put senses into the visualisation, like what I would have for my breakfast that day and what it would taste like or when I get to the venue, what are the smells I can smell.... It helps you stay calm.
What have your years in professional wrestling taught you?
To enjoy the moment and to not freak out when things don’t go according to plan. It usually means there is something bigger and better on the way.
I enjoyed it (wrestling) instantly but I wasn’t good at it instantly. (Laughs) It took me quite a long time to get good at it. When I started it, it was just a hobby. It was something I liked to do for exercise. I was still really young when I started it... and it did take a long time for me to get serious, shall we say.... but when it did, things started picking up for me really quickly and I realised that I was actually quite good at it. It just got bigger and better from there....
Is it true that you kept it a secret?
Yeah... growing up, I was always a tomboy and I wasn’t a girlie girl. I had that all through my life. Then I found wrestling when I was 16... I decided to keep it hidden for as long as possible. But times have changed now. I am very proud to say I wrestle.
How much did you enjoy WWE the first time you were a part of it?
I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I love every adventure it brings me because I am going to see so many different places in the world being a WWE Superstar and every day, I am like, I can’t believe I am here.
Tell us about your match rituals…
For me and my tag partner Chelsea Green, we always like to go through some affirmations when we are going in for a match. We either hold hands and we go like ‘We are beautiful, tall, skinny and everybody loves us’. It gives both of us a confidence boost before we go through the curtain.
Who are your favourite wrestlers?
I really loved The Undertaker. He was definitely the main man for me growing up. I also loved ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and Triple H. When I got more into being a student of wrestling, I found a lot of appreciation for Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair and all the greats. I can definitely take parts of each of them and appreciate all the different things they brought to wrestling.
You are a huge champion of body positivity. Most of us are never comfortable with our bodies. What would you tell those women who struggle to accept themselves wholeheartedly?
You have to be the captain of your own happiness and you cannot let other people bring you down. We are all very good at letting other people derail our confidence, but no one else is going to build you up for you. You have to look in the mirror every day and pick one thing... if you’ve got a beautiful smile, tell yourself every day that you have a beautiful smile... then say I have a beautiful smile and my face is pretty... champion for yourself and don’t let anyone derail that confidence.
We hear you are big on football! Have you played it?
I used to play a little football and again I enjoyed it, but wasn’t good at it (Laughs). I am a Rangers fan. That’s my team and I hope I am going to be the good-luck charm from Scotland this time (for UEFA EURO 2024) and we are going to go all the way.
Who are your favourite footballers?
Unfortunately, my favourite footballer has retired. His name is Allan Mcgregor. He was the Rangers’s goalkeeper.
Your sporting icons would be...
Simone Biles (gymnast) has been a great icon recently, and Sha’Carri Richardson (track and field athlete). I admire what they are doing.
Do you love fashion?
I like my fashion... I am not concerned with being on trend and I aspire to look like a weird art teacher! (Laughs)
Watch WWE Clash at the Castle 2024 on June 15 from 11.30pm IST, LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD. Watch UEFA EURO 2024 from June 15, LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi), Sony Sports Ten 4 SD & HD (Tamil / Telugu), Sony Ten 5 SD & HD (Malayalam / Bengali)