Stunning footballer-turned-WWE superstar makes in-ring debut and uses footy inspired move

Posted Thursday, March 28, 2024 by Dailystar.co.uk

She may have swapped the pitch for the squared circle, but one former footballer is reusing her old skills to blast her wrestling opponents away

Stunning footballer-turned-WWE superstar makes in-ring debut and uses footy inspired move
Jade Gentile played semi-professional football in Iceland (Image: INSTAGRAM/jade_gentile)

Former footballer Jade Gentile turned to one of her old tricks for her in-ring NXT wrestling debut.

In Autumn of 2022, the New York native was unveiled as one of NXT's fall class of the year. However, wrestling under the alias Jazmyn Nix, Gentile only competed in her first in-ring wrestling match for the WWE's developmental brand this week.

Her first fight ended in defeat, as Thea Hail emerged victorious in a dramatic match marred by distractions and interruptions from other stars on the roster. But those who watched Gentile's performances in the Beautiful Game would have been amused when she used an iconic football move.

Gentile, 25, twisted Hail into a knot, pulled her inside and thwacked her with a huge overhead kick. While football and wrestling rarely overlaps, that specific move is widely known as 'The Pele Kick' in honour of the Brazilian icon.

It was not enough to secure the victory, but it did leave Hail in a bit of a daze. At the end of the match, the former footballer went for a cheeky roll-up pin, but found herself trapped in a Kimura Arm Lock that mangled her wrist and shoulder until she tapped out.

Stunning footballer-turned-WWE superstar makes in-ring debut and uses footy inspired move
She looks to still have all her football skills (Image: INSTAGRAM@jade_gentile)

Of course, this is all sporting entertainment and Gentile was not really on the cusp of breaking her arm. Nevertheless, the physicality of her in-ring performance was completely real.

Luckily for her, the fitness gained over the course of her football career has been invaluable. In a previous interview with Wrestlerant, she said: "It's very physically demanding... yes, yes, 100%.

Stunning footballer-turned-WWE superstar makes in-ring debut and uses footy inspired move
She looks set to be a huge star in NXT (Image: jade_gentile/Instagram)

"Soccer is what I thought the hardest sport there is. In football, obviously, you're taking tackles, but they've got pads! You don't have pads in soccer.

"So you're getting hit hard, you're tackling people hard, it's not a joke! I was like, 'I've got this' as I went to a foreign country and didn't speak their language and I thought I could overcome everything. Then I came here and it pushed me to my limits!"