This was originally featured in VultureHound’s wrestling magazine SteelChair
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She is one of the most recognisable characters on the Independent Wrestling scene. Some of her matches have been described as being as destructive as they are fantastic, and since her debut in 2007, she has become one of the most feared wrestlers to compete against. In 2016 she became the WSU Spirit, the QOC, the PW2.0 Women’s Champion and Girl Fight Champion. To some, she is “The Undead Bride” to others, she is Su Yung. VultureHound’s Craig Hermit caught up with Su Yung to discuss her career and more.

It’s been documented in the past that the first show you attended was WrestleMania 19, was that the moment you fell in love with wrestling?

No, not really, the moment I fell in love with wrestling was when I was a little girl and my Dad put it on the TV. I had no idea what it was. Ever since I was a little girl my dad would just watch it. I just loved it, wrestling is really big in my heart, it’s actually a sentimental thing for me.

So, what or when was the moment you thought that is something I want to do, you know the lightbulb moment where you went this is something I can do?

I didn’t know you could have it as a job when I was watching it, but I could see myself doing it and one day in middle school I realised I didn’t wanna do anything else other than be a wrestler, my dad always laughed it off as a funny thing. Eventually, we were doing this thing in school about what you wanna be when you leave school and I put myself out there said wrestler.

Your started you’re training in Magnificent Women’s Wrestling and how did that gauge you for your time in NXT then known as FCW?

I got my start at Memphis Wrestling not MLW. Bill Dundee and Kevin White trained me they helped my learning. Magnificent Women’s Wrestling gave me a start, it helped my learning and my beginning in wrestling, from the baby steps of learning to walking on my own two feet. I mean, if you want to see how someone started and what they are like now, you can see my old stuff and I was not good in the beginning and but I never stopped trying. I believe that you never give up on your dreams because the person you’re stopping is yourself. In FCW, it was taken to another platform I’ve never done before.I felt I wasn’t ready. When I was there, they were interested in learning on your feet, there were top athletes there and so many people that had seen so many different things in wrestling, things that people couldn’t understand or fantom, cause in order to understand some of those things you’d have to experience what they did and its kinda what I’m doing now. I’m learning from the hard work and right now I’m just enjoying all the really cool people I get to meet.

When I see you wrestling now in your matches as “The Undead Bride” I admittedly had thoughts that this woman could kill me in multiple different ways. It’s a stark contrast to who I’m talking to know, it leaves me with the question how did you come up with the undead bride persona?

Well, there is a man, a mastermind man behind the whole persona. There are some people in this world who are different, with me I’m a different kind of person that has a different mindset than others. This man well, he saw the opportunity that could be made with my mind and my heart and my wrestling skills. He threw a challenge in my face, and the challenge is, hey are you comfortable to be something like this, and we know I’m comfortable to do that. So I believe if you see opportunities you believe in, in your heart, and your head, you take it. So I took that opportunity and I ran with it. It wasn’t like someone saying your now this or that, it was more organic, with my state of mind and my heart and here is a lot of back and forth influences behind the label of “The Undead Bride”. You have to go back to the beginning of the transition of what happened to her and what’s about to happen to her, but I can’t tell you more than that. I wouldn’t want to ruin it. (Laughs)

Thing is, when I see your matches, you have this look that seems like you could strike anyone at anytime.

(Laughs) That could be a possibility, I mean even when I’m at home and I’m looking at myself back, I’m saying that’s not me.

One thing that personifies Su Yung is your matches, whether it be in Shine or any other promotions, they know when they see you in a match that it’s going to be a destructive yet a rewarding match to watch, is that something you strive for every match you have?

Character wise? I take on any challenge. Wrestling wise? I feel the same way with any challenge. Any time anyone presents me with a match I’ve never had or I want to experience, against any opponent, I’m gonna go, ‘I want this match.’ I’m definitely going to go for it. There’s nothing really in my mind that says to me I can’t do this match because I feel like I’m a professional wrestler and I’m worthy of being one. I’m able to do everything and anything possible because there’s no limits that I can’t do. I think this past year I chose my heart more than I thought I would. I think it’s a really cool that I got I really a good reaction from everybody because of that. I mean it’s everybody else’s fault really. (Laughs)

During 2015, WWE had a Women’s Revolution. What is your opinion on WWE’s Women’s Division heading into 2017?

My opinion about the Women’s Revolution is that I think it’s amazing. I think it opened up a platform for people to see women’s wrestling on another level, even though it’s been going on in the independent scene like that, but you gotta realise not everybody gets to see everything that is happening in the independents. It’s a smaller block compared to how big WWE is. I think it’s phenomenal the way that they are pushing women as being just as talented as the men can be. We’ve seen it in Basketball, Football, Running and Tennis, women can do it like a man only sometimes better, sometimes worse. So when I’m seeing this in wrestling I’m like, ‘Whoa, we are changing wrestling to another platform for women.’ I think it’s beautiful. I hope we get the opportunities to see dream matches like Charlotte versus Mercedes Martinez. I’d love to see what would happen in that match. Someone so strong for Charlotte to go against would be something to see. That’s the type of thing I’d want to see.

With the lines between men and women’s wrestling becoming more blurred, will we see more inter-gender matches in 2017 like the one we saw with yourself in FEST Wrestling, facing Mr. 450 and Oraculo and Serpentico, a match you won?

That’s really a hard one to say, because in this world there is a lot of sensitivity we should be aware of. It’s really hard to say and not say something without offending somebody. It happens. I do believe in the future it will happen more with how wrestling is going. I don’t think there is a line anymore between women’s and men’s wrestling. It’s definitely shades of grey, so that helps women wrestlers show that they can sometimes do it better than men. It helps to show girls growing up that they can do what they wanna do, look at Jessica Havok, Asuka, Heidi, Kimber Lee all of them. They go into a match with such heart and treat everybody the same way and I love it. (laughs)

A controversial moment to some, was back at Shine 39, your match with Saraya Knight. During the bout, some people felt that the moment she appeared to hang you, what would you say to people who think that was going too far? Was it  just adding a new dimension to your rivalry?

This is the thing that blows my mind, everything that happens in wrestling does it really surprise anyone anymore? In wrestling, anything can happen, it’s like life, people watch wrestling, they appreciate it, and watch it no matter what. Whether its good or bad it’s their opinion. I would never try to change someones opinion, I’ll sit back and listen, to what people say, to what people think and do. If it’s bad or good I respect it, if you don’t like something it’s okay, if you see me wrestle and you have an opinion, I want you to voice it out, I want you to tell me how you feel, because if you don’t feel anything at what I’ve said or done I want to know why you don’t feel anything. Whether you’re watching this saying, ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ or, ‘This is awesome,’ I want to make people feel something. When I hear fans when I’m wrestling, that is awesome to me and when I’m wrestling someone as amazing and an absolute treasure in wrestling like Saraya Knight, I would never ever take anything back. I’d do it all over again. Anytime I’m in the ring with her, it’s magic. It’s something I’ll always cherish, because those are most special times in my life.

I think any fan who has witnessed any of your matches with each other know that both of you take it to another level. You’re both in your own world and everyone is along for the ride. Speaking of how incredible Saraya Knight is, is there anyone else who you would say has helped you in your career so far?

Oh there are so many people, (laughs) there is so many people and all of them popped into my head at once. I definitely want to say Lexie Fyfe, she lead me on a good path, she’s helped me in my career, she has one of the best hearts in wrestling just like Saraya does. Mercedes Martinez is a big influence to me. (pauses) I want to say Malia Hosaka has always been there for me, has always looked out for me, basically calls me her “Mini Me” because when we first started out I looked so alike then I was like “Oh my God, this is awesome”. We met up after a weekend and we have been friends ever since. I love the WWNY family, they’ve always been good to me. Sal and Gabe have always given me great advice in wrestling, I love everybody. The whole brand who has been out to see me. Having So-Cal Val and Andrea on WWN working with them was really cool. You pick up a lot of things that they have done and helped them in their careers, and what works for you from that, like, I should try that. Working in Evolve when watching Rich Swann, Ricochet and Uhaa, when you’re working closely, learning from behind the scenes and watching it, it’s really on another level. I have had great peers who have helped me as well, Jessica Havoc, Heidi, Veda Scott, Kimber Lee, Taeler Hendrix the list can go on. Because of these women, I have become a more rounded wrestler. You know, working together has just been amazing.

An incredible range of talent there, it’s great to have a good wrestling family and to hear how they help, you mentioned Kimber Lee and Heidi. WWE signed Kimber Lee and Heidi Lovelace, your thoughts on them joining WWE?

(Cheers) I was so happy for them, they definitely deserve it. Those two girls bust their butts so much. They work so hard for everything they have and they have that heart behind them and because of that heart it makes it more amazing, it means more of the independents are represented via heart, and if there’s heart there, that’s were I’m gonna go. I’m always going to be a fan of them. When I see someone break through, it’s inspiring and it’s positive the world morale of wrestling.

There has been a staggering amount of congratulation messages to Kimber Lee and Heidi Lovelace and rightly so. They have been incredible in multiple promotions throughout their careers. If the opportunity came to be part of or join the rumoured WWE Women’s tournament this year that is similar to this year’s Cruiserweight Classic what would you say to them?

Any tournament or anyplace if it’s here in America or the UK, anywhere in the world, that wants me, I’d want to wrestle in. (Laughs)I have my passport! I don’t know what is going to happen in the future, I don’t know what plans are gonna be there or if there’s any plans at all. Right now, I’ve just been rolling the dice and seeing what happens with every opportunity I’ve been asked, and I take all my challenges head on. This year, I have a hit list and my goal this year is to cross those names off the list. Right now, it’s not the namesake of the company, I just want to wrestle, I want to wrestle everywhere, whether it be in a major company or a smaller company or a really awesome company or a company in the middle of nowhere, I would want to wrestle for all of them.

In wrestling you just want to Shia LaBeouf it, “Do It!”

(Laughs) Yeah! Gotta DO IT! I’m just gonna wrestle and party.

In the later half of 2016, you captured the WSU, Queens of Combat, PW2.0 and the Girl Fight Championship, what does it mean to you to capture these titles?

To be honest, with everything that’s gone off last year, being told that I would never be anything in wrestling, I was always told that women’s matches were glorified entertainment matches or that I’ll never really get to wrestle because women wrestlers don’t wrestle. I never thought I’d ever win a title, I never thought I’d evolve myself more, I just feel so blessed for these opportunities and for all the fans. I love the fans, they are the best people/things in the world! All the companies that believe in me and all my friends that believe in me, if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be where I’m at. It’s cool to feel the love and take the confidence from that, it’s once in a lifetime. It’s really nice.

I was going over some of the reports of the Championships you’ve won in the last few months alone, and was I thinking, “Wow, you’re going to defending a lot next year.”

I have no idea how this is happening right now, I just feel blessed and really grateful for these opportunities I’ve been given. If this is how life is going then I wouldn’t want it any other way. This is exciting. It’s like Christmas every day.

Photography – Riverhorse Wrestling Photography – Alan Rolette.