As documented by Sportskeeda , WWE has made history by signing Amale Winchester, as the new acquisition is the first French female performer in company history to become an official member of the roster.
Winchester will join the NXT UK brand when she’s set to compete. The superstar has featured on the British offshoot in the past, having wrestled Aoife Valkyrie, Xia Brookside, Jinny and Dani Luna in singles matches. However, she is now a full-time member of the roster and can look forward to facing more opponents moving forward.
Winchester took to Twitter following the announcement to confirm that she’ll be competing on the brand for the foreseeable future. Her caption, which was translated from her native language by Sportskeeda, read, “If you don’t have a reason to live, find a reason to die.”
As noted by the Sportskeeda article, Winchester has been wrestling since 2012. Prior to joining her new employer, she was one of the top performers in Westside Xtreme Wrestling, a popular promotion based in Germany.
As of this writing, Winchester is still listed as the company’s Women’s Champion, and she’s held the gold for over 440 days. She defeated Killer Kelly, Toni Storm and Valkyrie to win the championship as well. Those names will also be familiar to fans of Winchester’s new stomping grounds.
Some performers from the UK show are allowed to compete for other promotions, provided their bookings are approved by WWE beforehand . It’s highly likely that Winchester will lose her title in WXW before the commitments to her new employer become too demanding.
Winchester’s wrestling career has posed problems for her in the past. According to The Overtimer , her parents were worried that her in-ring exploits would interfere with her teaching career. Now that she’s made it to WWE, her hard work has paid off and she’ll be able to make a living in the squared circle.
The new star hasn’t wrestled since March due to the coronavirus situation. Her last appearance was at a WXW show in which she defended her title against Stephanie Maze.
“Si t’as pas de raison de vivre, trouve une raison de crever.” – @booba ?
Your new WWE @NXTUK Superstar, the 1st ever French female professional wrestler signed by @WWE – @WWEFrance
Mettez un “??” en commentaire les frenchies ? pic.twitter.com/W5TG8tQVCB
— Amale D. (@AmaleFrenchHope) August 13, 2020
The new superstar’s arrival also suggests that the company is hiring talent again. Several performers and employees were released earlier this year as part of cost-cutting measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Furthermore, the acquisition confirms that the British offshoot is alive and well following months of uncertainty regarding its future. Shows haven’t been produced during the pandemic, but Triple H is hopeful that they’ll be able to start taping content again in the near future.
