Lil Marz

Photo: New Photography Studios

Led by women such as Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, Steph De Lander & Indi Hartwell on the global stage women's wrestling in Australia is perhaps the strongest it has ever been. Back home we've seen ladies like Jessica Troy & Delta capturing the top championships, regardless of gender, in their respective promotions. But they're not the only standouts, around the country there are a plethora of outstanding talents at various stages of their wrestling careers. One young lady leading the charge for a resurgent Queensland wrestling scene is Lil Marz, who in a little over a year into her career is already making waves around the country.

Pario recently sat down with Marz to chat about her whirlwind foray into the world of wrestling. During the conversation, we spoke about growing up wanting to be a WWE Diva, developing Lil Marz as a wrestling persona, & battling self-doubt.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Lil Marz's story starts like many others, growing up watching wrestling with their parents or an older sibling. Looking back Marz recalls one conversation she had with her mum that highlighted just how passionate she was about wrestling at a young age.

"I remember being somewhere between 10 & 14 years old saying to my mum that I wanted to be a WWE Diva," Marz said with her trademark big smile. "Mum quickly said, 'No, we're not doing that'. So instead I played lots of competitive sports."

Little did Mumma Marz know that one day her baby girl would fighting much larger men, diving off the top rope & confidently rocking cheeky wrestling gear.

"Mum did come to my debut & texted me afterwards saying she was 'mortified' when I got up on the top rope & jumped... Mom hasn't seen my latest gear. I don't know what she would think of it. I don't know what I think of it, to be honest. When I first put it on, I was like, okay, we're doing this. Mum did comment on my first set of gear being very skimpy, but I reminded her that it was no different from a gymnastics leotard... So yeah, Mum supports me wrestling. She wants me to be happy. It just kind of terrifies her."

PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER

Event: Pro Wrestling League - The Purge 2024. Photo: New Photography Studios

After realising that Australia had a wrestling scene thanks to the likes of Rhea Ripley & Grayson Waller excelling on television Marz sought out a local training school. Luckily for her, she had one of the best schools in the country, Three Count Pro Wrestling Academy, right on her doorstep. There Marz was able to train under Rufio, Top Tier, Bobby Bishop, & Lucille Brawl. People she is highly complimentary of.

"I cannot take my hat off enough to Bobby Bishop & Rufio. Someone said to me once, Bobby Bishop is Queensland Wrestling & that is the most true statement. What Bobby, Rufio & Lucille do for all of us there, myself included, is absolutely second to none. They're all incredible."

Given her sporty background, Marz was able to come to grips with the athletic aspect of wrestling relatively quickly. The showmanship & character side is where she had to put in a little more effort as she developed her Lil Marz persona. For this, she dug deep inside & took note of her "inner child" for character inspiration.

"Lil Marz is everything Marz didn't have growing up," she explained to Pario. "When I was a kid, I wanted a little car & big buddy. So as a grown adult & a wrestler, I gave myself both of those things."

STUMBLING BLOCKS

Having built her character & entrance around her little car, that creative decision soon became somewhat of a stumbling block. Simply because of her rapid rise to national prominence & the logistical hurdle of transporting the car interstate.

"I never expected this to happen for me so soon. I thought I would have more time to figure out how I was going to do that," Marz explained. "Over the year or so that I've been doing shows in Queensland though I was able to evolve the character into what I like to call, a toy enthusiast. So, now I have lots of toys. I've got my little car. I got my big teddy bear, Opie. I've got lots of other little things that I like to try to offer as a peace offering, particularly when I have a sizeable or scary opponent. It usually doesn't go too well for me, but that's who I am & I always stay true to that."

Although that was a challenge for Marz, that everybody could see, she told Pario that the toughest challenge she has had to overcome has been an internal struggle.

"For me, the biggest thing has been balancing my self-doubt, & the pressure of being a girl, particularly a girl in Queensland where there's not many of us."

Over the past couple of years, Queensland wrestling has been in a rebuilding phase. As such the depth of the women's wrestling roster has been limited in comparison to other states. This has meant that women like Marz have had to progress through the system quickly.

"We kind of get pushed through the ranks really quickly here," said Marz. "So, balancing that with my internal pressures to do well & be everything that everyone thought I was led to a lot of self-doubt & sense of imposter syndrome.

"Luckily, I've always been someone who thrives in the chaos. I remember in the week leading up to my debut, I was so stressed that I kept crying over random things in my day-to-day life. But once I debuted, I knew it was time to knuckle down & work even harder because I've been put in this spot & I'm going to rise to the occasion. Basically, we created a monster!"

Follow Lil Marz's creative journey on social media at: @LilMzz

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