Kelani Jordan’s rise through WWE NXT has been fueled in part by the athletic foundation she built long before entering a wrestling ring. A former gymnast, Jordan arrived with the body control, aerial awareness and fearlessness that can make a high-flying style look effortless. But those strengths did not remove every obstacle from her transition into professional wrestling.
In fact, Jordan has identified a more subtle challenge as one of the hardest parts of her early training: learning that a wrestling performance does not need to look perfectly clean at every moment in order to be effective. As the current NXT Women’s Champion explained, the standards ingrained through gymnastics initially clashed with the controlled chaos and physical realism required in wrestling.
Jordan discussed that adjustment during an appearance on Wrastlin’ with E & Matt, reflecting on which parts of WWE training came naturally and which demanded a change in perspective. Her comments offer a clear look at the contrast between two disciplines that both rely on tremendous athleticism, but ask performers to approach movement, mistakes and audience connection in very different ways.
High-flying came naturally to the former gymnast
Jordan’s gymnastic experience gave her immediate advantages in areas that are often difficult for wrestlers to develop. She said that body control and awareness in the air were among the aspects of the transition that felt most natural. Those skills have become a visible part of her presentation in NXT, where her agility and willingness to take flight have helped establish her as one of WWE’s notable young athletes.
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“So some things were a struggle, like some things were easy, as in a sense of, like, body control, air awareness, like those things. High-flying came very natural, and I wasn’t really, like, afraid of anything.”
That lack of fear is significant in a sport where performing aerial offense requires not only athletic ability, but trust in one’s own positioning, the ring and an opponent. Gymnastics gave Jordan experience with demanding physical movement and precise control of her body while airborne. It also provided a base from which she could adapt to the spectacular side of professional wrestling.
Still, possessing athletic gifts does not automatically translate to understanding the mechanics of a match. Wrestling is built on cooperation, timing and the ability to make actions look impactful to an audience. Jordan’s experience illustrates why a background in another sport can be an asset without eliminating the learning process that comes with becoming a complete wrestler.
Perfectionism became an early hurdle
The biggest difficulty Jordan identified was letting go of the need for perfection. In gymnastics, athletes are evaluated against exacting standards. Details matter, execution is scrutinized and anything that appears rough can have a direct effect on a score. That mentality is understandable for an athlete trained in an environment where polishing every element is fundamental to success.
Professional wrestling can demand precision as well, but it uses it differently. A match must be performed safely, timed correctly and constructed around what the audience sees and feels. Yet the action is also meant to convey a struggle. A moment that looks too polished can fail to register as a fight, while a performance with some texture and apparent resistance can make the conflict feel more convincing.
“But the struggle was, like you said, not being perfect, ’cause like gymnastics, you’re judged on a scale of perfection. So if something was rough around the edges, for me that was way more difficult.”
Jordan’s point goes beyond simply making a move look believable. Wrestling asks performers to communicate through their motion: an opponent’s attack should have consequences, a comeback should feel earned and a mistake or disruption can become part of the drama rather than something that must be erased. For a competitor coming from a sport that rewards immaculate execution, accepting those differences can require a substantial adjustment in instincts.
Her comments also underline the importance of training beyond athletic spots. A wrestler needs to understand pacing, selling, reactions and the emotional purpose behind the action. The goal is not merely to execute difficult movements cleanly. It is to use those movements within a contest that viewers can invest in.
From individual sport to collaborative performance
Jordan also pointed to the physical and collaborative differences between gymnastics and wrestling. Gymnastics is not a contact sport, and its competitors perform their routines independently. Wrestling, by contrast, depends on constant interaction. Every exchange involves another performer, whether that means creating an opening for offense, receiving an opponent’s move or ensuring that both wrestlers are in position to execute a sequence safely.
“But also, gymnastics isn’t a contact sport. I don’t have to depend on anyone else. I don’t have to touch anyone else, so that was a big difference.”
That reliance on another person is one of wrestling’s defining demands. Even the most athletic performer cannot operate in isolation once the bell rings. Wrestlers have to establish rhythm with opponents whose styles, experience levels and physical approaches may differ widely. They must also remain aware of safety while delivering a performance that appears spontaneous and competitive.
For Jordan, adapting to contact and dependence on a partner represented another departure from the environment in which she developed as a gymnast. It is a transition that calls for trust, communication and repetition. The movements may look individual when a wrestler is flying across the ring, but the execution is rooted in coordinated work between everyone involved.
Learning to hear the audience
The shift was not confined to in-ring technique. Jordan said gymnastics taught her to tune out outside distractions, while wrestling requires performers to recognize and respond to the audience around them. That is especially important in a live setting, where crowd noise can shape the tone of a match and influence how a wrestler presents a character or reacts in the moment.
“But also, even when it comes to, like, speaking in promos, in gymnastics you’re taught to tune everyone out, whereas in wrestling, you have to listen to the fans and just, like — you’re still in the moment, but it’s like you have to be aware of what’s being said.”
The distinction Jordan described applies to both promos and matches. In gymnastics, concentration often means shutting out everything beyond the task at hand. A wrestler must remain focused, but cannot fully disconnect from the environment. Fans are part of the performance. Their reactions can reinforce an idea, create momentum or signal that a particular moment is resonating.
Being aware of that response does not mean abandoning a planned direction. It means learning how to perform for a live audience rather than in front of one. The ability to listen while still maintaining character, timing and composure is one of the skills that helps turn athletic ability into a complete wrestling presentation.
A rapid ascent in WWE NXT
Jordan’s willingness to confront those challenges has coincided with a fast rise in her wrestling career. Just three years into her time in the industry, she captured the NXT Women’s Championship. The title win placed her at the center of WWE NXT’s women’s division and marked a major milestone for a performer who entered wrestling from a different sporting background.
Her championship résumé already includes more than one accomplishment. In addition to holding the NXT Women’s Championship, Jordan has held the NXT Women’s North American Championship and the TNA Knockouts Championship. Those achievements have made her one of the emerging names connected with WWE’s future.
Jordan’s reflections make clear that her success has involved more than transferring gymnastic ability into a wrestling ring. The aerial skills were there, and she was comfortable taking to the air. The more difficult work involved reshaping the habits developed through a sport centered on individual execution and perfection.
Learning to embrace a little roughness when it serves the story, work through physical contact with an opponent and remain connected to a live crowd are all elements of that evolution. For the NXT Women’s Champion, the journey from gymnast to wrestler has required both confidence in the strengths she already possessed and the willingness to change the instincts that once defined her athletic career.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.