M By Elegance has reflected on one of the earliest major-promotion matches of her career, recalling her 2023 meeting with Willow Nightingale on AEW Dark: Elevation as an important learning experience.
Before becoming known as M By Elegance, she competed as Maggie Lee and was still very early in her time as a professional wrestler. Her match with Nightingale, which aired on a March 2023 episode of AEW Dark: Elevation, represented her first match for a major promotion. Looking back, M described the bout as a moment that made her reconsider what kind of offense best suited her and how she wanted to present herself in the ring.
In discussing the match, M was candid about how inexperienced she felt at the time. She explained that she had been using powerful moves such as spinebusters and powerbombs, even though she was still developing her approach to matches and her broader identity as a performer.
“I was so new. This was another turning moment of realizing, ‘Maggie, why are you doing these moves?’” M said.
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M noted that she was wrestling women while relying on moves including a powerbomb and a spinebuster. She stressed that she was capable of executing those moves, but the Nightingale match created an especially clear example of why choosing offense is about more than simply being able to perform it. A wrestler’s move set also needs to work within the structure of a particular match and alongside the opponent standing across the ring.
That became apparent when she discussed her planned offense with Nightingale. M recalled telling Nightingale that she did a spinebuster and a powerbomb, only for Nightingale to tell her that those were moves she was planning to use herself.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, I do a spinebuster and a powerbomb.’ She’s like, ‘Oh, that’s what I’m doing,’” M recalled.
The exchange was not presented as a negative interaction. Instead, M described the experience as a valuable lesson from a period when she was still absorbing the fundamentals of match construction, communication, and character development. In wrestling, two competitors can both be able to execute similar moves, but a match still has to be planned in a way that gives each performer a distinct role and allows their offense to land with purpose.
For a newer wrestler, that process can be especially significant. Developing an in-ring style involves learning which moves fit a performer’s size, athletic strengths, persona, and position in a match. It also requires recognizing when a move may be better associated with an opponent. M’s recollection of the Nightingale bout illustrates the practical side of that growth: an idea that may make sense on paper can change once wrestlers compare notes and begin shaping the contest together.
Despite the lesson, M spoke warmly about Nightingale and the overall environment around the match. She said she had a great time working with her and repeatedly praised Nightingale’s kindness.
“But the experience was so great. She’s so, so, so sweet,” M said.
M also highlighted the production of the match, describing that aspect of the experience positively. While she did not provide further details on the process, her comments emphasize how meaningful it was to have a constructive experience during such an early stage of her career. For performers stepping into a major-promotion setting for the first time, preparation and guidance can be just as memorable as what viewers see once the match airs.
She further remembered Nightingale being supportive after the bell. M openly characterized herself as “frickin’ green” at that point, a wrestling term commonly used to describe someone who is still new and learning the craft. Rather than attempting to downplay that stage of her development, she treated it as part of the reason the match has stayed with her.
“She was so sweet after the match,” M said. “Obviously I was so frickin’ green, like I was brand new.”
The former Maggie Lee said she cannot even say with certainty how many matches she had wrestled by that point. That uncertainty underlines just how early the AEW appearance came in her development. She also believes the Nightingale match may have been the first time she wore what she considered proper wrestling gear, though she noted that she was recalling the details from memory.
“I didn’t even know how many matches I had worked up until that point,” M said. “I think that match might’ve been the first time that I had real wrestling gear even. Possibly, if I remember correctly.”
Those details offer a striking picture of the distance M has traveled since that March 2023 appearance. At the time, she was entering a major-promotion environment as a newcomer still figuring out her move selection and presentation. Now competing as M By Elegance, she can look back at that match as a recognizable checkpoint in her progression rather than simply another early booking.
The recollection also speaks to the value of experienced and established opponents in the growth of newer talent. Nightingale has built a reputation as a popular and physically powerful competitor, and M’s comments portray her as generous in a setting where a less experienced wrestler could have easily felt overwhelmed. The conversation about overlapping moves was handled directly, and M came away with an appreciation for both Nightingale and the lesson itself.
There is a difference between a difficult early-career moment and a damaging one. M’s account places this firmly in the former category. She recognized that she was still learning, identified why the situation mattered, and spoke positively about the person she worked with. The memory has remained useful because it helped reinforce a core part of professional wrestling: performers need to know not only what they can do, but why they are doing it, when to do it, and whether it best serves the match.
That process is ongoing for wrestlers at every level, but it is often most visible when someone is just beginning to build a foundation. A new competitor may initially collect moves because they are impressive, physically achievable, or familiar from wrestling they have watched. Over time, those moves must be refined into a coherent style. The performer has to determine which techniques are signature elements, which are situational tools, and which may not be the right fit at all.
M’s reflection on her AEW Dark appearance shows that this realization arrived quickly. Her question to herself — why she was using certain moves — was not an admission that she lacked the ability to do them. Rather, it was an acknowledgment that ability alone does not define effective wrestling. The right move at the right moment, performed by the right character, can communicate much more than a move chosen solely because it looks impressive.
The match with Nightingale was therefore more than a first major-promotion appearance. It became a turning point in how M thought about her ring work. Her comments indicate that the bout helped her begin separating the moves she could perform from the moves that would best support the performer she wanted to become.
That perspective carries added relevance as M continues her current reign with the Knockouts TV Championship. Her present position is far removed from being unsure how many matches she had worked or whether she had even worn her first set of true wrestling gear. Still, the early experience remains part of the path that brought her forward.
For M By Elegance, the 2023 AEW Dark: Elevation match with Willow Nightingale stands as a positive memory rooted in learning. She entered the contest as a very new wrestler with plenty left to discover. She left it with encouragement from Nightingale, a clearer understanding of match planning, and a lesson about shaping an offense that fits both the match and the wrestler delivering it.
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.