Zayda Steel is continuing to establish herself across AEW and Ring of Honor programming, but her path into professional wrestling began in a familiar place: watching WWE and finding performers whose personalities, presentation and in-ring presence demanded her attention.
During a virtual signing with Captain’s Corner, Steel discussed the wrestlers she admired while growing up. Her list spans different eras of WWE’s women’s division, from the Divas-era names she enjoyed as a younger viewer to the group that came to define a major period of women’s wrestling in the 2010s and early 2020s.
Steel singled out AJ Lee, Kelly Kelly and the Four Horsewomen as key favorites. She also explained that her interest in male wrestlers was more selective, with The Undertaker’s larger-than-life identity standing out most prominently. Boogeyman, meanwhile, left a very different—but clearly unforgettable—impression.
“I loved like AJ Lee. I love, obviously, the Horsewomen. Who didn’t love Kelly Kelly, you know? So I loved all the Divas,” Steel said. “When it came to the guys, I only liked The Undertaker, the larger-than-life guys to keep my attention, but when I was younger, all the girlies. It was like Undertaker. Boogeyman weirdly played a big part of my childhood, so I have to throw him in there.”
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Steel’s comments paint a clear picture of what connected with her as a fan. The women’s roster provided many of the performers she followed most closely, while the characters who broke furthest from reality caught her eye on the men’s side. The Undertaker and Boogeyman were both defined by distinctive supernatural-themed presentations, making them impossible to confuse with anyone else on a WWE broadcast.
For Steel, Boogeyman’s effectiveness was apparently so strong that the fear attached to the character has lasted well beyond childhood.
“I don’t know what about him, but Boogeyman, you traumatized me still to this day. I’m traumatized. I’m giving him a shout-out because he did such a great job. I’m a wrestler now, and I’m still traumatized,” Steel said.
A Range of Influences From WWE’s Women’s Division
Steel’s mention of AJ Lee, Kelly Kelly and the Four Horsewomen reflects the breadth of the WWE women’s division she watched while growing up. Each name or group represents a different part of that history, and Steel’s recollections show that her fandom was not limited to one specific generation of talent.
Kelly Kelly was one of the recognizable faces of WWE’s Divas era, a period Steel directly referenced when she said she loved “all the Divas.” AJ Lee later became one of the defining personalities of the division, known for a character and style that gave her a particularly individual identity. The Four Horsewomen—Mercedes Moné, Charlotte Flair, Bayley and Becky Lynch—went on to become central figures in WWE’s women’s wrestling evolution through the 2010s and into the early 2020s.
Steel was not simply naming established stars in retrospect. Her comments were framed as memories of who held her interest as a young fan, long before she became a wrestler appearing on national programming herself. That distinction is significant for any emerging performer: the stars watched during childhood can help form an early understanding of what makes a wrestler memorable, whether that comes through athletic ability, charisma, ring presence, character work or a connection with the audience.
In Steel’s case, the appeal of the women she named appears to have been broad. She gravitated toward women who occupied very different roles and eras, rather than identifying one singular template. AJ Lee’s popularity, Kelly Kelly’s prominence and the Four Horsewomen’s collective impact all offered different examples of how female wrestlers could stand out on major WWE television.
Mercedes Moné Match Created a Full-Circle Moment
That appreciation for the Four Horsewomen took on added meaning in August when Steel faced Mercedes Moné on AEW Collision. Moné, known in WWE as Sasha Banks, was one of the four wrestlers Steel cited among her childhood favorites.
The match gave Steel an opportunity to share the ring with someone she had once watched as part of the group she admired. Moné defeated Steel—who is also known as “The Real Deal”—with the Statement Maker submission hold.
While the result went in Moné’s favor, the bout represented a notable milestone for Steel. For a developing talent working her way through AEW and ROH, competing against a performer with Moné’s profile is the sort of experience that can underscore how quickly a career has progressed. Steel moved from watching the Four Horsewomen on television to wrestling one of them under the AEW banner.
Moné’s own career path adds another layer to the moment. Alongside Flair, Bayley and Lynch, she was a leading figure in WWE’s women’s division throughout the 2010s and early 2020s. After departing WWE in 2022, Moné joined AEW in 2024. Her current place in AEW has created opportunities for wrestlers from newer generations, including Steel, to test themselves against one of the performers who helped set the standard in the previous decade.
Steel’s August collision with Moné was therefore more than a match between an established star and an ascending wrestler. It brought together a present-day AEW competitor and a fan whose formative wrestling memories included watching Moné’s generation reshape the women’s scene.
The Importance of Larger-Than-Life Characters
Although Steel’s strongest fandom memories centered on WWE’s women, she made it clear that spectacle mattered greatly when she watched the men’s roster. The Undertaker was the standout name, and her explanation focused on the scale of his presentation.
“The larger-than-life guys” were the ones who held Steel’s attention. That description fits The Undertaker, whose career was built around an aura unlike virtually any other wrestling act. His presentation was designed to feel imposing and theatrical, and it made him accessible to viewers looking for something beyond a conventional athletic contest.
Boogeyman fit that same general appeal in a far more unsettling way. Steel’s humorous but emphatic recollection of being traumatized by the character is also a reminder of what successful character work can do. A wrestling persona does not need to be realistic to make an impact; in some cases, the most exaggerated and unusual acts are the ones viewers remember for years.
That is especially true for young fans, for whom the visual identity, music, mannerisms and emotional reaction a wrestler creates can be just as important as the match itself. Steel’s memories of The Undertaker and Boogeyman underline the lasting value of performers who fully commit to an unmistakable identity.
Steel’s Next Chapter in AEW and ROH
Now performing in AEW and Ring of Honor, Steel is building her own relationship with audiences rather than merely watching others do it. Her reflections offer insight into the variety of influences behind that journey: women’s wrestling stars from several WWE eras, a group that helped redefine the division, and supernatural characters who made wrestling feel larger than everyday life.
There is a straightforward full-circle quality to Steel’s story. The fan who enjoyed AJ Lee, Kelly Kelly and the Four Horsewomen now has a career in the same industry. The viewer who was captivated by The Undertaker and unnerved by Boogeyman is now in a position to create her own reactions from fans.
Her match with Moné demonstrated that this progression is already producing tangible milestones. Steel may have lost to the Statement Maker on AEW Collision, but sharing the ring with a former childhood favorite represented a meaningful point in her development.
As Steel continues appearing for AEW and ROH, the influences she named remain part of the foundation of her wrestling fandom. From the Divas she watched as a child to the larger-than-life characters who commanded her attention, those memories have carried forward into the career she is now pursuing on wrestling television herself.
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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.