AEW star Julia Hart joined AEW Unrestricted this week for a wide-ranging conversation on her evolving journey in AEW, her TBS Championship run, personal growth, injury comeback, and her playful “connection” to the legendary Hart family.
Now four years into her AEW tenure, Hart has undergone a dramatic transformation from wide-eyed Varsity cheerleader to the hauntingly confident “Hounds of Hell” member. Reflecting on her growth, Hart called her time as TBS Champion a major learning curve:
“That last end of 2023… felt like I jumped like five years of my life,” she said. “I’m still so young… I still have so much more after this.”
Crowned the youngest TBS Champion at 22, Hart never let the title inflate her ego.
“Not like, going over my head, like, ‘Oh, I’m the TBS champion. I know everything now.’ Like, no, I still have so much to learn.”
One of the podcast’s most heartwarming moments came when Julia addressed her inclusion in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, tying in her surname with a humorous family anecdote:
“My last name is Hart… even though I’m not related, I still feel a connection,” she said. “Growing up, my dad said his uncle was Bret Hart… I was just like, ‘Yeah, I’m just gonna agree with that.’”
On the creative front, Hart opened up about producing her own cinematic vignettes, inspired by advice from Darby Allin.
“He told me, ‘If you have a vision, you need to go do it yourself and show them,’” Hart revealed. She took that to heart—literally—filming and editing segments on her own, including one where she shoots herself with a bow and arrow before emerging from a dream.
Hart also touched on her labrum injury, suffered during her reign, which sidelined her for four months. Despite the disappointment, she remained grateful.
“I was sad that it happened when I was champion, but really happy for Willow [Nightingale] to get that moment,” Hart said of her title loss.
Returning to face Jamie Hayter, Hart admitted to being nervous but excited. The match marked her recommitment to growth as both a performer and personality.
As for future goals, Hart has her sights set on developing her promo skills and mentoring others:
“I want to talk more… If there was be a moment where I could talk in front of the crowd and not be nervous… I would love to be the one people are like, ‘Oh wow, I learned something from Julia.’”
Hart also praised her stablemates Brody King and Buddy Matthews, calling King her “wrestling dad” and stressing the importance of finding a solid support system in wrestling:
“Just finding good people. And I definitely found my good people.”
She wrapped the interview by expressing love for her theme music, “The Heart Always Wins,” and her vision to inspire others both in and out of the ring.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more interviews and AEW news.
(h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription)
