Sky the limit for Chicago’s Scarlett Bordeaux

Oct 8

Oct 8 Sky the limit for Chicago’s Scarlett Bordeaux

By Mike Pankow

October 8, 2018

Scarlett Bordeaux is a self-admitted “late bloomer” to the wrestling business.

Bordeaux had never seen a wrestling show live, on TV, or otherwise until she was in her senior year at Sandburg High School in Southwest Suburban Orland Park.

“My parents didn’t let me watch it,” said Bordeaux, 27, during an IMPACT Wrestling teleconference last month.

Bordeaux has been working for IMPACT since July though she has yet to wrestle for them on TV.

“Right now I’m taking a little bit of time before I start wrestling (for IMPACT),” she said. “When I’m ready, I’ll get in the ring and compete for the Knockouts Championship.”

Bordeaux’s character reminds some of Sable from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Her sultry appearance mesmerizes the men during her “Smoke Show” segments on IMPACT’s weekly TV show on Pop TV. So far she has interacted with KM, Fallah Bahh, Grado and Joe Hendry on TV and is on a talent hunt to find the right person to manage.

Bordeaux answered detractors who thought her character was setting women’s wrestling back 20 years. She sees her character as being strong and sexy.

“They either love it or hate it,” Bordeaux said. “It comes with the territory.

“I think people are easily offended and triggered. The whole thing is annoying to me. I can say what I want and dress how I want. I’m just having fun and being me.”

During her childhood, Bordeaux was involved in figure skating, choir, horseback riding and rock climbing, but she never participated in team sports.

One day during her final year at Sandburg, Bordeaux’s friends convinced her to attend a local independent show. After being seeing AAW at the Berwyn Eagles Club, she was hooked and eventually wanted to be immersed in the business.

“I saw it, I loved it,” Bordeaux said. “I was a drama kid. I was going into college for theater performance. I knew I wanted to be on a stage and perform somehow.”

Bordeaux, who like WWE’s Aiden English attended Columbia College downtown, went out of her way in an attempt to get into wrestling, approaching Danny Daniels and Dave Prazak at an AAW show.

She asked them, “Can I help set up the ring? Can I help somehow backstage?

“It took off from there.”

Bordeaux was trained by Truth Martini and Jimmy Jacobs as she entered the business.

She has worked on and off for AAW since her career began, including a recent match against Kylie Rae on the second night of the Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament at Logan Square Auditorium.

In her early days of training, she also worked at The Underground, a Chicago nightclub, to make ends meet.

“I was actually a really quiet kid,” Bordeaux said. “I was a late bloomer. I think once I started dealing with the jealousy from the girls, I started pumping up and wrestling. That’s when I got nastier and I didn’t put up with anything from anyone. And from working at a nightclub. Working around drunk people all the time makes you tough.”

Bordeaux also spent time in Ring of Honor working with Matt Taven and has wrestled for AAA in Mexico and Stardom in Japan, honing her craft.

In addition, Bordeaux worked as an extra at WWE TV events as a “Rosebud,” one of Adam Rose’s costumed party-goers during Rose’s WWE run a few years back. She even worked a squash match against Nia Jax at Allstate Arena during a Dec. 26, 2016, edition of Raw.

“Being new to wrestling and not watching it as a kid was really hard for me,” Bordeaux said. “I had to learn everything from scratch. Eventually I caught on.”

Now Bordeaux is a part of the IMPACT roster with a bright future ahead.

“It’s definitely the most fun I’ve ever had in wrestling,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect. I was backstage on Knockouts Knockdown tapings a couple of years ago. It’s a completely different locker room.”

Bordeaux is looking forward to making her name in the IMPACT Knockouts Division and she’s aiming high.

“I think (Knockouts Champion) Tessa [Blanchard] is amazing,” she said. “I definitely want to get in the ring with her, because she’s at the top right now. I want to go big.”

She also mentioned Su Yung, Allie and Kiera Hogan as being top performers.

“It’s the most talented group of girls ever,” Bordeaux said. “I can’t wait.

“I’m extremely happy in IMPACT Wrestling. I love what I’m doing. WWE maybe one day would be great, but right now I’m just focused on traveling and performing.”