Alex Gracia Remembers WWE Tryout Getting Canceled Midway Through Due To COVID

Alex Gracia has had looks from about every major company in pro wrestling, but one big opportunity got derailed and it was nobody’s fault.

Gracia had a WWE tryout in April 2019, but was brought back less than a year later in March 2020. However, as the tryouts got kicked off, the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded and an unprecedented situation was upon the world. This caused an immediate cancelation of the tryouts, and sent Gracia home.

“There was nothing that they could do about it at the moment, of course. ‘Cause it was right after the NBA also announced that they were going to put everything on hold. So, it’s kind of like, ‘I’m sorry, we know we just know we need to get y’all home and keep y’all safe,’ and just that everyone there would have a guaranteed chance of coming back and doing another try-out. But, of course, things have changed and you start to evolve during the summer and just start to figure out, ‘Okay, what would be the best plan for me and this and that.’ Because circumstances are different now. So, you’re just trying to play it by ear and it’s really hard because no one knows what to expect right now. So, you’re just sitting there trying to take every opportunity that you are given at the moment and running with it,” Gracia said during an interview with Fightful.

This wasn’t Gracia’s first WWE tryout. She had another in April 2019 that came after barely a year in pro wrestling. She got some valuable feedback after that, and went right back to work.

“I had flown back from Stardom in Japan at the beginning of March and then literally when I came back, just a little bit after that, was my invitation for the first try-out. I mean, I just had my year anniversary so I was still really new and still figuring things out as of now. We’re just always trying to figure things out and get better, but of course I was a totally different person a year ago than I am now. So, it was just kind of like, ‘Go and get more exposure and keep building your name.’ That was already my mindset anyways. So, I’m like, ‘Okay.’”

Since that tryout, Gracia has been booked for a Ring of Honor title tournament, added to another WWE tryout, and featured on AEW Dark. She tells us she knew she had to make the sacrifices necessary to succeed in the wrestling world.

“I had plans, I had already moved to Houston because I wanted to move there to work with Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling full time So, I was like, ‘Okay, you know what? I’m just going to continue what I already had in motion.’ Like, I feel like the luck and the opportunities come to you more when you are just working. My main goal is all the time is to go somewhere and get better and to keep improving. The goal isn’t the opportunities or the chance. I just hope that those come with them seeing that I work hard because I want to give people a good product and I want to be a good wrestler for them. Also, be a good wrestler for myself,” Gracia finished.

You can see our full interview with Alex Gracia above, and check her out on Twitter at this link, and Instagram at this link.