AEW star Willow Nightingale shares how she's able to keep her joyful personality going

All Elite Wrestling star Willow Nightingale explains to OutKick how she's able to keep that joy.

When Willow Nightingale is coming out to the ring, you know it.

The fun music hits, the fans in the crowd go crazy and Nightingale comes down the aisle with complete joy and a big smile. And there’s plenty for her to be happy about right now.

Nightingale defeated Thekla at Redemption to become the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) women’s world champion and she’s set to be in one of the marquee matches at the company’s biggest show of the year, All In, when she squares off against Mercedes Moné in a title defense (as long as she doesn’t lose to Maya World on "Collision" this Saturday).

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Willow Nightingale enters the ring during Women's Pro-Wrestling "Stardom" at Yokohama Budokan on May 18, 2024, in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. (Getty Images)

But how does Nightingale keep that joy when it feels like the world is falling apart? She explained to OutKick in a recent interview that it’s not always easy to keep smiling but her upbringing and knowing what her mother went through helps her stay resilient.

"I mean the truth is — it's not always like that. I am a person," Nightingale said. "Human beings experience human emotion and I'm no exception. I think the difference is I was really fortunate in growing up in a household that had a lot of love and support. I saw my parents struggle with a lot. My mom moved to this country when she was 24 years old with no other family. She had two kids already. She was pretty alone when she came here, but she did it for better opportunity.

"And even when I saw my parents struggle financially or through whatever, my mom was like, ‘We always have each other. No