I spoke to PSE Asia’s Kylie Devyn about her journey in professional wrestling, from building her career in Russia to leaving home to pursue new opportunities across Asia.
Now based in Vietnam, Devyn has wrestled across Russia, Thailand, Cambodia, China and the UAE, developing a career that has taken her far beyond where it began. We spoke about her unlikely route into wrestling, adapting to wildly different audiences, life with PSE Asia and where she hopes the road takes her next.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first discover professional wrestling and decide to become a wrestler?
I first discovered wrestling when I was six years old. At the time, WWE was shown on television in Russia, and like any kid, I immediately fell in love with the spectacle. But then they stopped airing it, and for a while I completely lost touch with wrestling. It was really sad because by that point I really enjoyed watching Lita wrestle as one of my favourites – that was taken away when the broadcaster stopped showing WWE.
When I was around 13, some friends of mine from Belarus introduced me to TNA, and that was the moment I truly fell in love with wrestling for good. It was around that time that I knew I wanted to be a wrestler myself. Nobody really believed it was possible, but I did. I always knew I would do it.
I distinctly remember my 16th birthday party being a pivotal moment in me becoming a wrestler. My sister had some friends come to the party: two girls from Moscow, a bit older than me. One of them was really into wrestling, like me! We got talking, and she said there was a wrestling promotion – and she was one of the photographers there. She encouraged me to make the move to Moscow when I could.
So you moved to Moscow?
Yes – but it wasn’t as easy as just boarding the train and going. I was in a small town over 1,000 km from Moscow. My sister and I agreed that as soon as I turned 18, we would move to Moscow.
For the next two years, I worked three jobs to save enough money for the move. I also started powerlifting because I thought I needed to improve my strength and build my body properly before starting wrestling. I eventually became the Eurasian vice-champion in powerlifting, saved up the money I needed, and finally moved to Moscow in the summer of 2019.
That September, I joined the Independent Wrestling Federation’s wrestling school and began training. In March 2020, I made my debut in the ring.
Growing up in Russia, were you also interested in sports like MMA or sambo?
As for MMA and sambo—no, I was never interested in either! I preferred wrestling. I did, however, really like playing tennis.
I played tennis with great passion and embarked on a path toward a professional tennis career at the junior level. Unfortunately, I sustained an injury, and I couldn’t continue playing at that level. That injury was from a fight at school, so I guess I was destined to be a wrestler!
You said your favourite was Lita. Did you have any other favourites?
Initially, as I said, my favourite wrestler was Lita. I loved how tough she was and the energy she had. I still remember sitting in front of the TV, pointing at the screen as she made her entrance, and telling my mom, “When I grow up, I want to be that kind of badass woman!”
As time went on, new wrestlers emerged, and the Divas Era began. I actually loved it; it felt like my own version of the Attitude Era with powerful women. Paige and the Bella Twins were my favourites, for sure. From TNA, I really liked Gail Kim and the Beautiful People faction.
Ok, so that’s interesting – how do you feel about Paige and the Bella Twins being back in WWE now in 2026?
When Paige came back this year, I genuinely screamed louder than anyone on earth and ended up crying in front of the TV. I honestly think she’s in even better shape now than she was during the Divas Era.
As for the Bella Twins, it makes me a little sad to admit it, but I think Nikki is probably the weakest link out of the three returning women right now, even though she was always the Bella I personally loved more.
But no matter what, I’ll keep watching their matches, loving them and supporting them. They’re such a big part of what I grew up with that, honestly, I’ll probably defend them even when something is objectively pretty bad.
Talking about contemporary wrestling, I watched your NFR matches from earlier in 2026, including NFR Strike 261 and Awakening.
NFR Women’s Championship Match with “Career vs Career” Rules: Kylie Devine vs Harvey Ryda – is the third match on the video above.
Your match against Harvey Ryda at Awakening was especially physical, but it was also your final match in Russia before moving to Asia. Looking back at that match, what did it mean to you, and what does it tell us about the kind of wrestler you are?
I consider myself a very versatile wrestler. I was trained and brought up to work with pretty much any style. But if you ask me what I truly love, it’s psychology.
I love building matches in the style of the 2000s, where everything can look simple on the surface, but every look, every word and every small detail pulls the audience deeper and deeper into the story. That’s the kind of wrestling I enjoy the most.
My match against Harvey Ryda at Awakening was also my last show in Russia before moving to Asia. I lost my title and, in a way, my career in Russia that night. That’s why the match looks so physically hard and why everybody was crying, hahaha.
I still miss some of the people from my home promotion, and I follow everything that happens there. Sometimes it genuinely makes me sad that I can’t be there to share certain moments and events with the guys anymore. Six years of working side by side doesn’t just disappear.
So, NFR guys, if you’re reading this, just know that I miss you.
You’re now based in Vietnam. What brought you to Vietnam, and how did you become involved with PSE Asia?
My bigger goal was always to wrestle internationally, and that’s ultimately why I’m here.
I actually started working with PSE Asia back in 2024. I first met Sunny Z at a Setup Thailand show in Bangkok, and we stayed in touch after that.
Later in 2024, I came to Pattaya on vacation, and it just happened that PSE had a show on the same dates. I was more than happy to wrestle with them.
And somehow, from that point on, I just knew that whenever I’m in Asia, I have a family here.
I absolutely love the PSE team. We’ve already made quite a bit of noise together, and I’m sure we’re going to make a lot more.
You’ve wrestled in Russia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China and the UAE. What differences have you noticed between the crowds and wrestling styles in each country?
I can’t say that my observations are universally correct, so I can only answer based on my own experience.
For example, my first international match was at Setup Thailand in Bangkok, and the moment I walked out from backstage toward the ring, I immediately felt how invested the audience was in what was happening.
That honestly blew me away, because in Russia people tend to react more strongly to hard strikes, blood, things like that. But in Thailand, they really cared about the storyline and the wrestlers’ personalities.
I remember that at the end of a three-way title match, I rolled out of the ring and ended up lying near the feet of a couple of European fans.
They noticed a chair under the ring and started telling me, “Kylie, take it! This is your chance! The title has to be yours!” I was genuinely touched. It was incredibly sweet.
In China, people are still only beginning to understand professional wrestling. They haven’t been exposed to it as much yet, so they don’t always fully know how to react to what they’re seeing. In some ways, I would compare the Chinese audience to the Russian one, because MMA is also very popular there and people really enjoy strong physical contact.
At the same time, from what I’ve seen personally, Chinese audiences absolutely love comedy and performances that go completely beyond the limits of reason.
Dubai holds a very special place in my heart because the crowd there is very focused on WWE-style wrestling and incredibly engaged with everything happening. For example, as soon as I came out, did my taunt and approached the ring, people started chanting, “Mammi! Mammi!”, so I played along with it — why not? I gave them what they wanted to see, and we had incredible chemistry.
If I had to answer more generally, I try to feel out the audience while I’m making my entrance and during the first couple of spots in the match. Then, based on what the crowd gives me, I adjust the way I work and build my strategy in the ring.
What is the funniest or strangest thing that has happened to you while travelling, backstage or at a show?
Oh God, yes, I have an entire treasure chest of funny stories. I’m just not sure how many of them I’m actually allowed to tell, haha. So I’ll go with something harmless.
On my first trip to China, I was extremely nervous. I had a tag team match with Canadian wrestler Chad “The Gift” against two Chinese wrestlers, Kitty and a guy called Giant Dragon.
The idea was an intergender tag match where literally everyone involved was supposed to be a heel.
Our match was third or fourth on the card, I think, and Chad and I spent most of the time backstage watching the show. I could see that the audience was reacting quite quietly, not as loudly as I had hoped, which made me even more nervous.
Then it was finally time for our entrance, and the audience immediately gave us a very warm reaction, despite us trying to be heels!
For the first time in my career, while my opponent was making her entrance, an actual line of Chinese fans started forming near our corner because they wanted to take photos with us.
I remember Chad looking at me and saying, “Okay, now we’re babyfaces.”
I laughed, but we actually did end up working the match as babyfaces, and we got a really strong reaction, even for something as simple as a regular suplex in the middle of the match.
It was incredible.
Finally, where would you love wrestling to take you next? Are there countries, promotions or wrestlers you would really like to work with?
Honestly, I’m completely open to wherever life takes me next. With the way things are right now, I’m almost afraid to make specific predictions about where I’d like to end up.
But I’m almost one hundred per cent sure that this road is going to take me somewhere.
As for dream matches, I’ve got a few!
I’d love to work with Sirena Veil from NWA, Fiony from Diana Pro Wrestling, and Baby Allison from Germany.
I would also really like to wrestle Mei Suruga from ChocoPro again, and one day I’d love to face Emi Sakura, as well as Baliyan Akki.
And if we’re talking about the biggest stage, then my dream would be to work with Rhea Ripley, Paige, and Liv Morgan.
I really hope that one day I’ll get the chance.
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