Victoria Tran who wrestles by the name Viva Van has been making the rounds in independent wrestling and beginning to make a name for herself as a rising women's wrestler.
The Los Angeles native, made her wrestling debut back in 2018 after training with WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi. Since then she has been wrestling for independent wrestling promotions such as PCW Ultra where she is currently in her first reign as PCW Ultra Women's Champion, Hoodslam, Future Stars of Wrestling, Mission Pro Wrestling and several others.
This year alone she made her first appearance on All Elite Wrestling when she wrestled against Kris Statlander on the June 30th edition of AEW Dark, she was then brought back on the October 29th edition of AEW Dark to wrestle against Nyla Rose.
She recently spoke with on-air personality Denise Salcedo about her start in professional wrestling.
Viva Van Was Supposed to Be An Accountant Instead of a Professional Wrestler
Like many who have dreamed of a career in professional wrestling, Viva Van grew up a wrestling fan and held a secret dream that she would one day pursue wrestling as a career. However, she decided to attend college and pursue a career in accounting, but it was then that she realized she was "miserable in accounting."
"I've been a huge fan of wrestling since I was a kid, and it was a secret dream of mine, and it wasn't until I was in college was when {I thought} 'I am not happy in college' {laughs} I still finished college but I wanted to chase after this dream. I wanted to give it a shot. So I did it."
She goes on to reveal that while her mom was always supportive of her dream, and simply asked that she at least finish her studies in school it was her dad that she kept her secret from. "My dad didn't know, I kept it from my dad for a few years. It wasn't until my little brother told him. My brother was just so proud of me, he was like 'look dad, look what she's been doing' and my dad was actually pretty impressed by it. So I eventually got his approval."
She ended up ditching accounting and switching over to Marketing where she graduated with a Business Degree in Marketing.
Viva Van Talks About Some of The Challenges She Has Faced Pursuing Pro Wrestling As A Vietnamese Woman
When it comes to challenges Van has faced while pursuing a career in pro wrestling she lists two. The first, being a female and proving to others that she can wrestle.
"Having to prove to people that I can actually wrestle, I've heard rumors where people say 'she only gets booked because of the way she looks,' and it aggravates me so much because people don't understand the countless nights of me just putting in the work, not just wrestling training but also going to the gym to maintain my body and to recover and do it all over again. I think every girl goes through that, it's not just about looks, we have talent and we're proving you guys and we can go head to head with any guy."
The second is trying to get booked on shows and facing rejection because she's Asian.
"I've been turned down at other promotions because they've already had an Asian girl there. So that's another thing that is annoying. You can book more than one Asian."
On the bright side, these challenges and struggles helped coin her moniker, as the "Hellbent Vixen."
" I guess that's where the term 'Hellbent Vixen' came about for me. When people tell me 'no' or when people give me a hard time, it just lights a fire under my ass to prove people wrong."
You can watch the full interview with Viva Van below.
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