Eye Patches, Black Mist and Witches: An Interview with AEW's Julia Hart
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Julia HartAEW
On November 9, videos began airing on AEW programming hyping Julia Hart's return. A few weeks later, she returned in person after being out of action for nearly nine months.
The former TBS champion had surgery to repair a torn labrum after losing the title to Willow Nightingale at AEW Dynasty 2024, but now she is back and ready to reclaim what she lost, which means Mercedes Moné is in her sights.
Her first live appearance after returning saw her attack Jamie Hayter to kickstart a feud with the former world champion, and in her first match since returning, the 23-year-old successfully defeated Hayter at Fight For the Fallen.
During Saturday's episode of Collision, Hart accompanied Brody King to the ring, reaffirming her status as a member of The House of Black.
We had a chance to speak with her about returning from injury, the differences between herself and her character, how she deals with nerves and a variety of other topics.
Returning from Injury
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Following her loss of the TBS title, Hart was forced to take a nine-month hiatus to undergo surgery to repair a shoulder injury. She described the recovery process.
"The injury was a torn labrum in my right shoulder," Hart said. "The rehab was about three months and it was basically just getting mobility back and strength back in that shoulder.
"And then from three months to now was just getting back in the ring and getting back into ring shape, and getting prepared to wrestle Jamie [Hayter]. So yeah, it was a pretty easy process. It just felt like forever."
Taking that much time off from any physical activity means it can take some time to get back into the swing of things, but Hart didn't take long to feel at home in the ring again.
"It kind of felt like I was right back in the groove and I didn't think about my shoulder much," she said. "I was scared of that first bump but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."
Creating Her Return Videos
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During the weeks leading up to her return, video packages began airing to hype Hart's comeback. The videos were well-received online and immediately reminded people of who Hart is and what her character is all about.
Usually, AEW would produce these kinds of videos, but Hart took it upon herself to create them with a friend in the hopes they would be used on television.
"So I actually wrote and directed it all and then my friend Dani filmed and edited it all," Hart said. "It was just kind of us two, and I made them after the injury, and I brought them to TV and was like, 'Hey, I made these. If you like them, can we put them on TV?'
"I was just kind of crossing my fingers and hoping they liked them. So yeah, it was all me and my friend Dani that made them. It was an idea I had and my friend Dani helped me make it come to life."
We also reached out to Dani for some additional comments. "Julia and I spent nearly a month planning these videos, discussing ideas over FaceTime and text," Dani said.
"She flew to me in Ohio and we filmed all three videos in a day and a half. It was mid-August so each day was very hot. I spent about a week editing all the videos together, and seeing our visions come to life was so fulfilling! From the vision board to the screen, it was so much fun."
You can follow Dani on Instagram @theeditorialstyle
Wearing an Eye Patch and the Black Mist
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Back when Hart was still with The Varsity Blondes, Malakai Black began her transformation by spitting his signature black mist into her eyes.
This led Hart to wear an eye patch for a little while. As anyone who has ever had to wear one knows, the adjustment is not an easy process.
"It was so hard. It was so difficult [laughs]," Hart said. "Your depth perception is totally off. I remember running the ropes and trying to grab the rope and I couldn't.
"It was really hard getting used to. I think of throwing a superkick and you would just be so off because of the depth. So it was very difficult. I'm glad I didn't have to go too long with the eye patch."
Nowadays, Hart is the one dispensing the black mist to other people. The black liquid looked like it could be made of just about anything, but when we asked Hart what it tasted like, the answer was surprising.
"It doesn't taste like anything," she said.
Brody King
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The House of Black contains four core members. There is Black, Hart, Buddy Matthews and Brody King. During Hart's run as TBS champion, King was usually in her corner for most of her matches.
While the group was still presenting a united front, King and Hart were always by each other's side. That friendship has extended outside the ring, as well.
"Just the mix of like big man, little girl dynamic was just super cool to have," Hart said. "We became super close."
"And we actually live like 10 minutes away from each other, so I became super close with his family and his wife and his kids. He's always there to get advice from. Just a great guy all around and I'm so happy that he's in my corner."
The House of Hart
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Before she took time off, Hart was also aligned with Skye Blue. Their alliance was popular among fans, and Hart is open to continuing it and expanding to a potential House of Hart stable.
"I think that would be cool. Having like a little girl group would always be fun," Hart said. "Anything working with the women is great, just to get more girls on TV and doing things is awesome."
The AEW women's division has a ton of great talents, but when asked who she would pick to be in a group, Hart had a few names in mind.
"Obviously Skye [Blue] would be great. Abadon could be a good candidate. Penelope [Ford} could be a good candidate. Anna Jay could be a candidate, you never know. She was in the Dark Order.
"So yeah, I think if anybody wanted to present themselves in that way, I think it could be really cool."
The Real Julia vs. Her Character
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We all know pro wrestlers often portray something completely different from their real personalities, and Hart has had two vastly different gimmicks since joining AEW.
Her original persona involved Hart donning a cheerleading outfit and accompanying The Varsity Blondes to the ring, but joining HOB revealed a much darker side of her.
When asked if her real personality is anything like either of her gimmicks, the 23-year-old star said she falls somewhere in the middle.
"I think I'm nothing like either, I would say," Hart replied. "I guess maybe now that I've grown up I think I've realized I can be a more bubbly person to be around and more outgoing than I would give myself before.
"I would be like 'No I don't smile. I don't do this or that.' [laughs] But I'm kind of in between. A good mixture of both. I am just a normal girl who happens to love wrestling and got into it. I think I have a healthy balance of both. I've always been into spooky stuff. I love Halloween."
Dealing with Nerves
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Going out and performing in front of thousands of screaming fans would likely be a nerve-wracking situation for anyone, and pro wrestlers are no exception. Hart still feels nervous before and after matches at times, but you would never know it running into her backstage.
"I definitely do feel nervous before I walk out there, and then once I'm out there, then I become confident," Hart said. "I think before, maybe, I would still be nervous going out there, but now I have more sense of confidence when I'm out there.
"But then when I get to the back, I'm nervous again because I'm like 'Oh gosh, all of my peers just watched me. I hope they thought I did okay.' And, you know, hoping Tony likes it as well. There are still those nerves, too.
"I think the main thing I do is I try to act like I'm not nervous and I try to be as chill as possible to everyone around me. And everyone is like, 'Oh, you're so chill,' and I'm like, 'Yeah,' but in my head, I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, no.' But I try not to let anybody know that [laughs].
Goals Outside the Ring
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Professional wrestling is the kind of career that can last a long time or be unexpectedly cut short, so many wrestlers have interests outside the ring that they would pursue if grappling were no longer an option.
"I would love to get into some kind of acting," Hart said. "I feel like I would only want to do horror movies though if I were to do some kind of acting. I think I have a good horror scream. That is something I can bring to the table.
"Or just being scared, or being the complete opposite and being the one that's possessed or something crazy like that.
"Also, I do love music. I can't sing but I would to maybe DJ or something along those lines. I also love working out so if one day I have to retire, I can become a personal trainer or anything like that. Anything along those lines, I would love to get into."
Movie Review: Wicked
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We always end our AEW interviews by having the talent review a movie, and Hart picked one of the biggest recent box office hits to discuss.
"I really enjoyed Wicked," Hart said. "I saw it on Broadway when I was younger, so I was super excited to see it.
"I think the actors did a super well-done job. It is a musical, so if you don't like musicals, I get if somebody doesn't like it.
"Ariana [Grande} and Cynthia [Erivo] are just amazing singers, so it was super easy to listen to. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it.
"I did cry. I'm very much an empath and I could feel that the actors cared so much about this movie."
Quotes were edited for conciseness and clarity. You can listen to the full answers in each video. You can see Hart weekly on AEW television via TBS, TNT or stream on Max. You can follow her @TheJuliaHart and Chris Mueller @BR_Doctor on Twitter/X.