All Elite Wrestling star Britt Baker knows she isn’t for everybody — and she’s done apologizing for it.
Baker, 33, has been one of the pillars of the AEW women’s division since the company launched in 2019, which means she has plenty of experience dealing with the notoriously-opinionated pro wrestling community.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Baker explained why she’s finished holding anything back.
“I’m exhausted,” Baker said. “I’m not going to be polite anymore. Leave me alone. Politeness is 2024. Everyone needs to be real and authentic and the world will be a better place.”
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It has been a year of highs and lows for Baker, who has dealt with a bevy of injuries that have kept her from entering the ring for extended periods of time. In October, Baker’s longtime partner, Adam Cole, confirmed that the couple had split.
“Roller coaster is a good word,” Baker said in retrospect. “But I also don’t think it’s appropriate, because with a roller coaster there’s a start and an end point. I can’t really say where the roller coaster started and I definitely don’t know where it’s going to end.”
Baker said she’s been forced to “mentally dig deep” at certain points this year — especially when it comes to dealing with her relentless online critics.
“You can’t ever believe what you read about yourself, whether it’s really good or really bad, or you’re going to end up medicated and sedated potentially ,” Baker noted. “It’s tough because we live in a world where social media is so prominent. Social media fuels what we do, essentially.”
Baker continued, “We rely on it. But man, is it toxic. It’s brutal. There’s a whole population of people on social media who just want to make you feel bad about yourself. It’s crazy we live in a world where that’s their mission. ‘I’m going to wake up today, tweet 10 mean tweets to Britt. I’m gonna take a lunch break. And then maybe I’ll do 10 more.’ It’s bizarre.”
On the positive side of things, Baker appears in the ninth episode of Cobra Kai’s sixth season, which hit Netflix on November 15. It’s a role that Baker, quite literally, set into motion herself at the show’s season 4 premiere.
“I met one of the writers, Hayden [Schlossberg], and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m Britt,’” she recalled. “He recognized me from social media. I kind of joked, but not joking, ‘If you ever need anything, I’m a huge fan and would love to be involved.’”
Baker said she “kept bugging” Schlossberg until her persistence finally paid off.
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“Eventually he called me and said, ‘You really have the Cobra Kai never say die attitude. If you’re interested, we have a role for you in mind and this is what it is,’” Baker remembered.
Baker plays Oksana, one of the Russian senseis of the Tiger Strike dojo who competes in the Sekai Taikai tournament. Despite a years-in-the-making appearance on the show, Baker still hasn’t seen the episode.
“I have to be honest, I haven’t even watched it yet,” she admitted. “I want to wait for all of it to come out so I can watch it all!”
The third and final part of Cobra Kai’s sixth season hits Netflix on February 13, 2025. The first two parts — including Baker’s episode — are available to stream now.
