Ameera Roze And Leah Night Wrestle With Bad Intentions

In this Q&A, wrestlers Ameera Roze and Leah Knight open up about their early lives, how they discovered wrestling, and stories from the first day they met. Having found their place in a male dominated sport, they compete in the ring as “Bad Intentions” and have won multiple belts along the way.

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Where were you born, and what was your childhood like?

(Ameera Roze) I was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina. We moved down here when I was about two or three. I was very shy and kept to myself. What helped me out of my shyness and insecurity was doing a model search, which forced me to be in front of people. That pushed me out of my comfort zone, and now, here we are. But overall, I had a really good childhood.

(Leah Knight) I was born in Tacoma, Washington, but I moved to Goldsboro, North Carolina when I was really little. My childhood was really fun. I have a lot of brothers and sisters, so I was always playing outside or getting into stuff with them and just having a fun childhood. Yeah, you know, I was a wild child, so I was doing everything.

How were you different as a teenager compared to today?

(Ameera Roze) As a teenager, I was trying to find myself, so I ended up hanging out with everyone but I learned the hard way that not everyone is your friend. Moving from my teenage years to college, I became more mature, learned what to do and what not to do, and became very observant. If I could tell my younger self something, it would be to chill out, be yourself, and know that everything’s going to work out in the end.

(Leah Knight) I think I was different as a teenager because during your teenage years, you’re very, like, insecure and just getting to know yourself. Today, I feel like I know myself very well and I’m a very secure woman. That’s the way I would say I’m different than I was when I was a teenager. My morals were different. My parents are more set straight now.

When did you decide that you wanted to get into wrestling?

(Ameera Roze) It was definitely around elementary school, maybe fourth or fifth grade. My brother was around a group of guys playing with action figures, and I got curious. I ended up watching an episode with them, got more into it than he did, started looking up schools, researching more about wrestling, and I was hooked. I saw myself doing it. Initially, I wanted to be a doctor, but wrestling took over.

(Leah Knight) Always. Since I saw it. When I was in fifth grade, I was friends with this little boy in my class and he always wore a John Cena t-shirt and the wristbands and stuff and I was like, who is that? And he was like, who’s this? You don’t know about John Cena? So, he had me start watching wrestling. Ever since I saw it, I was like, that’s what I’m gonna do. Yeah. So, yeah.

How did you come up with your ring name?

(Ameera Roze) Originally, I went by “Lily” because it was a play on my real name, but I didn’t connect with it. There was also another wrestler with a similar name, which made it hard to find my content. A friend of mine suggested “Ameera,” which means princess or queen, and that resonated with me. I wanted to embody a queen who’s in control. “Roze” was a play off “Black Rose,” and I chose to spell it with a “Z” to make it unique.

(Leah Knight) Um, so Leah is half of my first name. And then Knight because I just always like to look at the night sky and I feel like it’s very, like, intimidating and beautiful. So, yeah. That’s how I came up with the name Leah Knight.

How would you describe the wrestling scene in North Carolina?

(Ameera Roze) It’s competitive. Everybody here is really good. A lot of good talent comes out of North Carolina, and if you pay attention to the people who are signed, some of them are from here. We’re part of a group of very talented wrestlers. Texas and Atlanta also have strong wrestling scenes.

How did you meet and what were your first impressions?

(Ameera Roze) I met Leah when she kept coming to the shows. She would always be in the front row with her friends, and we eventually introduced ourselves. She told me she was training to become a wrestler, and I was excited to see where she would go. We kept seeing each other, became friends, and now I love her.

(Leah Knight) I started going to Firestar shows and she was the only woman that was there consistently. My first impression was that she was really good and she was really pretty. I was so scared to talk to her. I was like, oh my gosh, she’s on a different level than me. So, yeah. That’s how I met Amira. So, yeah. I was excited. That’s how I met her at the Firestar shows and I started talking to her. I talk to everyone all the time. So, she had no choice.

What was it like to beat Ameera for the very first time?

(Leah Knight) Ah. It was great. It was so, it was just what I needed. So relieving, because she’s beat me up so many times. Amira’s been doing this way longer than me so she’s a lot quicker and smarter than I am. So yeah, it was a relief. I was like, finally.

When did you decide to start a tag team duo?

(Ameera Roze) After I told her to join my team, and she agreed. She knew I was up to something, and it turned out to be the best decision ever.

If you could compete against a former great, who would it be?

(Leah Knight) I’d want to compete against maybe Lita or Trish Stratus. I think they’re really cool. And it would just be really cool to go back to that time period and wrestle them.

Which belts do you have, and what are you chasing?

(Ameera Roze) I have the Firestar Pro Wrestling Women’s belt and the UPW World Women’s belt. I’ve held the Firestar belt for two years this month, making me the longest-reigning champion. I also had the Maryland Assault Wrestling Asylum belt, but I lost it, so I’ll probably go after that again. My goal is to go after as many belts as possible, so anyone with a belt, beware!

(Leah Knight) I have the Jewels of Professional Wrestling belt from Firestar and I have my eye on a few belts. Maybe the Firestar belt. If Amira ever loses it. Because, I would never take it from her. But if she loses it, I might have to step up and get it back for her. Also, I think it would be really fun to be the Elevation Pro Wrestling Champion maybe. I don’t think they’ve ever had a girls wrestling champion. So I could maybe be the first.

Who is at the top of your punch in the face list?

(Ameera Roze) The top? Definitely Sadie Lee Moss. She owes me a match, and even though she’s retiring, I haven’t forgotten. I’m going to make sure she sees this!

(Leah Knight) Punch in the face list? Ooh. I would say probably any of the 16 Allen brothers if you guys know who they are. We have a little rivalry and I beat almost every single one of them. So, yeah. Mainly Steve. I really want to punch Steve because I haven’t beat him yet.

What do fans say when they meet you for the first time?

(Ameera Roze) A lot of people have been watching me from the beginning. They often come up to me and say, “Oh my gosh, you’ve improved so much!” It makes me happy when people tell me I’m their inspiration. I had one guy who started wrestling because of me. I’ve also had dads tell me that their daughters look up to me because I’m an African-American woman in this field, which is rare. It gives me chills every time.

(Leah Knight) They say that I’m really pretty and they’re really inspired by me because they don’t see a lot of women doing this or a lot of strong women, especially the little girls. It always melts my heart when a little girl that looks like me will come up and be like, “Oh my gosh, you look just like me. I love you so much.” It’s the sweetest thing ever.

Where have you been able to travel to so far in your career?

(Leah Knight) I’ve been to Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and then I’m getting ready to go to South Carolina for some important events. So, stay posted for that.

Tell us about your new vlog with “So Fly” Manny Lo.

(Ameera Roze) We decided to start a couples channel to give people an inside look at our lives. We both wanted to share our little trips, getting ready for shows, and just anything that lets people get to know us better.

Where would you travel to if money was not an object?

(Leah Knight) Ooh. Where would I travel to? I really want to go to Poland because I’m Polish. So I really want to go experience my own culture and then I’d also like to maybe go to Japan because the wrestling is also really hot there and that’s like the best you can get. So that’s probably where I’d want to go.