Bianca Belair on preparing for WWE PPV matches

WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and discussed her thinking the night before a big match.

Belair, who won her title from Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37 and then retained over Bayley at WrestleMania Backlash, noted that she’s full of emotions the night before a big match, but she still finds time to work on creating her own gear.

“The night before a match is always a weird night,” Belair said. “I want to get a good night’s sleep, but I’m also anxious. When I get nervous, I think about my dad, who would always tell me, ‘When you’re nervous, it means you care.’

“So I embrace it. That reminds me I’m ready. And I’m usually making gear the night before. That keeps my mind occupied and ready and calm, especially with my husband right beside me.”

Belair revealed another signature element of her routine the night before a big pay-per-view match – ordering pizza.

“People do their cheat meals after their matches, but I have pizza the night before,” Belair said, adding that the topping is usually pepperoni or, sometimes pineapple. “That always helps relax me. Before the Royal Rumble, I picked up a pizza and stayed up all night and worked on my gear.

“Since the night before WrestleMania was my birthday, it was the best birthday ever. I don’t know how I’ll ever top it. I saw all my family at the hotel, and my mom brought pizza. My gear took forever for WrestleMania, so I was working on that all night, and I ate some pizza and opened a few gifts.”

Belair also talked about returning to the road this summer and said fans should not be alarmed if they see her traveling from airport to airport with an exceptionally large suitcase as her luggage includes her own sewing machine, which husband Montez Ford gave to her at Christmas four years ago.

“I tote around that big ol’ sewing machine with me everywhere I go,” Belair said. “I love to sew in the hotel room. I even sew in the locker room sometimes. And now that we’re finally back on the road with live shows, it’s the first time I’ll be traveling with the title, too. I’m looking forward to showing that off to, and I finally get to show it off on the road.”