Franki Strefling, also known as Izzi Dame, made her WWE debut on October 3, 2023, in NXT. However, the 24-year-old dropped her career in volleyball to pursue professional wrestling.
Dame is currently based in Orlando, Florida, and is a part of NXT. In the meanwhile, her journey to WWE is unique and surprising. However, she went from being a high school volleyball star who had no clue about professional wrestling to being a NXT superstar in just 18 months.
Ms. @izzi_wwe made a very clear statement tonight! 👏🏽🔥 #NXTDeadline pic.twitter.com/2oFOr7qVnS
— Vin (@WhoisVindictive) December 10, 2023
Izzi Dame has an illustrious career as a volleyball player at Buchanan. She led the Bucks to the Class B state semis as a senior in 2016. Dame set the single-season record for kills while she played for the Bucks. After passing high school, Izzi played volleyball at her college, Eastern Michigan University, where she again had a great time and had an impact with 1,267 digs and 1,118 kills playing for the Eagles.
Izzi also had the opportunity to play professional volleyball in Cyprus after graduating from college. She played for the Nea Salamina club and had a successful first season. She was all set to return for the second season in the fall of 2022, but things took a wild turn before that.
Dame got a message from WWE on her Instagram during the summer break of 2022. According to the South Bend Tribune, she said, “I got a very sketchy Instagram DM – I thought it was a scam – from WWE. I was like, ‘There’s no way these people are reaching out to me.’ I told my family, and they were like, ‘Franki, there’s no way. You’re a volleyball player. Just keep going about your business’”.
Izzi Dame talked about how she was skeptical about the DM, and when she told her family, they also told her to continue volleyball. But Same secretly replied to the DM and was invited to the tryouts in Nashville, Tennessee. After she completed a 4-day tryout session, she was offered a WWE contract.
Izzi Dame further said, “That was an incredible experience. It was really the first time having a bunch of cameras in my face, newspapers, press people, etc., and it was really amazing. Right then and there, I knew I was born for that”. It was at this moment that Izzi realized that she was made for professional wrestling and fandom. Therefore, she decided to drop her well-going volleyball career.
Izzi Dame on her transition from volleyball to professional wrestling
Izzi Dame admitted that the transition from a volleyball player to an in-ring performer was difficult and that she took time to get used to it. She said, “The physicality in that ring is very much real. It’s something our bodies are not used to – I’m not used to getting hit all the time”.
At first, it was a big adjustment; it’s hard on the body, but you end up building calluses to it. It becomes easier and more natural the more you do it,” Izzi explained about the difficult Physicality in the ring and how she got better at it as time progressed.
Izzi has been recruited to the Stamford-based promotion for her sports accomplishments outside the ring. It is a new program called ‘Campus Rush,’ where WWE scouts talents in colleges. She also made some appearances on NXT ‘Level Up’ before she made her debut on NXT.
Izzi Dame is doing well in NXT for now, where she has emerged victorious two times since her debut. Dame is getting in-ring experience and seems to have the potential to be promoted to major promotions like RAW and SmackDown in the future.