- Being a WWE superstar is a mindset.
- It's about confidence.
- Focus. - Inner strength.
- But to find that, we've all had to overcome personal setbacks.
- Now each of us is being paired with a young woman...
- Who'll take 10 weeks out of her life...
- To transform herself inside and out...
- With the help of WWE.
- These women aren't training to become wrestlers.
- They're here to push themselves...
- Refocus their energy...
- And discover the inner confidence they need...
- To begin a new chapter in their lives.
FIGHT LIKE A GIRL
- I'm Stephanie McMahon,
chief brand officer of WWE.
I have selected 10 special women to go on this journey.
This is Samantha's story.
- Sit.
My name is Samantha Henson.
When I was in middle school,
that's when I started to develop feelings for girls.
It's been tough.
So I definitely want to be able to have the self-confidence
to stand up to my dad, to accept who I am.
My mom did, and it did take her a while,
but she eventually accepted it.
I did grow up closer with that side of my family
'cause my dad's side of the family's been a lot more conservative.
- Samantha needs to build her confidence
so she can finally tell her dad who she really is.
Coming out is not unfamiliar territory with WWE.
One of our own superstars Sonya Deville came out a few years ago.
- Oh, my God!
- Though she is an out and proud champion today,
like Samantha, she spent years WWE HEADQUARTERS
denying who she really is. DAY 1
- Hey, there. - Hi.
Nice to meet you. - How you doing?
- I doubted myself all the time.
I was like, I would have these feelings, and I would think that I knew who I was,
and then I would doubt myself
and think, Oh, no, that can't-- I can't be gay.
And it wasn't until I came out publicly,
and when I said the words "I'm gay"
is when I started to be gay, if that makes sense.
It's like I needed to hear myself say it to believe it.
- I have never come out to my family before.
Uh, I have to half of my family. Half of my family knows, and they--
- No way. - They know about me
and my girlfriend and everything,
and then the other half just thinks she's my best friend.
- What is your biggest fear with coming out?
- Well, I don't want them to feel weird about me
or make her feel uncomfortable, either.
I feel like it'll be a big reality check as well
if, like, "Hi, the person that you say you love the past--all these years of...
I'm the same person, but I'm...also a lesbian.
- At the end of this journey, you're gonna be ready,
and you're gonna be ready to walk up to your dad
and be like, "I'm gay."
As her mentor, I hope that she finds that inner confidence that I know she has.
It's almost like I can see it in her. It's just got to get broken out.
At the end of this, you're gonna stand on your own two feet,
and you're gonna fear nothing and nobody.
- Yes. - You know why?
- 'Cause I'm a bad bitch like you. - 'Cause you're a bad bitch!
That's right. You're not done. Let's go.
All the way down.
Let's go. Down and up.
Use your hips to thrust. Let's go!
Push through!
Come on!
That's it, baby!
How do you feel? - I'm gonna throw up.
- Take a breather. Catch your breath.
Stay upright. You don't want to bend over.
Yeah, put your hands over your head.
TEN WEEK JOURNEY
- You got it. You got it. You got it.
- It's been tough to go through this.
- Doing great. Doing great. Doing great!
- It's motivated me to want to fight for myself.
- Turn now.
- I feel like I spent a lot of this year
being angry about things that I couldn't change,
and it's motivated me to want to fight for myself.
Definitely I need this to be a better version of myself,
both mentally and physically.
- That's it! Come back to--
- I definitely have the little kid in me feel alive again.
- Fantastic.
REVEAL DAY
WWE PERFORMANCE CENTER
- Ladies and gentlemen, Samantha Henson!
- Wow!
Watching Sam go from nervous, shy,
and then to see her today walk down that ramp like a WWE superstar,
it was remarkable.
You look great, man.
- It's such a relief because,
if I'm able to do this whole entrance and everything,
I definitely can face my family and be my real authentic self.
- Unreal, man.
You look incredible, dude.
You have, like, this air of confidence about you.
You've really come into your own.
- I feel amazing. This journey has definitely not been easy
because it's brought me out of so many different comfort zones.
- Any time that you prove to yourself
that you can do something that's really hard...
You have so much to be proud of right now.
...you get this, like, confidence.
So I think she just had to prove to herself what she was capable of.
I brought a few people you might know.
Come in the ring right now. That would be great.
- I used to think I was okay with hiding parts of myself
because I felt like my family didn't really deserve to get to know the real me.
Hi, Mom.
- Oh, my God, you're so pretty.
- Thank you.
It has been such a learning experience.
It really did change my life.
- Incredible. So good.
- Right? - Honestly. Yeah.
- My journey is not over when I leave here.
I definitely need to go home
and have a few sit-down conversations with some of my family.
- I think now you have the confidence and the power inside you
to say "Listen, this is who I am.
Love or hate me, this is who I am."
And that was the goal from day 1,
so you did it, girl.
- Thank you.
- And you're definitely a badass bitch.
- Thank you.
- I think she's a woman of consistency.
And, you know, she's got-- her mom loves her to death.
She has her girlfriend that loves her to death.
And I think they're gonna stay on top of her, too.
I think she's gonna do great.
SEND OFF
- My dad called me the other day,
like, he just asked for updates and all that.
I was like, I don't want to keep him in the dark anymore.
I was like, "I'll send you a speech,"
and after I sent it, I was sobbing 'cause I was--
I just felt a--like, a relief of emotions.
- And how did he respond?
- He said, "What a book"
and put some emojis,
and I was like... - What kind of emojis?
- A winky face and then a kissing face,
and it was like, "I love you," and I was like, "I will take it."
Hardcore dad emojis, but I'll take it.
- Yeah. Hardcore dad emojis are good.
- I'm so relieved that I don't have to hide
behind so many different masks anymore.
- Never hide from yourself again.
- Yes.
And I get to be my real self.