EXCLUSIVE: How 'fear and uncertainty' catapulted Aussie wrestler Harley Cameron to stardom

Australian pro wrestler Harley Cameron has no shortage of life experience, but all roads led towards a stellar and perhaps unlikely homecoming last weekend.

She studied journalism at Bond University, competed in bodybuilding competitions, worked as a singer and was once a ring girl for Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship.

But the one passion that has superseded them all is wrestling. With just 99 matches under her belt, the popular Gold Coast product is making serious waves.

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Just four years after officially stepping into the ring for the first time, Cameron - real name Danielle Glanville - is already one half of the inaugural AEW women's tag team champions alongside her partner, Willow Nightingale.

The pair were part of a blockbuster AEW Grand Slam event last Saturday in Sydney, with the Aussie picking up the win for her team in front of more than 7000 fans.

Speaking to Wide World of Sports before the event, the 32-year-old admitted it was a full-circle moment as she flies the flag for Aussie wrestling on a global scale, with her name up in lights alongside Rhea Ripley, Kyle Fletcher, Bronson Reed and Toni Storm.

"I feel such a sense of pride coming home and knowing that everything I left, with this fear and uncertainty, has paid off," Cameron said. 

"There's a level of fulfilment that comes with that, but also a level of responsibility to continue to grow as well … it's a crazy sense of pride, and I feel motivated as well."

The match in Sydney was the 99th of Cameron's whirlwind rise in the squared circle.

For comparison, her tag partner Nightingale has competed in more than 500 matches at the same age, while the company's biggest stars such as Mercedes Mone, Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega are all well past the 1000-match mark for their careers.

Despite her relative inexperience, Cameron remains her own harshest critic at times, and the desire to up her game is evident - especially after she was named as the "Most Improved Wrestler of the Year" by the Wrestling Observer earlier this month. 

"I'm very hard on myself when I reflect and watch my matches back," she said. 

"I like to get critiqued, pick it apart and see where I can improve - but there're definitely moments where I have to say 'stop being so hard on yourself'.

"I should be proud, I've only had 99 matches, and I'm working for AEW alongside some of the most amazing wrestlers in the world.

"I'm very excited for my journey, because it has only just begun, and sometimes when I am hard on myself, it's good because I want to grow. 

"I'm glad I don't feel complacent even though I'm in a position that has rewarded me." 

While she continues to hone her craft in front of millions of fans worldwide on a weekly basis, Cameron has the full support of those inside the AEW locker room.

Nightingale - who is one of AEW's most beloved wrestlers and has held multiple titles with the promotion - praised Cameron's work ethic, even when the cameras are off.

"Harley is such a go-getter; she is always working to improve," the American star said. 

"We will roll around hours before a show with a group of people to train, and she's always one of the morale boosters, and getting people together.

"It's so easy when people have been wrestling for 10-plus years, and now we're in this big company and sometimes can be tired or not feel like training, but when you see someone constantly put in effort, it does make you feel like you need to be doing it too.

"That's just one aspect of what Harley has helped bring into my life and career."

Cameron acknowledged the influence of Nightingale on her career, especially from an in-ring perspective, where she does lack that same level of experience.

"Willow has taught me on a technical level; I've definitely grown in that aspect," she said.

"Working side-by-side with her, I've been able to experience up close the inner workings of someone far more experienced and who has done so much more than me.

"She's brought out an aggressiveness in me that I feel proud of. She has really helped me become comfortable in my own skin and figure out who I am inside the ring. 

"Working as a team, ironically, has really helped me grow independently too."

With the 100-match milestone almost upon her, the sky remains the limit for Cameron and being in the cut-throat AEW environment should hold her in good stead.

As they say, rising tides lift all boats, and if she can continue getting chances to work with some of the best wrestlers in the world, Cameron will only continue to improve.