By Lauren Coates
Julia Hart, the Princess of the Black Throne, is returning to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) after an eight-month hiatus. Her absence followed shoulder surgery after she lost her TBS Championship to Willow Nightingale in April. Hart’s highly anticipated in-ring comeback will be against Jamie Hayter at “AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen,” simulcast on TBS and Max on Wednesday, January 1st.
“That adrenaline rush is what I miss most from being gone for eight months,” Hart shared with Variety. “I could literally feel it through my legs I was so excited. I was trying not to shake.” Her return was heralded by a trilogy of introspective vignettes showcasing conflicting aspects of her past and present personas.
Initially, pitching the concept for these vignettes proved challenging. Hart admitted, “I’m not very good with my words, I’m better at visually showing it. I remember saying ‘Yeah, and then I go shoot myself’ and people were like ‘What are you talking about?’ I’m like ‘Let me just go film it. And then you’ll understand.’” However, with the help of editor/photographer Dani Venen, the vignettes successfully captured Hart’s vision. Venen, according to Hart, “picks up what I’m saying just like that.” Their collaboration transformed a simple idea of a letter into a visually striking scene inspired by “The Black Phone.”
Hart’s creative process is deeply influenced by music, particularly her entrance music, “Harder Hart,” and the soundtrack to “Kill Bill.” She explained, “I try to imagine myself in a music video and how I would interpret the music. Music is definitely what’s inspired me the most.” Specifically, the “Kill Bill” soundtrack, including tracks like “Twisted Nerve,” “Bang Bang,” and “That Certain Female,” helps her embody her character. Uma Thurman’s Beatrix Kiddo, the “Kill Bill” heroine, also serves as a major inspiration, alongside characters from “Wednesday,” Stevie Nicks, and even the Netflix “Sabrina the Teenage Witch.”
Hart’s self-proclaimed title, “Princess of the Black Throne,” reflects her ongoing evolution. “I call myself the ‘Princess of the Black Throne’ instead of the ‘Queen’ because I feel like princesses are more naive,” she explained. “I still have a lot to learn, I still have so much more to go. I’m just a couple years into wrestling. Learning more in-ring wise, and figuring out people’s brains better, because I love to be the keeper of secrets.”
Looking ahead, Hart expressed her eagerness to face various AEW wrestlers, including Mercedes Moné (the current TBS Champion), Willow Nightingale, Mariah May, Toni Storm, and Serena Deeb. However, her immediate focus is on Jamie Hayter, whose backstage segments Hart has been strategically interrupting to showcase her vignettes. “She just had a great comeback, so I gotta show my comeback is gonna be better than hers,” Hart declared. “Taking out the locker room one by one, and sorry, Jamie, you’re first.”
“AEW Dynamite: Fight for the Fallen” airs live Wednesday, January 1st, at 8 p.m. ET on TBS and Max, marking the start of a new multi-platform media rights agreement between Warner Bros. Discovery and AEW. This agreement allows for simultaneous streaming of “AEW Dynamite” and “AEW Collision” on Max.