Out WWE wrestler Tegan Nox is months-deep into rehabbing her third ACL tear in her still young in-ring career. But being on the sidelines hasn’t kept her from being an inspiring force, most notably when she came out as bisexual last year.
Even the inspirational have those they draw from, though, and Nox recently got the chance to relate such to a source near and dear to her: Captain Marvel herself, actress Brie Larson.
Nox credits seeing the first Captain Marvel film for helping pull her out of a “dark place” while recovering from her second ACL tear in 2018. “It’s weird to think that a comic book character or an actress could help mentally,” Nox said in WWE’s The Comeback: Tegan Nox documentary. “That movie really, really helped move me from a place I never want to go again… it saved me.”
The Welsh superstar even adopted a new Captain Marvel-inspired look when she eventually returned to the ring from that knee injury.
The relationship Nox has with that film came full circle on Thursday when WWE and Brie Larson’s YouTube channels released a video of Nox and Larson having a virtual workout session. The two bonded over dealing with knee issues and got in some upper body work, but the real magic came when Nox got the chance to tell Larson just how much the Captain Marvel character inspired her beyond just her comeback.
“The power of Captain Marvel certainly helped me come out to my fans as bisexual,” Nox revealed. “It kind of gave me that boost, like, it’s OK to do this.” Nox also thanked a teary-eyed Larson for her mental health and anxiety advocacy
“If it wasn’t for Captain Marvel and yourself, especially with all the work you do outside of Captain Marvel, there was no way I would have the power to come out to people with my sexual orientation and my mental health,” Nox added.
Nox also revealed that embodying the character empowered her to be there for the young fans that reached out to her for advice with coming out or dealing with mental health struggles after she came out publicly. “I feel like I’m that superhero and I can help… I want to use my platform now to do what you’ve done and help other people and fight for everyone else’s rights,” Nox said.