Tenille Dashwood: Million Dollar Baby

It’s easy to get discouraged from your goals, especially in today’s economy. Inspirational stories are few and far between, as they’ve been replaced with the bleak complaints of those who are out of work and suffocating under their debt.

This is why the story of Australian WWE wrestler Tenille Dashwood is especially important; Dashwood serves as a reminder that hard work can be rewarded. This interview with her brother, director Rhett Dashwood, juxtaposes makeup application with training, illustrating the duality of a female wrestler. He also manages to capture the intimate details concerning the effort put into Dashwood’s career.

When she was only a child, Dashwood was introduced to the world of wrestling by her older brother, Jake. She quickly became involved in the Australian wrestling scene as her dreams began to take shape, and by the age of 13, she had already completed basic training. From there, Dashwood made crucial sacrifices to her life—cutting out alcohol, down time and even friends—while she focused on her dream of wrestling for the WWE.

After years of working out, perfecting her moves and a brief stint at a training camp, Dashwood’s dream was finally realized as she was rewarded with a WWE contract. Her emotional response when recalling that moment, captured by her brother, is heartfelt and sincere. She undoubtedly used that same passion to fuel her through the competitions she’s entered.

Rhett Dashwood is an award-winning creative director who currently works for Melbourne’s Wade Studios.

Details

• Directed by

  Rhett Dashwood

• Starring

  Tenille Dashwood