The AEW star gets candid about loss, love, life on the road, and the role cannabis has played in helping her stay grounded through it all.
There’s nothing subtle about Marina Shafir.
I learned this last week after sitting down with the former mixed martial artist turned wrestling icon, who cheerfully sparked one up while we discussed her life, her career, and of course, her love for the plant.
The daughter of professional power lifter Veniamin Shafir, Marina Shafir began her journey at six years old, when her parents signed her up for Judo.
While most girls her age were crafting and taking piano lessons, Shafir was launching opponents over her shoulder and perfecting her rear naked chokes.
Even at a young age, she was a badass. And when she talks about her early years in combat sports, it’s clear she’s proud of the dedication and work she put in to go from after-school Judo classes to one of the most distinctive figures in pro fighting and sports entertainment.
But it was also quite apparent that nothing – not even getting paid to beat the shit out of people on television – gives her greater joy than talking about her family.
Fighting, Family, and Weed
Mother to a 9-year-old son and married to AEW pro wrestler Chris Lindsey (a.k.a. Roderick Strong), Shafir perked up when I asked her about her husband, with whom she both works and trains.
“He’s such an amazing partner. I love that I can speak my love language with my husband while training together. That’s a different level of trust. He understands who I am, and I understand who he is,” Shafir said.
Indeed, a strong partnership with her husband makes her very hectic life possible. Balancing work and family life when you’re constantly on the road is no easy task.
Shafir and her husband, Chris Lindsey
Shafir tells me that to balance her work and family life, she just takes it one week at a time.
“There’s so much going on outside of my bubble that I can’t control. Dealing with injuries. It’s a lot. So I take it one week at a time,” she said.
“We really try hard to carve out time for our son, too. Soccer practice, going to the farmers market, and just making time for family,” Shafir added.
While Shafir’s family is clearly her priority, her passion for her job remains strong. Make no mistake: she was not hesitant to express her love for her job with AEW, too.
“I love a good flex. I’m not talking about a physical flex, but like an energy flex. That’s why I love my job so much,” Shafir said.
“I’ve always had an infatuation with martial arts. I was able to fall in love with judo and MMA, and now something completely branched out from those things. It’s action theatre. We get to tell our stories in a physical way,” she said.
“My character is a part of me. It’s always been a part of me,” Shafir said.
Another part of Shafir is her love for the plant. And it goes much deeper than just getting a quick buzz.
“I tried weed when I was in my late teens, but I was more of a drinker back then. I grew up around Russians, and my family is very Slavic and European. Every weekend, everyone was drinking and smoking cigarettes. That was the dessert for the week. But when I was 23, my dad died, and soon after that, I moved out to California to live with my best friend, Ronda [the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo and former UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion, Ronda Rousey], to train and take martial arts seriously. That’s when I really started smoking weed,” Shafir said.
“It was actually hilarious because as soon as we got to LA, she gave me this chocolate bar. I didn’t know how much to take, and I ended up eating the whole thing. It was 100 milligrams. I was supposed to start training the next day. I was out for three days,” she said.
“So I slept it off, chugged a lot of water, and after that, slowly started smoking small amounts of weed. Eventually, it just became a natural part of my day. And then I quit drinking, which was a good thing,” Shafir said.
“I was able to work with a lot of really smart people in neurology, and they would tell me that alcohol will wreck you and that maybe I should stop drinking if I’m going to get punched in the head. So I quit drinking. And weed helped make that possible,” she said.
“It actually helped me grieve a bit, too, after my dad died. When I moved away from my hometown, it was nice to be away from it all. And then I just got to feel my relationship with my dad away from home. A lot of that happened while I was high, and I’m so glad that it did. My dad was a huge part of my life,” Shafir said.
Veniamin Shafir
While Shafir had no problem opening up and showing a side that most people would likely never see, don’t get it twisted. She’s still a savage competitor with a strong warrior mentality.
Everything she’s achieved today can be equated to her undeniable work ethic and her ability to effectively fight through some of the toughest physical, mental, and emotional battles of her life. The fact that weed played some role in her success just makes her story that much more fascinating.
Overall, Marina Shafir is a no-nonsense, weed-smoking athlete who adores her family, loves her job, and comes across as far more grounded than her wrestling persona might suggest.
