A fan of professional wrestling since her childhood, Kay first became involved in the wrestling business in July 2008 when she began training with Mathew Priest and Bill Martel at the Blue Collar Wrestling Alliance (BCWA) in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan.[6] Six months later, she debuted against Shavonne Norrell on December 28.[2][6] Kay and Norrell engaged in a feud that lasted most of 2009,[6] including a Falls Count Anywhere match at Summer Standoff in August 2009. Kay later began competing against male wrestlers.