One of the greatest spectacles in Minnesota each year is the State Fair and it’s one thing that AEW Star Julia Hart makes sure she doesn’t miss.

Hart, who grew up in Bloomington, bounces from city to city nearly every week as one of All Elite Wrestling’s fastest-rising stars, so getting back to Minnesota isn’t always easy, but she makes sure it happens.

“Me and my husband (fellow AEW Star Lee Johnson) try to make it out every year,” Hart says. “Last year my favorite food was the pickle pizza.”

Hart was a competitive cheerleader in high school but knew from a young age that she wanted to chase her dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. Hart first stepped into a wrestling ring when she was only 15 years old and eventually trained at The Academy: School of Professional Wrestling run by Ken Anderson in the Twin Cities.

“My parents were like we’re gonna wait until you get your license so you can drive yourself, so then I started training when I was 16 and then I moved down to Atlanta when I was 19 to train at the Nightmare Factory with QT Marshall. I didn’t take myself very seriously when I was 16, because I also was cheerleading, and had a job, and was in high school. So it was really hard to manage until I was 19 and my full focus was on wrestling.”

The wrestling world definitely takes Hart seriously now. In November 2023, just a few days after her 21st birthday, Hart defeated TBS Champion Kris Statlander and Skye Blue in a three-way match to become the youngest champion in AEW history.

“I was on top of the world. It didn’t feel real in a way. I was just like, ‘oh my gosh, this is crazy.”

There are always some bumps, bruises, and setbacks in professional wrestling, though. Just when Hart was on top of the wrestling world, she suffered a shoulder injury which required surgery.

“I did hurt my opposite shoulder when I was cheerleading when I was younger, so I did know the process of the surgery and how recovery was going to go and I recovered really fast, so I was already mentally prepared for that. Being away from wrestling was the hardest part.”

Fully recovered and back in the ring, Hart makes her return to the Twin Cities on Wednesday, March 26 for AEW Dynamite at The Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul.

“I just can’t wait to be home and be in my home state. I’m a very proud Minnesotan. Any chance I get, I talk about Minnesota and the State Fair so I’m really happy to have all my co-workers there to see how great it is.”

**Tickets for AEW Dynamite are available at AEWTix.com and Dynamite will air live on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. on TBS & stream on Max***