Quezon City – November 1, 2023. During REV Major 2023, a very special guest was invited to the event, none other than Rae Lil Black. Most people know her for her adult films. That’s why when she was announced as one of the special guests of the event, netizens had mixed reactions. While some were genuinely excited to see her, the majority were puzzled or even found it hilarious that a porn star would be invited to an event about fighting games.
What people don’t know about her is that even though she didn’t start off as a fan or even a player of fighting games, she would come to appreciate the community that is built on passion.
“Well actually I’m not really a player; I practice a little, yes, but well I get mad a lot and I rage quit. I throw consoles and controllers and everything as usual. Uh, but I got into fighting games like this event like maybe 3-4 years ago. You know Markman; his friend was my fan, and then he invited me to EVO Japan because he wanted to see me. He’s like, ‘Hey, there’s a big event happening at the time,’ and I was like, ‘Ooh, that looks super interesting. I’ve never played any games, but you know what, I have time, so let’s go.’ Then I got in touch with Markman, and I was like, ‘Wow, I have never seen a fighting game tournament before, but it was like an actual fighting event. Wow, there’s a stage, there’s like a lot of people playing, and wow, this is a big community.’ And then I talked with a lot of people like gamers and then also the organizers and stuff. They were so nice; I’ve never seen these nice people in my life. I was like, ‘Wow, people are so welcoming, and they’re so nice.’ And then I am new; I haven’t touched anything, but they were like, ‘You can do this, you can do that,’ then I started Twitch, and then I started playing games.”
Her first exposure to a fighting game event definitely left a mark on her. The way she would recall the event was in a way that she seemed to deeply care and treasure that day, and it would eventually foster a love for the fighting game community. So when she got the call to be a special guest for this year’s REV Major, her reaction was ecstatic.
“YES, I wanna go because actually, this is my first time visiting the Philippines, the first time. I have traveled 40 countries, but this is my first time in the Philippines after like 40 countries. And then I was so excited, and then I’m so happy that I have this opportunity to visit here and meet my fans as well.”
Despite the initial puzzled reaction of netizens to her as a guest, people couldn’t help but be charmed by her charismatic presence, being greeted by a hot Filipino audience showing their love for her.
She is a fan of fighting games, but does she actually play? Obviously yes!
“I only play Tekken; Street Fighter, I tried, but I feel like Tekken characters are more my favorite because I like wrestling, I like boxing. So, I play King, yes, because he’s a wrestler, and they collaborated with New Japan Pro Wrestling with (Kazuchika) Okada, so I was like, ‘Ah, okay.’ Then I felt a lot closer, and also I’m a big fan of Muay Thai too, so Fahkumram, and then he’s my favorite too because I started to learn Muay Thai. I even went to a lesson yesterday in Makati.”
A big reason for her appreciation for the fighting game community is because she herself is a fan of combat sports, specifically pro wrestling and Muay Thai, selecting King as her favorite Tekken character. King is based on a real wrestler named Tiger Mask. In Tekken 7, they collaborated with New Japan Pro Wrestling to give King a special outfit based on Kazuchika Okada, a multiple-time champion of the promotion, even giving him the signature “rain maker” finisher that Okada uses in his matches as King’s rage art.
When she said she took a lesson for Muay Thai just a day before the event, it took everyone by surprise. Who would expect an adult film star to have such a liking for combat sports and video games? Underneath her hot and charismatic exterior is a nerd in the best sense of the word.
She would go on to expound more on her love for pro wrestling by stating this:
“I like smaller promotions. Of course, I’m a big fan of New Japan since I’m from Japan, but I actually like deathmatch (laughs charmingly). Big Japan, Freedom, and GCW from America, I see a lot because this summer Freedoms and GCW, they did a big collab in Japan, and that’s why I went back. But also, I am a big fan of New Japan, so I already have a ticket for the January WrestleKingdom.”
When you ask any random person if they have any knowledge about pro wrestling, most people say the famous ones, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, The Rock, etc. Rae Lil Black is in every sense of the word a hardcore wrestling fan. Preferring indie promotions and bloody violent deathmatch wrestling, while still fulfilling every wrestling nerd’s dream of attending one of the biggest annual wrestling events in WrestleKingdom.
Rae Lil Black, when you hear her name, you immediately think of the porn star, the dozens of naughty adult films that she has starred in that you the reader might’ve come across once or twice. What people don’t know is that she’s a confident and charismatic woman. She loves what mainstream culture deems as out-of-date and nerdy and doesn’t let her career and the public perception of her define who she is. She extends her love for combat sports to the fighting game community as she continues to be a trailblazer in her own special way.
