The Wrestlecade Convention and Supershow in North Carolina this past weekend had a lot going on, featuring both the in-ring return of wrestling legend Jushin Thunder Liger, and the theft of WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy Hart’s famous megaphone. But in between all that, there was also a heartwarming moment between AEW star Willow Nightingale and a very young supporter of hers.
Taking to X on Saturday, AEW/ROH star and Shane Taylor Promotion’s member Shawn Dean posted a photo of a small girl dressed up as Nightingale from her hardcore matches. The costume came complete with a fake barbed wire baseball bat, a white “Smile Anyway” t-shirt with “blood stains” on it, and even some fake blood applied to the child’s forehead.
“Just Willow Nightingale inspiring a generation!” Dean tweeted.
Just @willowwrestles inspiring a generation! #WrestleCade pic.twitter.com/bFYXP7Pqaj
— Capt. Shawn Dean (@ShawnDean773) November 29, 2025
As it turned out, Nightingale was also on hand for the convention, and the young fan eventually found her way to the former TBS Champion. The two would take a photo together that Nightingale would later post onto X, and she admitted that the moment with the fan meant a great deal to her.
“There were many highlights from WrestleCade, but this one truly made my day,” Nightingale tweeted.
There were many highlights of @WrestleCade, but she truly made my day https://t.co/hf30qcw7L3 pic.twitter.com/d3qJIbZXv3
— Willow Nightingale (@willowwrestles) November 29, 2025
For all her success in AEW, including that aforementioned TBS Championship reign, Nightingale has arguably become best known for her performance in hardcore matches. Among her most iconic, bloody performances include the Manitoba Massacre match with Skye Blue in May 2024, a Chicago Street Fight with former friend turned enemy Kris Statlander at AEW All Out 2024, and the inaugural AEW Women’s Blood & Guts match from a few weeks ago, where Nightingale was one of the twelve women to compete.
