Marina Shafir sheds light on the idea Jessamyn Duke had for them in the WWE

Former WWE Superstar Marina Shafir has opened up about an idea Jessamyn Duke pitched for them during their time in the company.

Shafir and Duke went on to ply their trade in the WWE after their careers in MMA. The two athletes made their debuts as heels on the NXT brand, with Duke also working as a full-time digital content creator for the company until 2021.

In a recent interview with All Real Wrestling Podcast, Shafir explained that Duke wanted the two to work as a "mafia-type" duo on the brand.

''This was all Jessamyn's initial idea (...) bringing in gambling. Like having us ''take care'' of people,'' said Shafir. ''You know, just kind of making it into a little business mafia type-style and that’s where we would both really be able to utilize our characteristics.'' (H/T - POST Wrestling)

The former WWE Superstar further stated that the idea was to build two characters and the storylines would have automatically fallen in place.

''Like I’m a Maldivian assassin. Jess is a f*cking Kentucky gun. You know, that would have been fun to play off of. It’s more of like the idea of who we would be and then the storylines just kind of happen,'' Shafir continued. (H/T - POST Wrestling)

Jessamyn Duke's reaction after she was released by the WWE

Jessamyn Duke was released by WWE in May 2021 along with the likes of Alexander Wolfe, Kavita Devi, and Vanessa Borne.

Duke showed no signs of sorrow and stated that she would continue to feature on Xavier Woods' gaming channel UpUpDownDown. Jessamyn Duke was seldom used by Vince McMahon's promotion after Shayna Baszler's move to the main roster.

She thanked the WWE Universe on her stream for their immense support:

"As far as this stuff goes, nothing is changing,'' Duke said. ''My stream, my channel, all of that is the same. (...) UpUpDownDown is still my home. BRE Start is not going anywhere. Everyone can relax, sit back, and enjoy knowing that tomorrow (Friday) a brand new episode of BRE Start will be premiering.'' [H/T Fightful]

Do you think Shafir and Duke could have been better used by WWE? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!