Wrestling On FanNation

How Harley Cameron Parlayed Vocal Talents And Medical Condition Into Master Puppetry Skills [Exclusive]

Puppet Master Harley Cameron hopes her unique skill set will lead her to a TBS Championship match at AEW Grand Slam Australia.
Rick Ucchino|
Harley Cameron and Mercedes!
Harley Cameron and Mercedes! | All Elite Wrestling & Harley Cameron

Never in a million years did Harley Cameron imagine that her skills as a ventriloquist would come in handy once she moved to the United States.

Several years later, the multi-talented AEW star has learned that you just never know what will make it to air on a nationally televised professional wrestling program.

Cameron is hoping to ride a recent wave of momentum into Grand Slam Australia next Saturday, which is taking place about a half hour from where she lived and worked growing up at the Brisbane Entertainment Center in Queensland.

Fresh off a win over Taya Valkyrie, Cameron has her sights set on a match with Mercedes Moné and has deployed some unorthodox tactics to try and goad The CEO into giving her a shot at the TBS Championship. Of course I'm speaking of the multiple performances from Mercedes, an appropriately named, purple-haired puppet that masquerades as 'Four Belts' Moné herself.

Whether Mercedes ultimately helps her land a seat on the 'Moné Train' or not, she has already improved Cameron's fast ascending reputation of being one of the most entertaining performers in all of professional wrestling.

Harley spoke to The Takedown on SI ahead of her big 'halftime' performance Saturday night on AEW Collision and revealed that she picked up her passion and skills for puppetry during her days as a cabaret performer in Australia.

"Once I left Australia, I never really imagined doing it again unless I pursued it for what it was," Cameron said. "I used to work at a cabaret for many years and there was a lot of variety acts there and such. The cabaret itself, which was Dracula's Cabaret, was very big on puppetry."

Harley was no stranger to the stage having been a singer and dancer by trade for most of her life, which is what obviously helped land her the gig at Dracula's in the first place.

Once she was a part of the show, Cameron says she became fascinated with the art of manipulating the spoken word.

"They're an amazing show," Cameron said. "Every year they'd do a different puppetry act. So I became obsessed with puppetry from that and it kind of made me dive down this rabbit hole of doing it at work and then doing it in my own time at home."

It shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, but Cameron says she was able to get into the groove of throwing her voice fairly quickly and she gave credit for that to her background as a singer.

There was also a bout with an unfortunate medical condition that would play an unexpected role in her career as an entertainer.

"I studied a lot of voice techniques for a long time. Also, years ago, I lost my voice and I had to take speech pathology to basically learn how to sing and talk around what I had, what are called, vocal nodules. Which is where you get calluses on your vocal chords."

Those calluses can develop when someone overuses or misuses their voice, which often happens due to excessive singing or shouting. Two things that Cameron excels at in particular.

After undergoing the proper treatment, and the right amount of rest, Harley was back to performing with a whole new set of skills that would pay dividends years down the road.

"It was a blessing in disguise really, because it taught me a lot of helpful things that helped with this particular act. So I was upset that I lost my voice back in the day and now I can use puppets. So, it turned out all good."

Harley and Mercedes have been receiving rave reviews for their performances from just about everyone, except the TBS Champion of course.

We are happy to report that Mercedes is expected to recover from the vicious dog attack (pictured above) allegedly orchestrated by Ms. Moné at a public airport and she will return to television as early as Saturday night on AEW Collision.

Our full conversation with Harley Cameron will drop Saturday morning on The Takedown on SI YouTube Channel. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on all of our great exclusive content!

The Latest On WWE, AEW & More

AEW's Tony Khan Arrives To NFL's Super Bowl On 400-Foot Yacht Worth $360 Million

Alexa Bliss Reportedly Signs With Talent Agency To Pursue Projects Outside Of WWE

Report Suggests Several WWE Stars Are Unhappy With Their Theme Music

Bayley And Natalya Reveal Dream Intergender Matches At WWE 2K25 Event

Published
Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

Home/Features