6 Women Wrestlers to Watch

Before your favorite wrestler became a household name, they put in years of work honing their craft, shining brightly no matter the size of the venue. While there’s no guarantees, there’s a ton of new opportunities opening up for women on bigger stages. Whether it’s a bigger promotion or major stardom, here are six ladies on the precipice of breaking through to the next level.

Mercedes Martinez

The first time you saw Mercedes may have been on the first Mae Young Classic, but she made her in-ring debut in 2000. She’s been a mainstay in SHIMMER since 2005 (2-time champ!), is the current RISE Phoenix champion, and has made her rounds on the circuit, including stints in Ring of Honor and nCw. She didn’t get as far in the second Mae Young Classic, but her match vs Meiko Satomura was one of the highlights of the whole tournament. She’s one of those wrestlers who always leave you wanting more. Though she’s seen some action on NXT, The Powers That Be haven’t really given her a big push…yet.

Also, Mercedes appeared on WWE Heat back in 2006, delivering just a straight up great match with Victoria. A rarity back in the bra-and-panties days.

Heather Monroe

Starting her in-ring career in 2016, The Killer Bae has been steadily gaining momentum. A mainstay at Santino Bros and serving as the anchor of Championship Wrestling From Hollywood’s burgeoning women’s division, she’s also working the indie circuit — including stops in Ring of Honor, SHIMMER, and Rise — and made appearances on Impact and WWE Raw (as “Sarah Pierce”). Although those matches were losses, it’s proof that Heather has a lot of eyes on her. Just how she likes them.

Willow Nightingale

Willow is one of those people who you just can’t take your eyes off. Bubbly and athletic, she’s been charming crowds since 2015 in matches in Queens of Combat, Rise, SHIMMER, Shine, and more. You can also see her as Eye Candy on WOW Superheroes. Unfortunately, she recently suffered a neck injury and won’t be competing for a while, but send her some love, healing vibes, book her for commentary, and/or buy some of her merch!

Lady Frost

New on the scene, Lady Frost has already made a big impression! She’s had matches in Chikara and Rise, among others and even had the honor of not being ready for Asuka on an early 2018 episode of Raw. Strong and agile, you can tell she has a gymnastic background based on her impressive arsenal of moves.

Aerial Monroe

Many only discovered Aerial when she appeared in the second Mae Young Classic, but she’s been on the scene since 2015, starting out in Queens of Combat. Currently primarily appearing in Rise, she’s also appeared in Shine, SHIMMER, and AWS. Possessing a buff physique and undeniable swag, Big Swole is a future superstar.

Jordynne Grace

Starting her training at 15, Jordynne (aka Thick Mama Pump) was wrestling in Mexico for Lucha Libre Femenil by the age of 17. She’s worked the indie circuit extensively for years, signing with Impact Wrestling and making her TV debut in October 2018. Since then, she’s become one of their major players and just beat Tessa Blanchard to become the #1 Contender. She may be short (same height as Alexa Bliss) but she’s hella strong. Jordynne also is the author of “DM’s Of A Female Indy Wrestler” which we talked about on our March 20th episode of Women Wrestling Friends.