Author: Marc Madison (Editor in Chief)

On the best of days, wrestling can come easy for many in particular for Leyla Hirsch. The business can have an incredibly grueling schedule to maintain, but the world’s best persevere through the challenges and come out better than ever. This is the case for ‘Legit’ Leyla Hirsch. Born in Moscow, Russia, the current member of the All Elite Wrestling’s women’s division has shown that height doesn’t measure heart. Once she immigrated to the United States, Hirsch was adopted by a couple from the U.S.  She initially called the Hillsborough Township in New Jersey home. Leyla Hirsch began training in…

The life and career of Kagetsu is unlike that of many of his contemporaries. While he career did begin at the age of 18, which wasn’t uncommon, it also ended just short of his 30th birthday. In Western culture, women wrestlers’ careers don’t typically end early but tend to last for many well into their thirties and, in some instances, their forties. So from the onset, Kagetsu’s career wasn’t comparable to wrestling’s most successful women’s wrestlers in North America. For 12 years, Yu Ishino made a name for himself as a notable name in Joshi Wrestling. Kagetsu – The Rise…

Before Devon Monroe even stepped into a ring, several of today’s and yesterday’s talents played a part in their interest. Whether it was Victoria, R-Truth, Sasha Banks, or Naomi, Monroe could see something special in these talents. While crafting his ability in the ring, Kiera Hogan and Sonny Kiss proved to be the most influential. Each of these men and women played a part in showcasing infectious energy. Monroe would even qualify it as being something they gravitated towards. With only a few years under his belt, Monroe dreams of the day to stand across the ring from any of…

A talent that emerged on the scene in 2014, Ashton Starr began his training under the tutelage of Mr. Hughes at the WWA4 Pro Wrestling School in Atlanta, Georgia. By his own accord, Ashton Starr shared that he was nervous as to how he would first be received. However, once he moved past the initial trepidation, he built lifelong friendships free of judgment or criticism. Starr has shown a commitment to his craft and, in particular, wrestling virtually his entire life. The means of how we become interested in wrestling are different for everyone. For Ashton Starr, this was no…

With less than a decade of experience under her belt, Jamie Senegal isn’t just breaking down barriers. This diva Queen is destroying them. Senegal best describes her style as very hard-hitting and stiff-striking action on the ground. However, that alone doesn’t define her skillset. Senegal will risk life and limb as she will often take to the skies showing an aptitude for the air. This star has a real relentless Diva quality about her. Every wrestler’s career tells a story. In the case of Jamie Senegal, that story first began with her earliest influences. She took elements of different performers…

Over the course of her twelve-year career, Toni Rossall began to build a name for herself. If the last name Rossall doesn’t ring a bell, the name Toni Storm likely does. The New Zealand-born wrestler would first compete in Australia. Despite being born in New Zealand, Toni Storm moved to Australia when she was four years old with her mother. She would first compete for Impact Pro Wrestling in the fall of 2009. Storm remarkably began competing at the age of 13. She spent five years developing her skill set and, to that would move to England at the age…

Sonya Deville was introduced before the E as part of the Tough Enough series. Born of Italian descent, she first began to train in MMA at the age of 16. Daria Berenato came into the company with an MMA background. She was eliminated early on in the series. However, as evident by those eliminated early, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a long-term vision for them. When she initially signed to the NXT brand, she competed under her given name. However, as time passed, she remerged with a new name.  In the Fall of 2015, Berenato officially signed with WWE and…

The proudly Welsh-born Steffanie Newell has been actively pursuing professional wrestling since the age of 16 to emerge as Tegan Nox in the WWE. As an active tween, Nixon Newell played a number of sports, including football (soccer). Her success in the game saw her compete for her Welsh national team. Passion in a sport you excel at can often find you at a crossroads. For Newell, she found that out at a rather young age. At the age of 13, Newell suffered a knee injury. Unfortunately, the injury was so much so that it cost her an opportunity to…

The ability to draw the audience in and have them despise you is an art unto itself. For Don Muraco, his ability to do just that made him among the most revered of his generation. Muraco was born in Sunset Beach, Hawaii. The native Hawaiian first began to hone his craft as an amateur wrestling champion. Muraco was an athlete and, like all athletes, was at a crossroads with where their career would go. Would he pursue football, or would he pursue wrestling? Muraco would choose wrestling over football and would begin his early training along the Canadian and US…

King Tonga and The Tonga Kid/ Haku and Tama were The Islanders. Both men are of Polynesian descent, and with that comes a great deal of expectation already. With wrestling’s long-standing familiarity with the Anoai’s and the lineage tied to wrestling with them, so comes the expectation of others that are also from the islands. Both men, they had developed their careers in wrestling in familiar circles. King Tonga first competed in International Wrestling in Montreal, Quebec, Canada while the Tonga Kid, who first competed in 1983, also includes his time competing in Montreal as well alongside Dan Kroffat as…