Irena Janjic, better known by her

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...

Alex Lee, is a Bosnian

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

best known for her tenure with the Japanese

professional wrestling promotions A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails manag ...

Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling , often called , is a Japanese women's professional wrestling promotion. It is based in the city of Sendai, Miyagi in the Tohoku region. History Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling was founded in 2005 by Meiko Satomura, a female professional wrestler ...

and

Oz Academy is a Japanese ''joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling promotion founded by Mayumi Ozaki. The promotion's full official name is . In addition to the contracted members of the roster, Oz Academy has also employed some of the top freel ...

. Irena the only foreign female professional wrestler to have wrestled full time as a freelancer in Japan for 10 years. During her career Irena has developed a style that is a combination of classic joshi puroresu and strong style. She is best known for an array of powerful kicks, strikes and suplexes. Due to her kickboxing background and long tenure on the Japanese women's wrestling scene she is known as "The Queen of Strong Style".

Professional wrestling career

Irena started her professional wrestling training with former WWE, WCW and ECW superstar Lance Storm in Calgary, Alberta Canada. Irena spent 6 months training daily in the ring and made her professional wrestling debut on August 27, 2010 for PWA in Edmonton, Canada.

Independent circuit (2011–present)

While part of the

Pure-J is a Japanese ''Joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion established on August 11, 2017, by Command Bolshoi. History With the closure of JWP Joshi Puroresu on April 2, 2017, it was announce ...

promotion, Janjic competed in a

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

for the

Pure-J Openweight Championship The Pure-J Openweight Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship owned by the Pure-J promotion. The championship, which is situated at the top of Pure-J's championship hierarchy, was introduced on October 9, 2017, when Hanako N ...

. All the matches took place at

house shows A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...

, and she started by defeating Rydeen Hagane on August 20, 2017,

Leon Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

on September 23, but lost to

Hanako Nakamori better known by her ring name Hanako Nakamori is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for her time in the Japanese promotions JWP Joshi Puroresu and Pure-J. Professional wrestling career Independe ...

in the

semi-finals A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

from October 9.

Florida Championship Wrestling (2011)

Janjic made her debut in

Florida Championship Wrestling Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...

by the time when the promotion was still in relationships with

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

under the name of Leah West at ''FCW TV #158'' on October 9, 2011, where she fell short to

Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a female given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (bo ...

. She made sporadic appearances such as at the ''FCW TV #159'' event where she unsuccessfully challenged

Audrey Marie Ashley Nicole Miller (born September 17, 1988) is an American retired professional wrestler and model. She is best known for her time with WWE in their developmental territory NXT Wrestling under the ring name Audrey Marie. Professional wrestli ...

for the FCW Florida Divas Championship. On November 31, 2011, she teamed up with Aksana in a losing effort to

and Kaitlyn. Her last appearance in

FCW Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...

was in a dark match which took place on ''FCW TV #159'' where she got defeated by

Cameron Cameron may refer to: People * Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan * Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) ;Mononym * Cam'ron (born 197 ...

Oz Academy (2016–2018)

Janjic had a brief period in

, promotion for which she debuted at ''OZ Academy Disorder'' on May 14, 2017, where she competed as part of the Ozaki-gun teaming up with fellow stablemates

Maya Yukihi is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently competing as a freelancer. She is a former two-time ICE×60 Championship, five-time International Ribbon Tag Team Champion and one-time Triangle Ribbon Champion, making her the promotion's fourth ...

and

Yumi Ohka , better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. Originally trained by the now defunct JDStar promotion, Ohka now works for Oz Academy and Pro Wrestling Wave. She is a former two-time Wave Single Champion, while also being ...

in a losing effort to

Aja Kong is a Japanese professional wrestler better known by her ring name . She is the founder of the Arsion all-women professional wrestling promotion and has won several championships in both singles and tag team divisions throughout her career, prima ...

Syuri Kondo is a Japanese professional wrestler, shoot boxer, kickboxer and mixed martial artist, better known simply as . Syuri formerly competed in Ultimate Fighting Championship. Syuri is currently working for World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the ...

and Yoshiko. An important confrontation was at ''OZ Academy Plum Hanasaku'' on August 20, 2017, where she teamed up with

, unsuccessfully challenging Mission K4 ( Akino and

Kaho Kobayashi is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer. Kobayashi was trained by Yoshihiro Tajiri and Makoto, making her debut in June 2013 for Wrestling New Classic. Since debuting, she has worked extensively for Pro Wrestling ...

) for the

Oz Academy Tag Team Championship The Oz Academy Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the Oz Academy professional wrestling promotion. The championship was introduced on July 13, 2008, when Carlos Amano and Dynamite Kansai defeated Chik ...

. She participated at '' Manami Toyota 30th Anniversary'', an event which portraited

Manami Toyota is a retired professional wrestler, best known for her work with the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) promotion. She is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Following AJW's closure, she continued to work ...

's retirement on November 3, 2017, where she competed in a 50-woman gauntlet match where she and other 49 superstars unsuccessfully faced Toyota herself. She was involved in a last woman standing no. 1 contendership match for the

Oz Academy Openweight Championship The Oz Academy Openweight Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship owned by the Oz Academy promotion. The reigning champion is referred to as the " Wizard of Oz". The championship, which is situated at the top of Oz Academy's ...

at ''The Wizard Of OZ 2018'' event also involving

Kaori Yoneyama is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer on the Japanese independent circuit. Yoneyama started her career in 1999, working with the JWP Joshi Puroresu promotion. During the following years, she became a one-time J ...

and

Rina Yamashita is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for her time in Pro Wrestling Wave. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2013-present) Yamashita began working for other promotions such as Pr ...

and

Sonoko Kato is a Japanese professional wrestler. She made her debut in April 1995, working for Gaea Japan, where she became one half of the inaugural AAAW Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. After becoming a two-time winner of the High Spurt 600 Tournam ...

and the winner Akino.

Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling (2014–2021)

Janjic started working for

on June 22, 2014 at a

house show A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...

hosted by the promotion, where she came short to

La Comandante Norma Martínez (born April 23, 1978), known by the ring name La Comandante, is a Mexican ''luchadora'', or female professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) portr ...

. A notable confrontation of her was at ''Sendai Girls Big Match In Niigata'' from October 18, 2014, where she teamed up with

to defeat

Dump Matsumoto , better known by her ring name , is a semi-retired Japanese professional wrestler. She came to prominence as one of the leading female wrestlers in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling during the 1980s. The longtime leader of the stable Gokuaku Domei ...

and

Yumiko Hotta is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Hotta was trained by and started her career in the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) promotion in June 1985. She worked for the promotion until 2003, becoming a three-time WWWA W ...

. At a

from August 26, 2018, Lee teamed up with Mika Iwata as Strong Style Rush and unsuccessfully challenged Cassandra Miyagi and Heidi Katrina for the

Sendai Girls Tag Team Championship The Sendai Girls Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling. The title was introduced on September 17, 2011, and the inaugural champions were crowned on October 11, 2015, ...

. She is known for competing in various multiple-person matches where she faced notable opponents. One of these appearances was at a

of the promotion hosted on May 25, 2019, where in a 12-woman battle royal she competed against the winner Mika Iwata,

Meiko Satomura Meiko Satomura (里村明衣子, Satomura Meiko, born November 11, 1979) is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is currently signed to the American promotion WWE performing on the NXT brand and the Japanese promotion Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestlin ...

Chihiro Hashimoto is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling, where she is the current five time Sendai Girls World Champion. Hashimoto was trained in the Sendai Girls' dojo under Meiko Satomura, and made her debut in Octo ...

Dash Chisako , better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. She was trained by Meiko Satomura and has worked for her Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling promotion since her debut in July 2006. For the first ten years of her career, Chisako was ...

Hiroyo Matsumoto (born November 6, 1985) is Japanese professional wrestler, currently working as a freelancer. Emi Sakura gave her the nickname of because Matsumoto broke a wall in the Ichigaya arena during her Ice Ribbon debut. She is best known with other w ...

and others. At ''Joshi Puroresu Big Show In Sendai'' on October 13, 2019, Lee participated in an eight-woman battle royal also involving the winner

Hikaru Shida is a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, actress, and model, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a former and the longest-reigning AEW Women's World Champion. On February 25, 2021, she became the longest reign ...

Jaguar Yokota (born July 25, 1961) is a Japanese professional wrestler and later wrestling trainer, who wrestled under the name . She is widely considered one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time, and, during her heyday in the early 1980s, was conside ...

Mei Suruga is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotions Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling (TJPW) and Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling. Professional wrestling career Gatoh Move Pro Wrestling (2018–present) Sur ...

and

Kaoru Kaoru is a Japanese given name for males or females. Name Meanings The name's meaning varies depending on its written form: *薫/郁/芳 — "fragrance", common for both males and females *馨/香 — "fragrance", more common for females ...

World Wonder Ring Stardom (2015–2016)

Another promotion which Janjic worked for was

World Wonder Ring Stardom World Wonder Ring Stardom (スターダム女子プロレス), often referred to simply as Stardom (stylized as ST★RDOM), is a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded i ...

, where she made a notable appearance at ''Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix 2015'' from September 4, where she teamed up with

Sendai Sachiko is a retired Japanese professional wrestler, better known by the ring name . She was trained by Meiko Satomura and made her debut for her Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling promotion in July 2006. Her older sister Chisako is also a professional wrestl ...

in a losing effort to

Mayu Iwatani (born February 19, 1993) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom. Since making her debut in January 2011, she became a two-time World of Stardom Champion, two-time Wonder of Stardom Champion, one-time ...

and

Kairi Hojo is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress currently working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and World Wonder Ring Stardom under the ring name Kairi (stylized in all caps). Housako is also known for her work with WWE as . She is the curr ...

. Janjic participated in the ''Goddesses Of Stardom Tag League'' tournament, where on the fourth night which took place on November 8, she teamed up with

, falling short to Thunder Rock (

Io Shirai is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Iyo Sky (stylized in all caps). She is a member of Damage CTRL and one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions with ...

and

) in a first-round match. On the first night of ''Stardom New Years Stars 2016'', she participated in a 15-women battle royal, also involving the winner

Momo Watanabe (born March 22, 2000) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Since making her debut on November 16, 2014, she became a two-time Artist of Stardom Champion, one-time Goddess of Stardom Cha ...

Dakota Kai Cheree Georgina Crowley (born 6 May 1988) is a New Zealand-born professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Dakota Kai. She is a member of Damage CTRL and is one half of the cur ...

Kellie Skater Callee Keating (born 30 September 1987) is a retired Australian professional wrestler best known by her ring name Kellie Skater. She has wrestled internationally, in Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States. She is perhaps best known for ...

, Hiromi Mimura and others. Another notable event in which she participated was the ''Stardom Cinderella Tournament 2016'', where on April 29 she fell short to

Santana Garrett Santana Garrett (born May 22, 1988) is an American professional wrestler, valet and model. She is currently signed to WWE, where she works as a coach at the Performance Center. During her career, Garrett has wrestled in many independent promotio ...

in a first-round match. Janjic took part in the ''Stardom Premium Star Wars'', a two night event starting on June 4, 2016, where she teamed up with

, falling short to Candy Crush (Chelsea and

). On the second night she teamed up with

Azumi is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yū Koyama. Its story concerns the title character, a young woman brought up as part of a team of assassins, charged with killing the warlords that threaten the uneasy peace in Feudal Jap ...

, scoring a defeat against Eimi Nishina and

Natsumi Maki , better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (2015–present) Maki wrestled a couple of matches for Reina, one of t ...

Championships and accomplishments

*Pro Wrestling Alliance Queensland **AIWF Australian Women's Championship (1 time)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Alex 1985 births Living people Bosnia and Herzegovina sportswomen Bosnia and Herzegovina female professional wrestlers Sportspeople from the Gold Coast, Queensland Australian female professional wrestlers Australian expatriate sportspeople in Japan Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan