Jazmin Benitez (born November 17, 1980) is an American

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 ...

currently signed to

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...

(AEW) under the

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 ...

Mercedes Martinez. She also appears for AEW's sister promotion,

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...

(ROH), where she is a former

ROH Women's World Champion The ROH Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The current champion is Athena, who is in her first reign. Histor ...

. She is also known for her time in

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 ...

, primarily on the

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

brand. Prior to going to WWE in 2020, Martinez was a mainstay on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...

, winning numerous titles - including three

WSU Championship The WSU Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship in Women Superstars United (WSU). It is competed for in Women Superstars United, and has been defended on shows of sister promotion National Wrestling Superstars. Championship r ...

s, two

Shimmer Championship The Shimmer Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship in Shimmer Women Athletes, and has also been defended on shows of sister promotions Ring of Honor and Full Impact Pro. Championship reigns are determined by professional wr ...

s, one

Shine Championship The Shine Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship in Shine Wrestling. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries. These narratives create feu ...

and one Phoenix of Rise Championship.

Early life

Jazmín Benítez was born on November 17, 1980 in

Waterbury Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. She is of Puerto Rican descent. In high school, she played both

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

. She then attended college at Teikyo Post University, where her major was

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2000–2005)

Mercedes Martinez got involved in professional wrestling after an injury sustained playing basketball in college. Martinez was a standout basketball player in high school. She later transitioned to professional wrestling due to her love for contact sports. As Martinez explained in an article for the ''Boston Herald'' in 2004, "Wrestling just came at the right time." Martinez began her training under Jason Knight in October 2000. She defeated a male wrestler by the name of "Juice" in her first match on November 12, 2000. In 2001, she gained exposure under promoter Sheldon Goldberg. Goldberg subsequently formed a women's division in

New England Championship Wrestling New England Championship Wrestling (NECW) is an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States that has promoted events since 2000. Currently owned and operated by Sheldon Goldberg, is one of the top indepe ...

around Martinez, including bringing in foreign talent such as Yoshimoto Ladies Pro's

Sumie Sakai is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. She is best known for her extensive tenure in Ring of Honor, where she was the inaugural and longest reigning Women of Honor Champion. Early life As a young woman, Sakai p ...

. The duo traded the North American Women's Championship. Through 2003 and 2004, Martinez competed in various promotions in New England such as Connecticut Championship Wrestling,

Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent wrestling promotion. In 1998, John Zandig and five of his students, Ric Blade, T.C.K, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain, along with trainer Jon Dahmer, began to run professional wrestling sh ...

, and

Ian Rotten John Benson Williams (born June 1, 1970) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Ian Rotten. He has wrestled in the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the United States Wrestling As ...

IWA Mid South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 1996 ...

. In IWA, Martinez was brought in to face the star of the women's division,

Mickie Knuckles Mickie Lee Knuckles (born May 16, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for work on the independent circuit, particularly Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, Chikara and Combat Zone Wrestling, as well as a brief ...

Shimmer Women Athletes (2005–2019)

On November 6, 2005 Mercedes wrestled in the inaugural event of the new exclusive women wrestling promotion,

Shimmer Women Athletes Shimmer Women Athletes (often referred to and stylized as SHIMMER) is an American, Chicago-based independent women's professional wrestling promotion which held its first event on November 6, 2005. Established by Dave Prazak and run by both him ...

run by

Dave Prazak Dave Prazak is an American professional wrestling promoter and commentator. He is the co-founder of Shimmer Women Athletes. Championships and accomplishments *Game Changer Wrestling Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), formerly known as Jersey Champion ...

, who discovered her while watching a Kiryoku Pro DVD. Martinez wrestled

Sara Del Rey Sara Ann Amato (born November 13, 1980) is an American professional wrestling trainer and retired professional wrestler, best known by her ring name Sara Del Rey. She was a mainstay for Chikara and Shimmer, but also appeared for many other ind ...

in a 20-minute time limit draw, and both were given a standing ovation after their match. Martinez continued to wrestle for Shimmer and various independent promotions across America through 2006. On May 2, 2009 she took part in Shimmer's Volume 23 where she lost to

Awesome Kong Kia Stevens (born September 4, 1977) is an American actress and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)/Impact Wrestling under the ring name Awesome Kong. She also worked with Ri ...

. Later in the night, as part of Volume 24, she defeated Madison Eagles. The next day, she lost to

Serena Deeb Serena Deeb (born June 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is well known for her first stint with WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand and also known for her time with the develop ...

for Volume 25, and teamed with Deeb to take on Sara Del Rey and Kong for Volume 26, but had a losing effort in that match. She lost against the debuting

Ayako Hamada is a Mexican professional wrestler. During her 20-year career, Hamada wrestled for various promotions, including All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling, Gaea Japan and Pro Wrestling Wave in Japan, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Lucha Lib ...

on November 8, 2009 after a '' Hama-Chan Cutter'', but was able to score a pinfall over

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and model. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a ...

as part of Volume 28 after hitting her with the Fisherman Buster. On October 2, 2011, Martinez turned heel for the first time in her Shimmer career, starting a rivalry with

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

. On June 26, 2016, after being retired for two years, Martinez made a surprise return to Shimmer, aligning herself with Nicole Savoy and

Shayna Baszler Shayna Andrea Baszler ( ; born August 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, kickboxer and former mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand. Baszler is a former two-time and longest ...

and defeating Madison Eagles in an impromptu match to win the Shimmer Championship for the first time. She lost the title to

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 h ...

on November 12, only to regain it the following day. On November 12, 2017, Martinez lost the title to Savoy.

Ring of Honor (2006–2007)

On March 25, 2006, Martinez made her

(ROH) debut in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

where she competed in a Shimmer sanctioned match versus her counterparts of

Allison Danger Cathy Allison Corino (born March 31, 1977) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager, better known by her ring name, Allison Danger. Professional wrestling career Early career Corino's older brother Steve ...

Daizee Haze Emily Sharp (born May 11, 1983) is an American former professional wrestler known under the ring name Daizee Haze. She is best known for her time on the independent circuit, where she performed for numerous promotions such as Chikara, Ring of Hon ...

, and Lacey. On December 22, Martinez suffered an injury in an ROH match teaming with

Jimmy Jacobs Christopher Scoville (born February 17, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He was recently signed to Impact Wrestling as a member of the creative team and producer. He is best known for his 1 ...

against Haze and

B. J. Whitmer Benjamin Whitmer (born January 25, 1978), better known by the ring name B. J. Whitmer, is an American professional wrestler, producer, trainer, and color commentator. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer. He is bes ...

. She returned to Ring of Honor by the end of December 2007, aligning herself with The Vulture Squad. On May 27 it was announced that Martinez and ROH had amicably parted ways.

World Xtreme Wrestling (2005–2009, 2011–2017)

In 2005, Martinez joined

World Xtreme Wrestling World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW) is a Florida-based independent professional wrestling promotion which has held events across the United States and toured in Japan, the Middle East and South Pacific region including American Samoa and Guam. The pr ...

. She participated in several matches, and then started feud with

Talia Madison Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to NWA. She is best known for her time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a ...

for the

WXW Women's Championship The WXW Women's Championship is the top women's professional wrestling title in the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of mark ...

. On July 8, Martinez defeated Madison to become the new Women's Champion. However, the title was declared vacant on September 3, when she won the WXW Cruiserweight Championship from Drew Blood on February 19, 2006. On January 6, 2007, Martinez defeated Cindy Rogers to regain the Women's Championship. When she had to undergo shoulder surgery in February 2007, a "Phantom Title Change" storyline was done where Kacee Carlisle claimed she beat Mercedes in an Empty Arena Match to become the new champion was Mercedes's exit for her surgery. She made her surprise return on February 10, 2008 to challenge Carlisle for the WXW Women's Championship but did not regain it. When WXW relocated as a result of

Afa Anoa'i Afa Amituana'i "Arthur" Anoa'i (born November 21, 1942) is a Samoan-American retired professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. Since retiring, he has operated the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion and trained wrestlers at the Wild ...

moving to Florida from Pennsylvania, she was a part of it from the get-go. She would win the 2008 WXW Elite 8 then on December 20, 2008 defeat Betsy Ruth for the Vacant WXW Women's Title for her 3rd reign. After her defense against MsChif on February 7, 2009. She announced she was returning to her hometown of Waterbury Connecticut & vacated the title. On August 27, Martinez returned to the company, starting a feud with Kimberly. On September 10, Martinez defeated her to become the first woman to hold the

four times. On February 11, 2012 Martinez defeated Kimberly in a

two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. She would lose the title to Kimberly on July 14, 2012, this marked the first time Mercedes had lost the Women's title in a 1 on 1 match.

Independent circuit (2006–2020)

Martinez also competed in ChickFight IV in April 2006. She made it to the final round before being eliminated by

MsChif Rachel Frobel (née Collins) is an American professional wrestler who is better known by her ring name MsChif. She has been wrestling since 2001 and in that time has worked for several independent promotions across the United States, with guest m ...

. Later in the night, MsChif also defeated Martinez and

Cheerleader Melissa Melissa Anderson (born August 17, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Cheerleader Melissa. She is best known for her work in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where she worked as Alissa Flash and Raisha Saeed ...

in a

falls count anywhere match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. On May 27, 2006, Martinez competed in the debut MXWomen (MXW)'s match, one of the Quadruple Main Events at MXW MAYhem in

Bristol, Connecticut Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, southwest-west of Hartford. The city is also 120 miles southwest from Boston, and approximately 100 miles northeast of New York City. As of the 2020 census, the ...

. On November 12, 2006, she defeated

Nikki Roxx Nicole Raczynski (born April 19, 1979) is an American former professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring names Roxxi Laveaux, The Voodoo Queen, and Roxxi. She is also known for her time ...

in a match for MXW. The following month, Martinez appeared on

World Wrestling Entertainment 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 va ...

's ''

Heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...

'' (taped June 12) in a losing effort against

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. On July 19, 2009 Martinez returned to WXW C4 in Allentown and won a 20-person Battle Royal at WXW C4's Flagship show Sportsfest, earning a title shot of her choosing. On September 5, 2009 in Allentown, she opted to use the victory to create the WXW C4 Women's Championship, and she immediately won it in an Elimination Style 3-Way Dance over Jana and

. She also took part of Jimmy Hart's

Wrestlicious Wrestlicious was an American women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tampa, Florida. The company was founded by Jonathan Vargas, who won a Powerball jackpot of $35.3 million in 2008. It was known for its sketch comedy and has been ofte ...

series as a Bull Fighter character named "Maria Toro", managed by "Bandita." In the main event of the first episode she teamed up with Bandita and

Felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

in a winning effort against the team of Cousin Cassie,

Tyler Texas Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the 33rd most populous city in Texas and 299 ...

and

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. Martinez debuted for

NCW Femmes Fatales A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

on February 6, 2010 taking on

Portia Perez Jenna Grattan (born October 26, 1987) is a Canadian former professional wrestler better known by her ring name Portia Perez. Perez teamed with Nicole Matthews as The Canadian NINJAs, and they are former two-time Shimmer Tag Team Champions. ...

. At the end of the match Mercedes Martinez was able to hit with the Fisherman Buster to get the pin. She challenged NCW Femmes Fatales Champion

Kalamity Maggy Goyette is a French Canadian retired professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Kalamity. She primarily wrestled for nCw Femmes Fatales and is a former nCw Femmes Fatales Champion. Professional wrestling career Early career Go ...

on March 10, 2012 and was unsuccessful. She promptly turned heel afterwards laying Kalamity out and

LuFisto Genevieve Goulet (born February 15, 1980), better known by the ring name LuFisto, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (1997–present) LuFisto began training when she was 17 years old in ...

came out and they brawled to close the show. More than a year later, Martinez would become NCW Femmes Fatales Champion on March 30, 2013, defeating Kalamity at NCW Femmes Fatales XI, ending her 538-day reign on top. She lost the title on August 16, 2014. On May 6, 2017, at Challengemania 25, Mercedes came back to defeat Stefany Sinclair and reclaim the NCW Femmes Fatales Championship. She left the event as a triple champion, already walking in the match with both the WSU World Championship and the Shimmer Championship. Mercedes Martinez Bull Run

On July 24, 2011 Martinez made her first appearance in Japan, wrestling in famed

Korakuen Hall is a famous sports arena in Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan, which has hosted many notable boxing, professional wrestling, kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Lethwei matches. History On April 16, 1962, the Korakuen Hall was officially opened with ...

against

Nanae Takahashi (born December 23, 1978) is a Japanese professional wrestler and the founder of Seadlinnng. She has wrestled for prominent Japanese promotions All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Sun, and is a two-time women's world champion in m ...

as a part of the STARDOM Title Tournament during the Nanae Takahashi 15 Anniversary show. However, she would lose to Takahashi. She has worked in

SHINE Wrestling Shine Wrestling (stylized as SHINE Wrestling and often referred to simply as SHINE) is an American, New York based independent women's professional wrestling promotion. It is the sister promotion to Shimmer Women Athletes and airs events on Inte ...

for a number of years and was until 2018 a Shine Tag Team Champion with Ivelisse as Las Sicarias until they were defeated by the Twisted Sisterz (Holidead and

Thunder Rosa Melissa Cervantes (born July 22, 1986), known by her ring name Thunder Rosa, is a Mexican professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a former one-time AEW Women's World Champion. She ...

). There was one very memorable match that Mercedes Martinez had with Cindy Rogers. During this encounter, Cindy Rogers was wearing her spandex. At one point, Cindy Rogers left the ring. Martinez walked over to Rogers, grabbed her by the spandex, and dragged her back into the ring. On June 2, 2019, Martinez appeared for

WAW Waw or WAW may refer to: * Waw (letter), a letter in many Semitic abjads * Waw, the velomobile * Another spelling for the town Wau, South Sudan * Waw Township, Burma *Warsaw Chopin Airport, an international airport serving Warsaw, Poland (IATA ai ...

at Fightmare III, held at Carrow Road (the home stadium of

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

), in a winning effort against

Sweet Saraya Julia Hamer (née Hamer; born 19 October 1971), better known by her ring names Sweet Saraya and Saraya Knight, is an English professional wrestler, trainer and promoter. She is also the mother of AEW wrestler Saraya. Early life Hamer was bo ...

to become the WAWW World Champion.

Women Superstars Uncensored (2007–2018)

Women Superstars Uncensored Women Superstars United (WSU; formerly ''Women Superstars Uncensored'') is an American, New Jersey based women's professional wrestling promotion which held its first event in 2006. Shows combine wrestling interspersed with both serious and c ...

(WSU) in 2007, Martinez began teaming with

Angel Orsini Angel Orsini (born August 26, 1969) is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and mixed martial artist. She has competed in North American independent promotions including Women's Extreme Wrestling, Ohio Valley Wrestling and Extreme Champio ...

. In March 2008, they began feuding that culminated in many grueling matches throughout 2008 into 2009, including a Steel Cage on January 10, 2009; 2 months later, Martinez defeated Orsini in a Bullrope match on March 7, 2009 at the ''Second Anniversary Show'' in

Boonton, New Jersey Boonton is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 8,815, an increase of 468 (+5.6%) from the 2010 census count of 8,347, which in turn reflected a decline of 149 (− ...

to win the

, ending Orsini's record reign of just over nine months. They had one more match that rewrote the record books in a 60-minute Iron Woman Match on June 6, 2009 in Boonton, New Jersey, that went a total of 70 minutes including going 10 minutes into sudden death and resulted in Mercedes getting the pin after a fisherwoman's buster and retaining the title. Martinez would continue to defend the title against the likes of

, Awesome Kong, Rain, and

. Along the way, Martinez and Orsini briefly captured the WSU Tag Team Championships. Martinez continued her WSU Championship title reign by defending against more challengers including Alicia, Amber O'Neal,

Mickie James Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American professional wrestler and country singer. She is currently signed to Impact Wrestling. She has also had tenures in WWE and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA ...

, and Jazz throughout 2009–2010. In January 2011, Martinez defeated Angel Orsini again in a ladder match to unify her title with Orsini's All Guts No Glory championship. Martinez then successfully defended her championship against

in the main event of WSU's 4 year anniversary show and also defeated Brittney Savage at WSU's Uncensored Rumble event. In August 2011, Mercedes put her title on the line against Uncensored Rumble winner, Lexxus in a match that would become the longest women's wrestling match in history as the match continued past the 60 minute time limit until Martinez was able to get the win after 73 minutes, breaking the record of the Orsini match by three minutes. Martinez then became involved in a violent rivalry with Jessicka Havok that culminated in Havok putting an end to Martinez's unprecedented three year title reign at the WSU 5th Anniversary Show. On February 11, 2017, Martinez defeated Cherry Bomb to win the WSU Championship, making her the first ever three-time champion. She retained the title for over a year until June 16, 2018, when she lost the title against

Tessa Blanchard Tessa Blanchard (born July 26, 1995) is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling, where she became the first female wrestler to win the Impact World Championship and is also a former Impact Knockouts ...

WWE (2017–2018)

On July 13, 2017, Martinez entered

Mae Young Classic The Mae Young Classic was a women's professional wrestling tournament and WWE Network event produced by WWE, an American-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was named in honor of the late Mae Young, a WWE Hall of Famer who is consi ...

tournament, defeating

Xia Li Zhao Xia (; born July 28, 1988) is a Chinese-American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Xia Li ...

in her first round match. The following day, Martinez defeated

Princesa Sugehit Ernestina Sugehit Salazar Martínez (born June 25, 1980) is a Mexican '' luchadora'' (Spanish for ''professional wrestler'') who is best known under the ring name Princesa Sugehit. She is working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion ...

in the second round and Abbey Laith in the quarterfinals, before being eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals by

. She made an appearance on the October 26, 2017 episode of ''

'', participating in a battle royal which was won by Nikki Cross to determine one of the contenders for the vacant

NXT Women's Championship The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on April 5, 2013, t ...

at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. Martinez would also lose to

Ember Moon Adrienne Reese (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current ROH Wo ...

on the November 15, 2017 edition of ''NXT''. Martinez made her return to WWE, competing in the 2nd

. She made it to the second round, defeating

Ashley Rayne Ashley Nichole Lomberger (née Simmons; born February 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madison Rayne, where she is also the coach of the women's division. She is best known ...

before being eliminated by

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 ...

All Elite Wrestling (2019)

On August 31, 2019, Martinez appeared at

's second major pay-per-view event, All Out. She appeared as the "Joker" in the second Casino Battle Royale, coming into the match as its final entrant. She was eliminated by

Britt Baker Brittany Baker (born April 23, 1991) is an American professional wrestler and dentist. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Britt Baker where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. Born in Punxsut ...

without scoring a single elimination. She made her return on November 5 at ''

AEW Dark AEW or aew may refer to: * Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft * Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW) * AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company ...

'', teaming with

Big Swole Aerial Hull, better known as Big Swole, is an American professional wrestler. Previously signed to All Elite Wrestling, she performs on the independent circuit, where she is the current Phoenix of Rise champion. Early life Hull was born in the ...

in a losing effort against

Allie Allie is a unisex given name, a nickname and, more rarely a surname. It is a diminutive form of several names beginning with ''Al-''. It may refer to: Given name or nickname Female * Allie (wrestler) (born 1987), Canadian professional wrestler ...

and Sadie Gibbs.

Return to WWE (2020–2021)

In January 2020, Martinez signed a contract with WWE and reported to the Performance Center. She was again assigned to the NXT brand, with her return match being a

battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

to determine the number one contender for the

on January 15, eliminating

Mia Yim Stephanie Hym Lee (née Bell; born April 16, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name "Michin" Mia Yim. She is a member of The O.C.. She is also known for her tim ...

before being eliminated by

. She also entered her first

Royal Rumble match The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic Battle Royal match in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the ...

at the Royal Rumble 2020 event at Number 6, before being eliminated by

Mandy Rose Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose. Rose began ...

and

Sonya Deville Daria Rae Berenato (born September 24, 1993) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sonya Deville. She is also a former on-scre ...

after lasting over eight minutes. On February 5, Martinez defeated

Kacy Catanzaro Kacy Esther Catanzaro (born January 14, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, gymnast and athletics-based television personality. She is currently signed with WWE on the NXT brand under the ring name Katana Chance. She competed at ...

in her return singles match, marking her first victory on ''NXT''. On July 22 episode of ''NXT'', Martinez signed with the Robert Stone Brand after attacking Shotzi Blackheart, turning heel in the process. On the September 8 episode of ''NXT'', after losing to Rhea Ripley in a steel cage match, Robert Stone announced that she is no longer part of the Robert Stone Brand. Martinez made her ''Raw'' debut on September 21, where she was revealed as a member of the villainous faction, Retribution under the ring name of Retaliation. Shortly thereafter, Martinez requested her removal from the group, and was quietly returned to NXT. Martinez made her return to ''NXT'' on December 23, attacking NXT Women's champion

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 ...

. She was in a triple threat along with

Toni Storm Toni Rossall (born 19 October 1995), better known by the ring name Toni Storm, is a New Zealand-Australian professional wrestler. She is currently signed to AEW, where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. She previously worked for WWE ...

at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day but failed to capture the championship. In June 2021, Martinez entered into a feud against Xia Li over beating her in the inaugural Mae Young Classic, losing to her in a match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. On the June 29 episode of ''NXT'', she teamed with

Jake Atlas Kenny Sanchez Marquez (born October 5, 1994), known by his ring name Jake Atlas, is an American professional wrestler known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and WWE. Professional wrestling career As a native resident of Los Angeles, San ...

and lost to Li and

Boa Kwon Bo-ah (; born November 5, 1986), known professionally as BoA, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actress. One of the most successful and influential Korean entertainers, she has been dubbed the " Queen of K- ...

in a mixed tag team match. During the match, she suffered an injury after getting knocked out with a kick, and was taken to a hospital afterwards. On August 6, Martinez was released from her WWE contract.

Impact Wrestling (2021–2022)

On the October 7, 2021 episode of '' Impact!'', Martinez made her debut, teaming with Savannah Evans and

Tasha Steelz Latasha Harris (born April 3, 1987) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling under the ring name Tasha Steelz. She is a former Knockouts World Champion and a former two-time Knockouts Tag Team Champion. She also ...

to defeat

Brandi Lauren Brandi Lauren Pawalek (born September 26, 1996) is an American Model (person), model and professional wrestler better known by her ring name Brandi Lauren. She has worked in the past for Impact Wrestling, having previously worked as Ava Storie be ...

Kimber Lee Kimberly Ann Frankele (born June 27, 1990), better known by her ring name Kimber Lee, is an American professional wrestler who is currently a free agent. She is known for her work on both the American and international independent circuits, most ...

, and Lady Frost. At Knockouts Knockdown, Martinez defeated Brandi Lauren in the quarter-finals,

Rachael Ellering Rachael Ellering (born December 28, 1992) is an American 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 box ...

in the semi-finals, and Tasha Steelz in the final to win the Knockouts Knockdown tournament, thus she received a future

Impact Knockouts Championship The Impact Knockouts World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by Impact Wrestling. It is primarily contested for in Impact's women's division, known as the Impact Knockouts. The championship debuted on Oct ...

match. Martinez received her championship match against

Turning Point A turning point, or climax, is the point of highest tension in a narrative work. Turning Point or Turning Points may refer to: Film * ''The Turning Point'', a 1914 silent film starring Caroline Cooke * ''The Turning Point'' (1920 film), an Ame ...

, where she was unsuccessful in capturing the title. On the January 6, 2022 episode of ''Impact!'', Martinez lost to

Deonna Purrazzo Deonna Purrazzo (born June 10, 1994) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where she is a former two-time Impact Knockouts World Champion and a former Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion. She also appe ...

in what would be her final match in the company.

Return to All Elite Wrestling (2021–present)

On the December 29, 2021 episode of ''

AEW Dynamite AEW or aew may refer to: * Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft * Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW) * AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company ...

'', Martinez made her return, assisting

Jade Cargill Jade Cargill (born June 3, 1992) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is the inaugural and current AEW TBS Champion. Her ongoing reign is the longest reign of any AEW championship at + day ...

in defeating

to advance to the finals of the TBS Womens Championship. It was then announced via social media that she had signed with

AEW AEW or aew may refer to: * Airborne early warning, airborne radar system for detecting aircraft * Aerosvit Airlines, an airline based in Kyiv, Ukraine (ICAO airline designator: AEW) * AEW Capital Management, a property investment management company ...

. Martinez faced Rosa in the February 4, 2022, episode of ''Rampage'', where she was disqualified due to hitting Rosa with a

lead pipe A pipe is a tubular section or hollow cylinder, usually but not necessarily of circular cross-section, used mainly to convey substances which can flow — liquids and gases (fluids), slurries, powders and masses of small solids. It ...

Return to Ring of Honor (2022–present)

On March 30, 2022, AEW president

Tony Khan Antony Rafiq Khan (born October 10, 1982) is an American businessman, promoter, and sports executive. He is known for his involvement in American football, professional wrestling and soccer. He is best known as the founder and co-owner of All E ...

, who had purchased Ring of Honor one month prior, announced that Martinez would face

Willow Nightingale Danielle Paultre (born January 25, 1994), better known by the ring-name Willow Nightingale, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is best known for her tenures with Ring of Honor and Shimmer Wom ...

on April 1 at

Supercard of Honor XV Supercard of Honor XV was a professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by American promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on April 1, 2022, at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. It was the 14th event in the Supercard of Honor ...

for the

Interim An interim is a period of temporary pause or change in a sequence of events, or a temporary state, and is often applied to transitional political entities. Interim may also refer to: Temporary organizational arrangements (general concept) *Provis ...

ROH Women's World Championship The ROH Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). The current champion is Athena, who is in her first reign. His ...

, with the winner facing

lineal champion In combat sports where champions are decided by a challenge, the lineal championship of a weight class is a world championship title held initially by an undisputed champion and subsequently by a fighter who defeats the reigning champion in a mat ...

at a later date. Martinez would go onto defeat Nightingale to claim the interim ROH Women's World Championship. On the May 4, 2022 episode of ''Dynamite'', she defeated Purrazzo to become the undisputed

. She has since successfully defended the ROH Women's World Championship on episodes of '' AEW Dark: Elevation''. On the November 18 episode of ''Rampage'', Martinez returned from an injury to stop

attacking

Madison Rayne Ashley Nichole Lomberger (née Simmons; born February 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madison Rayne, where she is also the coach of the women's division. She is best known ...

after their match. On December 10, at

Final Battle Final Battle is a professional wrestling event, held annually by the Ring of Honor promotion. The event was initially held in 2002, and is traditionally ROH's last show in the calendar year. The 2009 edition of the show was ROH's first internet ...

, Martinez lost the title to Athena, ending her reign at 220 days.

Personal life

In July 2019, Benitez announced during an interview with ''NowThis'' that she is openly

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

. She was married and has one child, a boy, born in 2009.

Championships and accomplishments

Mercedes Martinez as Femme Fatales champion

*Alternative Wrestling Show **AWS Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current) *

Bellatrix Female Warriors Bellatrix Female Warriors, also known as Bellatrix, is a British independent women's professional wrestling promotion based in Norwich. The company was founded by Sweet Saraya in 2006 as the World Association of Women's Wrestling, a sister compan ...

** Bellatrix World Championship (1 time) *Defiant Pro Wrestling **DPW Women's Championship (1 time) *Green Mountain Wrestling **GMW Women's Championship (2 times) *

Impact Wrestling Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...

** Knockouts Knockdown Tournament (2021) *

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 199 ...

IWA Mid-South Women's Championship The IWA Mid-South Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling title owned and promoted by the Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South professional wrestling promotion. The title was created on May 30, 2004 in a one night tourna ...

(1 time) *IndyGurlz Championship Wrestling **IndyGurlz Australia Championship (2 time) *

** NECW World Women's Championship ( 1 time) (1 time) *New Horizon Pro Wrestling **Global Conflict Shield Tournament (2014, 2016) *

Femmes Fatales A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

** Femmes Fatales Championship (3 times) *''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' **Ranked No. 2 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI Female 50 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publis ...

'' in 2011 *Pennsylvania Premiere Wrestling **PPW Women's Championship (1 time) *Pro Wrestling Unplugged **PWU Unified Women's Championship (1 time) *

( 1 time) ** Interim ROH Women's World Championship (1 time) *

Rise Wrestling Rise Wrestling (stylized as RiSE Wrestling or RISE Wrestling and often referred to simply as RiSE) was an American, independent women's professional wrestling promotion. It airs events on Internet pay-per-view (iPPV by subscription) and hosts l ...

** Phoenix of Rise Championship (1 time) **RISE Year-End Awards (4 times) *** Match of the Year (2018) vs.

in a 75-minute iron woman match on RISE 10: Insanity ***Moment of The Year (2018) – Martinez and Blanchard set a new world record at RISE 10, the longest one on one women's wrestling match in history at 75 Minutes ***Wrestler of The Year (2018) ***Match of the Year (2019) *

( 2 time) **

Shimmer Tag Team Championship The Shimmer Tag Team Championship (stylized as SHIMMER Tag Team Championship) is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Shimmer Women Athletes. The title is recognized nationally by Ring of Honor, and also by several independent promot ...

( 1 time) – with

Shine Wrestling Shine Wrestling (stylized as SHINE Wrestling and often referred to simply as SHINE) is an American, New York based independent women's professional wrestling promotion. It is the sister promotion to Shimmer Women Athletes and airs events on Inte ...

(1 time) **

Shine Tag Team Championship The Shine Tag Team Championship is the tag team championship contested in the professional wrestling promotion Shine Wrestling. Inaugural Championship Tournament (2014) The tournament was held in one night at the ''" Shine 17"'' event on Februa ...

(1 time) – with Ivelisse *''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' **Ranked No. 10 of the top 10 women's wrestlers of the year in 2019 *

**All Guts, No Glory Championship (1 time) **

( 3 time) **

WSU Tag Team Championship The WSU Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Women Superstars United (WSU). It is competed for in Women Superstars United, and has been defended on shows of sister promotion National Wrestling Superstars. Cham ...

( 1 time) – with

** J-Cup (2008) ** WSU/NWS King and Queen of the Ring (

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

) – with

Julio Dinero Brian Wohl (born April 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known for his ring name Julio Dinero. His real name is sometimes mistakenly given as Brian Wall. Professional wrestling career Wohl debuted in 1994 after tra ...

** WSU Hall of Fame (Class of 2017) *

WXW C4 Women's Championship The WXW Diamond Division Championship (formerly known as the WXW C4 Women's Championship) is one of two top women's professional wrestling title in the World Xtreme Wrestling promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), ...

(1 time) **

WXW Cruiserweight Championship This is a chronological list of WXW Cruiserweight Champions. The WXW Cruiserweight Championship is a professional wrestling title created in 1996 as part of Top Rope Productions and World Xtreme Wrestling when the promotion was renamed in 1998. ...

(1 time) **

(5 times) ** Elite 8 Tournament (2006, 2008) **WXW Hall of Fame (Class of 2014) * ''

WrestleCrap ''WrestleCrap'' is a professional wrestling website created by R. D. Reynolds and Merle Vincent, serving as a "hall of shame" for some of the worst gimmicks and storylines in professional wrestling history. The site is currently run by Reynolds ...

'' ** Gooker Award (2020) –

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

References

External links

* * *
Online World of Wrestling profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martinez, Mercedes 1980 births 21st-century professional wrestlers Living people All Elite Wrestling personnel American female professional wrestlers American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent Lesbian sportswomen LGBT people from Connecticut LGBT professional wrestlers American LGBT sportspeople Professional wrestlers billed from Connecticut Professional wrestlers from Connecticut Post University alumni Shimmer Champions Shimmer Tag Team Champions ROH Women's World Champions