Vanessa Kraven (born February 10, 1982), is a Canadian

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 o ...

who competed in several

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

promotions in both the United States and Canada. She has also made several trips to Japan. She recently wrestled a match against Hikaru Shida for AEW Dark.

Professional wrestling career

Canadian promotions

Kraven became interested in professional wrestling at an early age and later as a teenager during the so-called ''"

Attitude Era The Attitude Era was a term used by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as World Wrestling Entertainment or WWE) to describe the company's programming from November 9, 1997 to May 6, 2002. It started during the Monday Night Wars, a ...

"''. After graduating from hairdressing school in 2002, she began training at ''Sully's Gym'' under

Ron Hutchison Ron Hutchison (born February 7, 1964) is a retired Canadian professional wrestler, trainer and promoter who competed for Canadian independent promotions such as Grand Prix Wrestling and Maple Leaf Wrestling as well as a brief stint in the World Wr ...

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and later under Zaquary Springate III in the

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before eventually making her professional debut in April 2004. In late 2004, at Northern Championship Wrestling (NCW) 's ''ChallengeMania'', she was introduced as "Vanessa Kraven" with a goth in-ring persona and appeared with her storyline half-brother James Kraven as an ally and bodyguard. She became a mainstay in the promotion, continuing to appear as a valet with Kraven, most notably, at the ''Night of the Blizzard'' supercard where James Kraven and Stalker faced brothers Adib and Sidi Mansour on the undercard. She was the last NCW Women's Champion, having held the title between early 2005 and August 2006, when NCW's women's division was disbanded. Beginning in 2005, she worked for Montreal's

International Wrestling Syndicate International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS) is a professional wrestling promotion based out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Originating from the Dawson Wrestling Federation, it was formerly known as the Internet Wrestling Syndicate and World Wrestling Syn ...

, debuting on March 26 by helping Kid Kamikaze win a match. She remained allied with Kamikaze over the next several months,

managing Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

him and aiding him during matches. She made her wrestling debut for the promotion on July 23, when she and Takao lost a

tag team 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 ...

to Damian and Kenny the Bastard. She picked up her first victory in December, defeating Lex Lurmon and Jagger Miles in a

handicap 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 ...

. Over the next year, she regularly competed in intergender matches, which included victories over Eric Lauze,

Franky The Mobster Marc-André Boulanger is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Franky The Mobster (or F.T.M. for short). He currently wrestles for Montreal's International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS) and Northern Championship Wr ...

, and

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. In March 2007, she unsuccessfully challenged for the IWS Canadian Championship in a

six-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. So ...

won by reigning champion Don Paysan. Later that year, she formed an alliance with Twiggy to take on SLI 2007 (Fred la Merveille and Kenny the Bastard), and on January 26, 2008, they lost a tag team match to the pair at ''Praise the Violence''. Her last appearance for the promotion for several years was on August 23, when her match with

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 ...

ended in a

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when they were both attacked by Wellington. She returned to the promotion for the final show in 2010, competing in a six-way elimination match for the IWS Canadian Championship; the match was won by

Max Boyer Maxime "Max" Boyer (born June 2, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler, best known for his time in the Chikara and International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS) professional wrestling promotions. Boyer is a former Chikara Young Lions Cup Champion ...

and also included Shayne Hawke, Alex Silva, Kid Kamikaze, and Mike Bailey. Vanessa Kraven post-match

In 2006, she made two appearances for Ontario's

BSE Pro BSE Pro (Formerly Blood Sweat and Ears) (or BSE Wrestling) was a Canadian independent professional wrestling organization, founded in 2005. It held 10-12 events a year in the Greater Toronto Area, as well as quarterly tours to Northern Ontario c ...

promotion; on May 7, she was unsuccessful in a five-way match won by Kobra Kai, and also including Don Paysan, El Vigote Dos, and Ash, and on July 9, she and

Tiana Ringer Tiana Ringer (born September 3, 1985) is an American professional wrestler who has competed in North American promotions in Ontario and the North Central United States and has appeared in BSE Pro and Shimmer Women Athletes during the early 2000s. ...

lost a tag team match to Shantelle Taylor and Tracy Brooks. In 2007, she teamed with SeXXXy Eddy in a

mixed tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ...

against Kacey Diamond and Exess at the Association de Lutte Feminine's '' Sherri Martel Memorial Cup tournament''. Since 2012, she has been wrestling for C*4, Acclaim Wrestling, Smash Wrestling in Toronto, and BATTLEWAR in Montreal. In April 2014, she 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 ...

. Over the next several months, she picked up victories over wrestlers including

Sassy Stephie Stephanie Sager (born March 18, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring names Sassy Stephie and Sassy Stephanie. She regularly performs for several independent promotions including Shimmer Women Athletes and Women S ...

and Jody D'Milo.

Japanese promotions

Kraven has done five tours of Japan. Her Japan debut being for the NEO Japan Ladies promotion in August 2006. Appearing for the Wrestle Expo in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, she was unsuccessful in gaining a victory against NWA Women's Pacific and NEO Single Champion

Yoshiko Tamura is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. Tamura was trained by the All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) promotion, made her debut in September 1994 and worked for the promotion for three years, winning the AJW Junior Championship, before ...

during NEO's World Women's Wrestling Classic (WWWC) World Cup Tournament. During her tours of Japan Kraven has worked for NEO,

Ice Ribbon is a ''joshi puroresu'' (women's professional wrestling) promotion established in 2006 by Emi Sakura, after her split with Gatokunyan. History Ice Ribbon was founded by Emi Sakura, a professional wrestler who was active with IWA Japan and ...

Pro Wrestling WAVE , is a women's professional wrestling, or Joshi Puroresu, promotion created in 2007 after the dissolution and closure of JDStar. The company was formed by Mikiko Futagami, or Gami, former JDStar wrestler Yumi Ohka, and former JDStar booker Ta ...

, JWP and Jd' Star. Her last Japan tour was in May 2010, working three shows for NEO and one show for JWP.

United States-based promotions

In 2006, she had a brief stint in

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 ...

; on April 1, she and Daizee Haze lost to

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 ...

and

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 ...

in an

elimination tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

for the NWA Midwest Women's Championship, when Knuckles pinned Kraven to win the match. At the inaugural Queen of the Deathmatch tournament in November, Kraven was eliminated by Rachel Putski in a thumbtack death match during the quarterfinals. In April 2014, Kraven debuted for

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 ...

on ''Volume 62'', losing to

Kay Lee Ray Kayleigh Rae (born 11 August 1992), better known as Kay Lee Ray, is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Alba Fyre. Rae began her wrestling career in 2009 and c ...

. She returned to the promotion in October, defeating

Jessicka Havok Jessica Cricks (born June 20, 1986) is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Jessicka Havok. She is currently signed with Impact Wrestling, under the ring name Jessicka where she is a current two-time Impact Knockouts ...

countout 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 ...

on ''Volume 68'' and defeating Crazy Mary Dobson on ''Volume 70''. In December 2014, Kraven made her debut for

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 ...

, defeating

Leva Bates Leva Bates (born May 21, 1983) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling. She also had a successful tenure on the independent circuit, most notably for Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also appeared in WWE on their develo ...

. On July 30, 2018,

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 vari ...

announced that Kraven would compete in the 2018

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. She was eliminated in the first round after losing to Lacey Lane. On October 18th, 2022, Kraven made her

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, ...

debut by wrestling against

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 ...

on AEW Dark.

Injury and retirement

In October 2018, a few months after the WWE Mae Young Classic, Kraven broke her leg and ankle during an indie wrestling match. She underwent a surgery in November 2018 and has not wrestled since. On August 11, 2020, Kraven announced her retirement from professional wrestling. Though, she has made her return to wrestling after taking some bookings since April 2022.

Championships and accomplishments

* Acclaim Pro Wrestling ** APW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) * Northern Championship Wrestling ** NCW Women's Championship (1 time) ** NCW Femmes Fatales International Championship (1 time) * Pro Wrestling Eclipse ** PWE Flame Championship (1 time) ** PWE Flame Championship Tournament (2017) * ''

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 Publi ...

'' ** Ranked No. 35 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 2016 *

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

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 ...

References

External links

CageMatch profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kraven, Vanessa 1982 births Canadian female professional wrestlers Living people Shimmer Tag Team Champions Professional wrestlers from Montreal 21st-century professional wrestlers