Taynara Melo Guevara (née de Carvalho and formerly Conti; born June 9, 1995) is a Brazilian

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 ...

and judoka. She is 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, ...

(AEW), where she performs under the ring name Tay Melo () and is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society. She also appears in AEW's

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

based partner promotion

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Antonio Peña Promotions, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide is a Mexican Lucha Libre (professional wrestling) professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Commonly referred to as simply ...

(AAA), where she is a former AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion with real life husband

Sammy Guevara Samuel George Guevara (born July 28, 1993) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society. He is a record tying three-time former AEW TNT Champion. He also app ...

. Prior to joining AEW, she performed 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 vari ...

on the NXT

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create ...

as Taynara Conti from 2017 to 2020.

Early life and judo

Taynara Melo de Carvalho was born on June 9, 1995, in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

. She has a brother and 2 sisters, one of whom is adopted. Melo grew up in Rio's notorious poverty-stricken and crime-infested

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...

s. Melo holds a black belt in

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

and a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Melo briefly went to law school in Brazil and she participated in trials for the Brazilian Olympic team at the 2016 Summer Olympics prior to joining WWE. Melo began her athletic career in

artistic gymnastics Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

CR Vasco da Gama Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (), commonly referred as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a professional sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Originally a rowing club, Vasco is mostly known for its football team, who it currently compet ...

, but soon migrated to martial arts. First, Melo fought for the project "Brasil vale ouro" (Brazil is worth gold) and later went to "Instituto Reação", by judoka Flávio Canto. Melo was a regional champion and four-time state champion. In addition, she was a four-time Brazilian runner-up. She joined the Brazilian team and participated in the European circuit in Portugal and Germany.

Professional wrestling career

WWE (2016–2020)

Melo was announced as having signed with WWE, and reported to the

WWE Performance Center The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE ...

in October 2016. She made her professional wrestling debut as Taynara Conti at

WrestleMania Axxess WrestleMania Axxess is a professional wrestling fan convention held by WWE during the week of WrestleMania. The event typically runs for four days—from Thursday to WrestleMania Sunday—and features WWE talent and alumni autograph signings, int ...

in Orlando, Florida on April 1, 2017, competing against Sarah Bridges in a losing effort. She took part in the inaugural

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 ...

, during which she lost to

Lacey Evans Macey Estrella-Kadlec (née Evans; born March 24, 1990) is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Lacey Evans. Originally introduced to wrestling while serving as a militar ...

during the first round of the tournament. Conti appeared on television on the October 11 episode of '' NXT'', interfering in a

triple threat 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 ...

between Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce, and

Liv Morgan Gionna Jene Daddio (born June 8, 1994) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Liv Morgan. She is a former SmackDown Women's Champion. In ...

on behalf of

The Undisputed Era The Undisputed Era was a professional wrestling stable from WWE's NXT brand. It formed on August 19, 2017 at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III shortly after Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O'Reilly signed with WWE, although Fish and O'Reilly had ...

(

Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Adam Cole. He is also known for his tenures with WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH). C ...

Bobby Fish Robert Anthony Fish (born October 27, 1976) is an American professional wrestler currently appearing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand and was a member of The Undisputed E ...

, and

Kyle O'Reilly Kyle Edward Greenwood (born March 1, 1987) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs under the ring name Kyle O'Reilly. He is also known for his time in Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2009 to 20 ...

) to prevent Cross from winning the match. This led to a match between Conti and Cross on the November 1 episode of ''NXT'', where Conti lost. On April 8, 2018, Conti performed during the pre-show of

WrestleMania 34 WrestleMania 34 was the 34th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 8, 2 ...

, competing in the

WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal The WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal was a professional wrestling battle royal held at WrestleMania by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The winner of the match received the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal Trophy. The inaugur ...

, becoming the first female Brazilian to compete on the evening of WrestleMania. Later in the year, Conti qualified for the

2018 Mae Young Classic The 2018 Mae Young Classic was a multi-night special event and tournament promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, WWE. It was the second Mae Young Classic tournament produced and was constituted by a 32-competitor tournament exc ...

tournament after she defeated Vanessa Borne. She defeated Jessie Elaban in the first round but lost to Lacey Lane in the second round. On April 20, 2020, Conti was released from her WWE contract as a result of budget cuts due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Like all other talent released, she remained under the 90-day no compete clause, which expired on July 23, 2020. Conti later revealed in an interview that she had been unhappy for months at WWE and wanted to be released, but the company initially would not grant her a release out of fear she would go to

(AEW).

All Elite Wrestling (2020–present)

On August 4, 2020, Melo appeared on AEW as Tay Conti, participating in the AEW Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw and teaming with Anna Jay. The team, known officially as TayJay, defeated

Nyla Rose Nyla Rose (born August 3, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and actress signed to All Elite Wrestling, where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. She also starred in the 2016 Canadian television series '' The Switch''. Rose beca ...

and Ariane Andrew in the quarterfinals but lost to Ivelisse and

Diamante A diamanté (also spelled diamante) is a glittering ornament, such as an artificial jewel (e.g. a rhinestone) or a sequin. Diamante may also refer to: Places Argentina * Diamante, Entre Ríos, a ''municipio'' in Diamante Department * Diamante ...

during the semi-finals. On the August 26 episode of '' Dynamite'', she received a contract from the stable

The Dark Order The Dark Order is a professional wrestling stable, currently performing in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The stable consists of Evil Uno, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, and Brodie Lee Jr. The group debuted on the inaugural Double or Nothing pay-per- ...

to join them. On September 9, AEW announced that Conti had signed with the company. On the January 13, 2021, episode of ''Dynamite'', Conti competed for the

NWA World Women's Championship The NWA World Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The title was first won by Mildred Burke in 193 ...

for the first time, and was defeated by

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 devel ...

. In the following weeks, Conti earned a title match for the AEW Women's World Championship, but she was not successful in beating the champion,

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 the April 21 episode of ''Dynamite''. In September, Conti and Anna Jay began a feud with

Penelope Ford Olivia Hasler (born September 14, 1992), better known by the ring name Penelope Ford, is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling. She is also known for her work in Combat Zone Wrestling. Professional wrestling career Comb ...

and The Bunny in a series of singles and tag matches on '' Dynamite'' and '' Rampage''. On November 13, Conti fought again for the AEW Women's World Championship, this time facing defending champion

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 ...

at Full Gear but came up unsuccessful. The TayJay/Bunny & Ford feud came to a head when the team of Jay and Conti defeated the team of The Bunny and Ford in a Street Fight on December 31 on ''Rampage''. On March 6, 2022, at

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

, Conti faced

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 ...

for the AEW TBS Championship in a losing effort. After months of feuding, on May 29 at

Double or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either the subject doubled to twice the amount as the original ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It ...

Conti teamed up with

and

Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American professional wrestler and musician currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. In addition, Kazarian also performs for Impact Wrest ...

in a trios mixed tag team match facing American Top Team's

Ethan Page Julian Micevski (born September 20, 1989), better known by his ring name Ethan Page, is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Firm. Page is best known for his work in Imp ...

Paige VanZant Paige Michelle VanZant (''née'' Sletten; married name Vanderford; born March 26, 1994), is an American mixed martial artist, bare knuckle boxer, professional wrestler, author, and model. She is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling, as a wres ...

and

Scorpio Sky Schuyler Andrews (born April 2, 1983), better known by the ring name Scorpio Sky, is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Andrews is also known for his appearances with Ring of ...

, which Conti's team lost. On June 15, at '' Road Rager'', Conti along with Guevara, joined the Jericho Appreciation Society, turning heel. On August 12 on ''Rampage'' Quake by the Lake under the new ring name Tay Melo, teamed up with Guevara defending the

AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship The AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship (''Campeonato en Parejas Mixtas AAA'' in Spanish) is a tag team title contested for in the Mexican lucha libre promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). The championship is exclusively for teams composed ...

against Dante Martin and Skye Blue which they successfully retained.

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2022–present)

On April 30, 2022, Conti made her AAA debut teaming with

to defeat

Los Vipers Los Vipers is a professional wrestling group, called a stable, which has existed in various incarnations in the Mexican wrestling promotions Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) since 1997. The group has consistently been presented as a ' ...

, Maravilla and Látigo, and Sexy Star II and

Komander Komander (born December 15, 1998 in Reynosa, Tamaulipas) is a Mexican Lucha libre, luchador, a masked professional wrestling, professional wrestler, currently working with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). He made his debut for the promotion in S ...

to win the

Triplemanía XXX Triplemanía XXX was a three-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted and produced by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA or Triple A). The event was held on April 30, June 18, and Octobe ...

. For most of the match, La Parka Negra would wrestle in Guevara's place.

Personal life

In 2017, Melo married fellow judoka Jorge Conti. In November 2021, Melo revealed that she was no longer married, and that the couple had been separated "for a long time". Melo has been in a relationship with fellow professional wrestler

since January 2022. The couple got engaged in June in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and were wed on August 7, 2022, in

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

. She is a fan of MMA (particularly the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

and the MMA fighters

Amanda Nunes Amanda Lourenço Nunes (born May 30, 1988) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. She competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the current UFC Women's Featherweight Champion and two-time UFC Women's Bantamw ...

and

Charles Oliveira Charles Oliveira da Silvahttp://boxing.nv.gov/uploadedFiles/boxingnvgov/content/results/2014_Results/12-12-14MMA.pdf (born October 17, 1989) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner. He currently com ...

), often comments on the events and fights of these events on her social media, in addition to having declared that she is open to a challenge of fighting MMA in the future and that she has visited a UFC Gym several times.

Championships and accomplishments

AEW Dynamite Awards The AEW Awards, also known as the AEW Dynamite Awards, are annual awards presented by All Elite Wrestling (AEW) to its professional wrestlers recognizing their accomplishments, along with the best and most viral moments from the preceding year. T ...

(1 time) *** Biggest WTF Moment (2022) – * ''Inside the Ropes'' ** Most Improved Wrestler (2021) *

( 1 time) – with

* ''

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. 49 of the top 150 female wrestlers in the ''

PWI Women's 150 ''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 2021 * ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...

'' ** Most Improved (2021)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Taynara 1995 births Living people All Elite Wrestling personnel Brazilian female professional wrestlers Brazilian martial artists Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city) Expatriate professional wrestlers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Jericho Appreciation Society members 21st-century professional wrestlers AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champions