Birthplace: Canada
Years Active: 2010-Present
Net Worth: $1.5 Million
Taya Valkyrie (birth name, Kira Renee Forster) was actually a classically trained ballerina before taking on a more gritty persona in women’s wrestling. She began her training at Storm Wrestling Academy in 2010 and competed exclusively in Canada. Although Valkyrie signed with the WWE in 2011, she never made an official debut and decided to return to the independent circuit in Canada. She made a debut for AAA Lucha Libre Worldwide in 2012 as a part of a six-member tag team match.
Valkyrie continued to appear on AAA Lucha Libre Worldwide but transitioned to Lucha Underground in 2016. As of today, she can be seen full time in various AAA promotions.
Judy Grable
Birthplace: USA
Years Active: 1953-1966
Net Worth: $100,000*
Judy Grable was a pioneer for her time being a female wrestler in professional organizations during the 1950s and 60s. Grable was the youngest of six kids and was a tomboy who loved sports, fishing, and hunting, and later on, wrestling. Grable was also trained by The Fabulous Moolah and was very acrobatic. Full of surprises, Grable developed special skills during her time spent with the Ringling Brothers Circus. She was in the circus for six months before she fell off a high wire.
Grable was also nicknamed “The Barefoot Contessa” during her career because she preferred to wrestle barefoot. Grable became a bit of a legacy and one of her daughters also became a wrestler. Like mother, like daughter!
AJ Lee
Birthplace: USA
Years Active: 2007-2015
Net Worth: $4 Million
AJ Lee (birth name, April Jeanette Mendez) first entered the independent wrestling circuit in 2007. She signed with the WWE in 2009 and defeated Serena Mancini the following year to take the Queen of FCW title. After suffering some losses, Lee then won over Naomi in the FCW Diva’s Championship.
In 2010, she appeared in the third season of NXT and was involved in many complex storylines. Lee later won a battle royal in 2013 and, in 2014, became the longest-reigning Divas Champion. In 2015 she retired after sustaining a spinal injury.
Peyton Royce
Birthplace: Australia
Years Active: 2009-Present
Net Worth: $1 Million
Peyton Royce (born Cassandra McIntosh) entered the Pro Wrestling Women’s Alliance in 2009 as part of a tag team match, which she ultimately won. Royce also had singles matches, suffering both defeats and victories through 2011. In 2015 she joined NXT and unfortunately had a rough beginning with a number of losses.
Later, in 2018, Royce became a part of the tag team, the IIconics with Billie Kay. The duo did well together at the start but also began suffering some defeats. Despite the losses, the IIconics were drafted into the Raw brand in 2019.
Mariko Yoshida
Birthplace: Japan
Years Active: 1998-2017
Net Worth: $1 million*
Mariko Yoshida’s career began when she appeared on the All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling in 1988. She wrestled under the name Mariko Yoshida, and she worked for AJW before wrestling with Arsion.
Yoshida became the head trainer at Arsion and, during her career, was known for her high-flying, acrobatic skills. Yoshida’s two signature finishing moves were the back-to-belly, over-the-shoulder piledriver, (nicknamed the “Air Raid Crash”) and head scissors shoulder lock (nicknamed “Spider Twist.”). Yoshida actually invented both of these moves! In 2017 she retired at the age of forty-seven after she lost to her trainee, Hiroyo Matsumoto, in her very last match.