 Del Rey in 2011 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sara Ann Amato[1] (1980-11-13)November 13, 1980 (age 45)[2] Martinez, California, U.S.[4] |
| Lifepartner | Claudio Castagnoli (2011-present) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | The American Angel[1] Nic Grimes[1] Nikki[2] Sara Amato[3] Sara Del Rey[2] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] |
| Billed weight | 160 lb (73 kg)[4] |
| Trained by | Donovan Morgan[2] Robert Thompson[2][5] Bryan Danielson[2][5] All Pro Wrestling[4] Inoki Dojo |
| Debut | 2001[2] |
| Retired | September 2012 |
Sara Ann Amato (born November 13, 1980), better known by herring nameSara Del Rey, is an Americanprofessional wrestling trainer and retiredprofessional wrestler. She is signed toWWE as the assistant head coach of theWWE Performance Center and aproducer for theirdevelopmental territory atNXT.[6] She was a mainstay forChikara,[5]Ring of Honor (ROH) andShimmer,[7] but also appeared for many otherindependent promotions in the US, includingIWA Mid-South andAll Pro Wrestling,[4] as well asMexico'sLucha Libre Femenil.[5] Del Rey also taped several matches, competing under a mask and using the name Nic Grimes, for theMTV promotionWrestling Society X.[5]
Del Rey was the inauguralShimmer Champion and co-holder of theShimmer Tag Team Championship withCourtney Rush, making her the promotion's first double champion. In 2012, she became the fourth woman to make it toPro Wrestling Illustrated's list of top 500 wrestlers in the world.[8]
As a child, Amato considered herself a fan ofprofessional wrestling, citingHulk Hogan andThe Ultimate Warrior as two of her favorites due to their high energy characters and matches.[1][4] She did not watch it for several years, but became interested again during high school. Amato admits that in high school, she was "really shy and kind of awkward and scared of social situations", which made her doubt whether she would actually make it as a professional wrestler.[1][4] She briefly attended college following her graduation from high school, but disliked it and decided to become a professional wrestler instead.[1] She initially trained withAll Pro Wrestling's boot camp, and was trained by Tommy Drake,Donovan Morgan, and Micheal Modest.[4] In the beginning, Amato had to spend hours training, as wrestling did not come naturally to her.Tommy Drake was later interviewed, admitting Sara was not naturally talented and he didn't think she would make it, but he later said "I was so happy I was wrong, as she was a genuine person and the definition of a book that you don't judge the cover of. She worked her butt off to prove me and everyone else wrong, and that's why she deserves to be where she is".[7] She later went on to train inJapan.[1]
In 2002, Amato tried out for theJapanese promotionArsion founded byAja Kong, and she considers it a highlight of her career.[5]
On February 15, 2005, she won Impact Zone Wrestling's Women's Championship by defeating Adrenelyn on an event in Japan.[5][9] Later in 2005, she toured Japan again, and released a video that depicts six of her matches entitled "Sara Del Rey Japan Tour 2005". She also wrestled inMexico, using thegimmick "The American Angel", in which she wore awrestling mask.[1] She was unmasked in a match in the Lucha Libre Femenil promotion on December 16, 2005.[5] She later donned a mask once again as Nic Grimes, the storyline sister ofVic Grimes forWrestling Society X.[1][5]
Del Rey debuted forBerwyn, Illinois–basedShimmer Women Athletes at their inaugural show in 2005, where she wrestledMercedes Martinez to a twenty-minute time limit draw.[1][10] AtVolume 2, she won a four-way elimination match againstDaizee Haze,Lacey and Martinez, by lastly eliminating Haze.[10] On February 12, 2006, she was able to defeat Haze in the main event ofVolume 3, and thenRain atVolume 4.[11] In the main event ofVolume 5, Del Rey pinned Mercedes Martinez in a singles match. Later in the night,The Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew challenged Martinez to a tag team match, and Del Rey agreed to be Martinez's partner. AtVolume 6, Del Rey and Martinez were defeated by Rain and Lacey.[12] On October 22, Del Rey defeated the debutingNattie Neidhart. After the match, she was challenged by Martinez to a rematch atVolume 8, which Sara agreed to. In the main event ofVolume 8, Del Rey lost to Martinez, and suffered her first singles loss in Shimmer.[13]
On April 7, 2007, Del Rey defeated bothCheerleader Melissa andNikki Roxx in the main events ofVolume 9 andVolume 10, leading her to theShimmer Championship tournament.[14] On June 1, Del Rey advanced to the semi-finals of the tournament by first eliminating Cindy Rogers, and thenAlicia. AtVolume 12, she defeatedSarah Stock, and went on to defeat Lacey in the finals to become the first ever Shimmer Champion. Later in the night, she teamed with Nikki Roxx to defeat the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew.[15] Del Rey made her first successful title defense against Lacey in a rematch atVolume 14.[16] Del Rey defeatedAmazing Kong atVolume 15, and Sarah Stock in a two out of three falls match atVolume 16.[17] AtVolume 17, Del Rey teamed up withAllison Danger in a losing effort to the team ofMsChif and Cheerleader Melissa. AtVolume 18, MsChif challenged Del Rey to a championship match, which Del Rey accepted. Later in the night, Del Rey lost the Shimmer Championship to MsChif, ending her reign at 329 days.[18]
On July 5, 2008, Del Rey took part in a 21-woman number one contender'sbattle royal, but she was eliminated by Portuguese Princess Ariel. Del Rey then attacked Ariel, leading to a match between the two atVolume 19, which Del Rey won. AtVolume 20, Del Rey defeatedSerena Deeb.[19] On October 19, Del Rey was challenged by Deeb to a rematch, which once again was won by Del Rey. AtVolume 22, Del Rey was challenged once again by Deeb, but this time she did not accept.[20] On May 2, 2009, Del Rey defeatedMadison Eagles of the Pink Ladies. Later in the night, she and Amazing Kong attacked Shimmer Champion MsChif, only to be scared off by Cheerleader Melissa. AtVolume 24, Del Rey teamed up with Amazing Kong to defeat MsChif and Melissa, becoming the number one contenders to theShimmer Tag Team Championship. However, atVolume 26, Del Rey and Kong failed to capture the titles from defending championsNevaeh andAshley Lane after being disqualified. The duo proceeded to attack the champions after the match, but they were forced to leave the ring by Serena Deeb and Mercedes Martinez. Later that night, Del Rey and Kong defeated Deeb and Martinez.[21]
On November 8, Del Rey defeatedJessie McKay. Later that night, she was disqualified in a match againstAyako Hamada, but Hamada ordered that the match be restarted, which Del Rey won. AtVolume 33, Del Rey defeated Nevaeh. AtVolume 34, she was defeated by Jessie McKay in a three-way match that also included Hamada. AtVolume 35, Del Rey defeatedRachel Summerlyn, with help fromDaffney. AtVolume 36, Del Rey competed in an 8-womantag team elimination match, but was eliminated by Hamada. On March 18, 2012, Del Rey andCourtney Rush defeated Hamada andAyumi Kurihara, theCanadian NINJAs (Nicole Matthews andPortia Perez) and Regeneration X (Allison Danger andLeva Bates) to win the Shimmer Tag Team Championship, making Del Rey the first woman to have held both of Shimmer's championships.[22] On July 7, Del Rey and Rush lost the titles to the Canadian NINJAs.[23]
Del Rey had been wrestling forPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania–basedChikara since May 2006, mainly as afan favorite.[2] In November 2009, she was placed in her first major storyline in the company, when she turned into avillain and aligned herself withClaudio Castagnoli,Ares,Daizee Haze, Pinkie Sanchez,Tim Donst and Tursas to form the stableBruderschaft des Kreuzes (BDK).[24] While in BDK, Del Rey began regularly teaming with Haze, and together the two of them picked up victories over tag teams such asThe Osirian Portal (Amasis andOphidian),[25] Los Ice Creams (El Hijo del Ice Cream and Ice Cream, Jr.),[26] The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield and Sugar Dunkerton),[27]Amazing Kong andRaisha Saeed,[28] andMike Quackenbush andJigsaw.[29] On September 19, 2010, Del Rey wrestled Japanesejoshi legendManami Toyota in only her second match in the United States, when she and Claudio Castagnoli were defeated in a tag team match by Toyota and Mike Quackenbush.[30] On October 23, Del Rey represented BDK in thetorneo cibernetico match, where they faced a team of Chikara originals, and was eliminated from the match byEddie Kingston.[31] The following day, Del Rey and Haze defeated the Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno andPlayer Dos) in a tag team match to pick up their third straight victory and, as the first all–female tag team, earn the right to challenge for theChikara Campeonatos de Parejas (tag team championship), at the time held by their stablemates Ares and Claudio Castagnoli.[32] However, Del Rey and Haze never got to cash in their points, as Ares and Castagnoli ordered them to defend them in a four-way elimination match on November 21, where they ended up being eliminated by Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw and losing all of their points.[33] In May 2011, Del Rey entered the12 Large: Summit to determine the first everChikara Grand Champion. On July 31, Del Rey scored an upset win over BDK leader Claudio Castagnoli in a tournament match, after which both she and Haze were attacked by Castagnoli.[34] On August 3, Del Rey announced her resignation from BDK.[35] On October 7, Del Rey was eliminated from the12 Large: Summit, when she was defeated by Mike Quackenbush.[36] On November 12, Del Rey was part of TeamHallowicked in the eighth annualtorneo cibernetico, facing a team of members of BDK andThe Batiri. Del Rey eventually won the match by pinning her former stablemate Tim Donst.[37] During December'sJoshiMania weekend, Del Rey picked up wins over Japanese wrestlersAja Kong,Tsubasa Kuragaki andAyako Hamada.[37] In early 2012, Del Rey began feuding with the Batiri stable, which culminated on June 2 at theChikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur pay-per-view, where Del Rey and Saturyne defeated the Batiri by disqualification in a two-on-three handicap match.[37] On July 28, Del Rey received her first shot at the Chikara Grand Championship, but was unable to dethrone the defending champion, Eddie Kingston.[37] The following day, Del Rey was defeated byIcarus in her Chikara farewell match.[37]
In 2006, Del Rey feuded withDaizee Haze,[5] whom she defeated on June 3, 2006 at aRing of Honor (ROH) show.[9] She was part of the team the Dangerous Angels, withAllison Danger, and the two competed as a team in ROH.[5] One of the few female mainstays of ROH, Del Rey was a member of Sweet & Sour Inc., a faction of wrestlers managed byLarry Sweeney.[1] During her time in the faction, she was paired withChris Hero by Sweeney and dubbed the "Intergender Heavyweight Tag Team Champions", though in reality, the "titles" were never recognized by ROH. She walked out of the faction after Sweeney interrupted a match between her and Daizee Haze on the April 11 ROH show and berated her. On the next ROH show which took place the next day, Sweeney claimed, in storyline, that he was "grooming" Del Rey forWorld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and she responded by saying she was a wrestler and not aDiva. She returned as a "proud member" of Sweet & Sour Inc. at the May 9 ROH show. After Sweeney's departure from ROH, Del Rey followed Chris Hero and became a member ofThe Kings of Wrestling.
In the second episode ofRing of Honor Wrestling onHDNet, Del Rey defeated Daizee Haze. As part of the fourth episode, she lost in a tag team match, along withSassy Stephie, against Haze andNevaeh. She also took part in a three-way non-title match against Haze andShimmer ChampionMsChif, which Mschif won. She also appeared in a match on the 17th episode, when she and MsChif defeated the team of Haze and Nevaeh. On September 28, 2009, Del Rey won a match againstNikki Roxx.[38]
Del Rey returned at the June 29 tapings ofRing of Honor Wrestling, savingAdam Cole andEddie Edwards from abeat down fromMike Bennett, Brutal Bob andMaria Kanellis.[39] On August 11 atBoiling Point, Del Rey and Edwards defeated Bennett and Kanellis in a tag team match.[40]
In 2020, Del Rey won an online tournament between several female wrestlers of ROH.[41]
Del Rey debuted forJersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) at their very first show on January 10, 2009, where she defeatedDaizee Haze. On the second show on May 9, she defeatedAmazing Kong, and later in the night won abattle royal, becoming the number one contender to the inauguralJAPW Women's Championship. On June 27, she was able to defeatODB inJersey City, New Jersey to become the inaugural JAPW Women's Champion. She was also able to retain the title againstPortia Perez atEuropean Homicide on August 1. She made her second title defense againstHailey Hatred inBeachwood, New Jersey on September 12. AtHalloween Hell, shesquashed Roxie Cotton to make her third title defense. On November 13, Del Rey successfully defended the championship againstAlissa Flash at aTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA)house show inWayne, New Jersey.[42] The following day at JAPWGirl Power, Del Rey foughtCheerleader Melissa to a double disqualification, after Hailey Hatred attacked both Del Rey and Melissa. Later that night. it was announced that at the next JAPW show, the three women would face off in a three-wayno disqualification match, with Del Rey's championship on the line.[43] Del Rey made a successful title defense againstSumie Sakai atSeason's Beatings. On January 9, 2010, Del Rey won the three-way no disqualification match, thus retaining the championship.[44] On January 23, she defeatedMadison Rayne at JAPW's 12th Anniversary Show to retain the championship.[45] Del Rey continued to defend her title, and was able to defeat Hailey Hatred in aFalls Count Anywhere match atWild Card, a JAPW show where the champions had to defend their titles against mystery opponents.[46] She defended the title against Ayumi Kurihara atOld School on April 17,[47] and against Annie Social atNotorious Thunder on May 22.[48] On July 3, Del Rey wrestled at another TNA house show, losing toAngelina Love in a match for the number one contender-ship to theTNA Knockouts Championship.[49] On November 20, she retained the championship againstMia Yim, and againstLuFisto at the 13th Anniversary Show on December 11. After Del Rey signed withWWE in July 2012, the JAPW Women's Championship was declared vacant, ending her reign at 1,108 days.
On September 5, 2009, Del Rey took part at the debut show ofNCW Femmes Fatales, where she defeatedCherry Bomb. Later in the night, afterLuFisto's match, she attacked the owner of the promotion and challenged her to a match at the next show.[50] Del Rey took part in the tournament to determine the inaugural NCW FF Champion, but lost to LuFisto in the first round on June 5, 2010.[51]
On July 9, 2012, it was reported that Del Rey had signed a contract withWWE.[52] In September 2012, Del Rey became the first ever female trainer in WWE'sdevelopmental territoryNXT, based at theWWE Performance Center inOrlando, Florida.[53][54] She is currently being referred to by her real name.[55]
On May 19, 2015, Amato was promoted to NXT assistant head coach by WWE, following the resignation ofBill DeMott. She is currently working side by side with the current NXT head coach,Matt Bloom.[56]
Amato has citedAja Kong[1] as her inspiration.
Amato is in a long-term relationship with wrestlerClaudio Castagnoli.[57]
a Championship not officially recognized byRing of Honor.
,Internet Wrestling Database