Mensah-Stock previously competed in women's freestyle wrestling, winning the gold medal at theTokyo Olympics on August 3, 2021. She became the first Black woman to win gold in women's freestyle wrestling.[1][2][3]
Mensah-Stock was born inChicago,Illinois, and grew up in the suburbs ofHouston,Texas. Her father was aGhanaian who lived inGhana until the age of 30, and her mother is from Illinois.[1]
AtMorton Ranch High School inKaty, Texas, her twin sister, Tarkyia, joined the wrestling team their freshman year while Tamyra pursuedtrack and field. She joined the wrestling team her sophomore year, at age 15, after her sister and the wrestling coach, Mark Balser, convinced her to take part in a wrestling practice session.[4][5][6][7][8][9] However, she almost quit after her father's fatal car accident, on his way home from one of her high school wrestling matches.[10] She blamed wrestling for her father's untimely death. She saw him as her biggest supporter.[11]
In 2010 and 2011, she became theTexas High School Girls Champion having finished second in 2009.[12] In 2010, she became the U.S. Junior National runner-up.
After high school, she attendedWayland Baptist University (WBU) where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise and Sports Science. As a student wrestler, she became the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) Nationals Champion in 2014 and 2017. She also took third place in the 2013 at the U.S. Universities Championship and first place in 2015.
Although she won the 68 kg class at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, none of the athletes from the United States secured a spot to compete in relevant 68 kg weight category at the2016 Rio Olympics, so she spent her time in Brazil as a practice partner for teammates who were eligible in other weight categories.[13]
She won the gold medal in thewomen's 68 kg event during the2019 World Wrestling Championships and also qualified to representUnited States at the 2020 Summer Olympics.[14][15] She was one of the three gold medalists for the United States in women's freestyle category at the 2019 World Championships, which also marked the first instance where U.S. delegation claimed three gold medals in women's wrestling event at a single World Championships.[16]
Mensah-Stock made a brief appearance atWWE'sSummerSlam event on August 21, 2021.[28]
Steele in 2025
On May 3, 2023, it was announced Mensah-Stock had signed withWWE to become aprofessional wrestler.[29] She is the third Olympic wrestling gold medalist (afterKurt Angle andGable Steveson) and the first female Olympic wrestling gold medalist to sign with the company. On the taping of the July 5, 2024 edition ofNXT Level Up, she made her in-ring debut under the nameTyra Mae Steele in a losing effort againstWren Sinclair.[30]
In February 2025, Steele participated in the first season ofLFG (Legends & Future Greats), areality television series involving "rising talents" competing for aNXT contract. She was mentored byThe Undertaker and went on to become the first women's winner.[31] On June 3 episode ofNXT, Steele made her NXT in-ring debut where she defeatedArianna Grace.[32] On the July 9 episode ofEvolve, Steele announced that she has moved to theEvolvebrand.[33] The following week, Steele won her debut Evolve match againstKylie Rae and Chantel Moneroe in atriple threat match.[34] On the August 12 episode ofNXT, she made her unannounced return to NXT as she assistedTavion Heights in his feud againstEthan Page andChelsea Green. This led to Steele making her debutPLE appearance atNXT Heatwave on August 24, where Heights and Steele lost to Page and Green in amixed tag team match.[35]
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