| Mercedes Martinez | |
|---|---|
 Martinez in October 2016, posing with theShimmer Championship | |
| Birth name | Jazmin Benitez[1] |
| Born | (1980-11-17)November 17, 1980 (age 44)[2] Waterbury,Connecticut, U.S.[2] |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Maria Toro[3] Mercedes Martinez[4] Retaliation[5] |
| Billed height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[6][7] |
| Billed weight | 147 lb (67 kg)[7] |
| Billed from | Brass City C.T. Waterbury, Connecticut[4] |
| Trained by | Jason Knight |
| Debut | 2000[7] |
Jazmin Benitez (born November 17, 1980)[2] is an Americanprofessional wrestler signed toAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) under thering nameMercedes Martinez. She also appears for AEW's sister promotion,Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is a formerROH Women's World Champion. She is also known for her time inWWE, primarily on theNXT brand.
Prior to going to WWE in 2020, Martinez was a mainstay on theindependent circuit, winning numerous titles - including threeWSU Championships, twoShimmer Championships, oneShine Championship and onePhoenix of Rise Championship.[8]
Jazmín Benítez was born on November 17, 1980, inWaterbury,Connecticut.[2] She is ofPuerto Rican descent.[9] In high school, she played bothbasketball andsoftball.[7] She then attended college atTeikyo Post University, where her major wascriminal justice.[7]
Mercedes Martinez got involved in professional wrestling after an injury sustained playing basketball in college. Martinez was a standout basketball player in high school. She later transitioned to professional wrestling due to her love for contact sports. As Martinez explained in an article for theBoston Herald in 2004, "Wrestling just came at the right time."[10] Martinez began her training underJason Knight in October 2000.[7] She defeated a male wrestler by the name of "Juice" in her first match on November 12, 2000.[7] In 2001, she gained exposure underpromoter Sheldon Goldberg.[7] Goldberg subsequently formed a women's division inNew England Championship Wrestling around Martinez, including bringing in foreign talent such as Yoshimoto Ladies Pro'sSumie Sakai.[7] The duo traded the North American Women's Championship.[7]
Through 2003 and 2004, Martinez competed in various promotions in New England such as Connecticut Championship Wrestling,Combat Zone Wrestling, andIan Rotten'sIWA Mid South. In IWA, Martinez was brought in to face the star of the women's division,Mickie Knuckles.[7]
On November 6, 2005, Mercedes wrestled in the inaugural event of the new exclusive women wrestling promotion,Shimmer Women Athletes run byDave Prazak, who discovered her while watching a Kiryoku Pro DVD.[7] Martinez wrestledSara Del Rey in a 20-minute time limit draw,[7] and both were given a standing ovation after their match.[11] Martinez continued to wrestle for Shimmer and various independent promotions across America through 2006.[12]
On May 2, 2009, she took part in Shimmer's Volume 23 where she lost toAwesome Kong. Later in the night, as part of Volume 24, she defeatedMadison Eagles. The next day, she lost toSerena Deeb for Volume 25, and teamed with Deeb to take on Sara Del Rey and Kong for Volume 26, but had a losing effort in that match.
She lost against the debutingAyako Hamada on November 8, 2009, after aHama-Chan Cutter, but was able to score a pinfall overCat Power as part of Volume 28 after hitting her with the Fisherman Buster.
On October 2, 2011, Martinez turned heel for the first time in her Shimmer career, starting a rivalry withAthena.[13]
On June 26, 2016, after being retired for two years, Martinez made a surprise return to Shimmer, aligning herself with Nicole Savoy andShayna Baszler and defeating Madison Eagles in an impromptu match to win the Shimmer Championship for the first time.[14] She lost the title toKellie Skater on November 12,[15] only to regain it the following day.[16] On November 12, 2017, Martinez lost the title to Savoy.
On March 25, 2006, Martinez made herRing of Honor (ROH) debut inNew York City where she competed in a Shimmer sanctioned match versus her counterparts ofAllison Danger,Daizee Haze, andLacey. On December 22, Martinez suffered an injury in an ROH match teaming withJimmy Jacobs against Haze andB. J. Whitmer.[17] She returned to Ring of Honor by the end of December 2007, aligning herself withThe Vulture Squad. On May 27 it was announced that Martinez and ROH had amicably parted ways.[18]
In 2005, Martinez joinedWorld Xtreme Wrestling. She participated in several matches, and then started feud withTalia Madison for theWXW Women's Championship. On July 8, Martinez defeated Madison to become the new Women's Champion. However, the title was declared vacant on September 3, when she won the WXW Cruiserweight Championship from Drew Blood on February 19, 2006. On January 6, 2007, Martinez defeated Cindy Rogers to regain the Women's Championship. When she had to undergo shoulder surgery in February 2007, a "Phantom Title Change" storyline was done where Kacee Carlisle claimed she beat Mercedes in an Empty Arena Match to become the new champion was Mercedes's exit for her surgery.
She made her surprise return on February 10, 2008, to challenge Carlisle for the WXW Women's Championship but did not regain it. When WXW relocated as a result ofAfa Anoa'i moving to Florida from Pennsylvania, she was a part of it from the get-go. She would win the 2008 WXW Elite 8 then on December 20, 2008, defeat Betsy Ruth for the Vacant WXW Women's Title for her 3rd reign.
After her defense against MsChif on February 7, 2009. She announced she was returning to her hometown of Waterbury Connecticut & vacated the title.
On August 27, Martinez returned to the company, starting a feud with Kimberly. On September 10, Martinez defeated her to become the first woman to hold theWXW Women's Championship four times. On February 11, 2012, Martinez defeated Kimberly in atwo out of three falls match. She would lose the title to Kimberly on July 14, 2012, this marked the first time Mercedes had lost the Women's title in a 1 on 1 match.
Martinez also competed inChickFight IV in April 2006. She made it to the final round before being eliminated byMsChif. Later in the night, MsChif also defeated Martinez andCheerleader Melissa in afalls count anywhere match.[19] On May 27, 2006, Martinez competed in the debut MXWomen (MXW)'s match, one of the Quadruple Main Events at MXW MAYhem inBristol, Connecticut. On November 12, 2006, she defeatedNikki Roxx in a match for MXW.[7] The following month, Martinez appeared onWorld Wrestling Entertainment'sHeat (taped June 12) in a losing effort againstVictoria.[7][12] On July 19, 2009, Martinez returned to WXW C4 in Allentown and won a 20-person Battle Royal at WXW C4's Flagship show Sportsfest, earning a title shot of her choosing. On September 5, 2009, in Allentown, she opted to use the victory to create the WXW C4 Women's Championship, and she immediately won it in an Elimination Style 3-Way Dance over Jana andNikki Roxx.
She also took part ofJimmy Hart'sWrestlicious series as a Bull Fighter character named "Maria Toro", managed by "Bandita." In the main event of the first episode she teamed up with Bandita andFelony in a winning effort against the team of Cousin Cassie,Tyler Texas andCharlotte.[3]
Martinez debuted forNCW Femmes Fatales on February 6, 2010, taking onPortia Perez. At the end of the match Mercedes Martinez was able to hit with the Fisherman Buster to get the pin. She challenged NCW Femmes Fatales Champion Kalamity on March 10, 2012, and was unsuccessful. She promptly turned heel afterwards laying Kalamity out andLuFisto came out and they brawled to close the show.
More than a year later, Martinez would become NCW Femmes Fatales Champion on March 30, 2013, defeating Kalamity at NCW Femmes Fatales XI, ending her 538-day reign on top.[20] She lost the title on August 16, 2014.[21] On May 6, 2017, at Challengemania 25, Mercedes came back to defeat Stefany Sinclair and reclaim the NCW Femmes Fatales Championship. She left the event as a triple champion, already walking in the match with both the WSU World Championship and the Shimmer Championship.
On July 24, 2011, Martinez made her first appearance in Japan, wrestling forWorld Wonder Ring Stardom in famedKorakuen Hall againstNanae Takahashi as a part of the inauguralWorld of Stardom Championship tournament during the Nanae Takahashi 15 Anniversary show. However, she would lose to Takahashi in the semifinals of the tournament.[22]
She has worked inSHINE Wrestling for a number of years and was until 2018 aShine Tag Team Champion withIvelisse as Las Sicarias until they were defeated by the Twisted Sisterz (Holidead andThunder Rosa). There was one very memorable match that Mercedes Martinez had with Cindy Rogers. During this encounter, Cindy Rogers was wearing her spandex. At one point, Cindy Rogers left the ring. Martinez walked over to Rogers, grabbed her by the spandex, and dragged her back into the ring.
On June 2, 2019, Martinez appeared forWAW at Fightmare III, held atCarrow Road (the home stadium ofNorwich City), in a winning effort againstSweet Saraya to become the WAWW World Champion.[23]
InWomen Superstars Uncensored (WSU) in 2007, Martinez began teaming withAngel Orsini. In March 2008, they began feuding that culminated in many grueling matches throughout 2008 into 2009, including a Steel Cage on January 10, 2009; 2 months later, Martinez defeated Orsini in aBullrope match on March 7, 2009, at theSecond Anniversary Show inBoonton, New Jersey to win theWSU Championship, ending Orsini's record reign of just over nine months. They had one more match that rewrote the record books in a 60-minute Iron Woman Match on June 6, 2009, in Boonton, New Jersey, that went a total of 70 minutes including going 10 minutes into sudden death and resulted in Mercedes getting the pin after a fisherwoman's buster and retaining the title. Martinez would continue to defend the title against the likes ofNikki Roxx, Awesome Kong, Rain, andPortia Perez. Along the way, Martinez and Orsini briefly captured the WSU Tag Team Championships. Martinez continued her WSU Championship title reign by defending against more challengers including Alicia, Amber O'Neal,Mickie James, and Jazz throughout 2009–2010. In January 2011, Martinez defeated Angel Orsini again in a ladder match to unify her title with Orsini's All Guts No Glory championship. Martinez then successfully defended her championship againstSerena Deeb in the main event of WSU's 4 year anniversary show and also defeatedBrittney Savage at WSU's Uncensored Rumble event. In August 2011, Mercedes put her title on the line against Uncensored Rumble winner,Lexxus in a match that would become the longest women's wrestling match in history as the match continued past the 60 minute time limit until Martinez was able to get the win after 73 minutes, breaking the record of the Orsini match by three minutes. Martinez then became involved in a violent rivalry with Jessicka Havok that culminated in Havok putting an end to Martinez's unprecedented three year title reign at the WSU 5th Anniversary Show.
On February 11, 2017, Martinez defeated Cherry Bomb to win the WSU Championship, making her the first ever three-time champion. She retained the title for over a year until June 16, 2018, when she lost the title againstTessa Blanchard.
On July 13, 2017, Martinez enteredWWE'sMae Young Classic tournament, defeatingXia Li in her first round match.[24] The following day, Martinez defeatedPrincesa Sugehit in the second round andAbbey Laith in the quarterfinals, before being eliminated from the tournament in the semifinals byShayna Baszler.[25] She made an appearance on the October 26, 2017 episode ofNXT, participating in a battle royal which was won byNikki Cross to determine one of the contenders for the vacantNXT Women's Championship atNXT TakeOver: WarGames. Martinez would also lose toEmber Moon on the November 15, 2017 edition ofNXT.[26] Martinez made her return to WWE, competing in the 2ndMae Young Classic. She made it to the second round, defeatingAshley Rayne before being eliminated byMeiko Satomura.[27]
On August 31, 2019, Martinez appeared atAll Elite Wrestling's second major pay-per-view event,All Out. She appeared as the "Joker" in the second Casino Battle Royale, coming into the match as its final entrant. She was eliminated byBritt Baker without scoring a single elimination. She made her return on November 5 atAEW Dark, teaming withBig Swole in a losing effort againstAllie andSadie Gibbs.
In January 2020, Martinez signed a contract with WWE and reported to the Performance Center.[1] She was again assigned to theNXT brand, with her return match being abattle royal to determine the number one contender for theNXT Women's Championship on January 15, eliminatingMia Yim before being eliminated byShayna Baszler.[28] She also entered her firstRoyal Rumble match at theRoyal Rumble 2020 event at Number 6, before being eliminated byMandy Rose andSonya Deville after lasting over eight minutes.[29] On February 5, Martinez defeatedKacy Catanzaro in her return singles match, marking her first victory onNXT.[30] On July 22 episode ofNXT, Martinez signed with the Robert Stone Brand after attacking Shotzi Blackheart, turning heel in the process. On the September 8 episode ofNXT, after losing to Rhea Ripley in a steel cage match, Robert Stone announced that she is no longer part of the Robert Stone Brand.
Martinez made herRaw debut on September 21, where she was revealed as a member of the villainous faction,Retribution under the ring name of Retaliation.[31][32] Shortly thereafter, Martinez requested her removal from the group, and was quietly returned to NXT.[33][34] Martinez made her return toNXT on December 23, attacking NXT Women's championIo Shirai. She was in a triple threat along withToni Storm atNXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day but failed to capture the championship. In June 2021, Martinez entered into a feud against Xia Li over beating her in the inaugural Mae Young Classic, losing to her in a match atNXT TakeOver: In Your House.[35][36] On the June 29 episode ofNXT, she teamed withJake Atlas and lost to Li andBoa in a mixed tag team match.[37] During the match, she suffered an injury after getting knocked out with a kick, and was taken to a hospital afterwards.[38] On August 6, Martinez was released from her WWE contract.[39]
On the October 7, 2021 episode ofImpact!, Martinez made her debut, teaming with Savannah Evans andTasha Steelz to defeatBrandi Lauren,Kimber Lee, and Lady Frost.[40][41] AtKnockouts Knockdown, Martinez defeated Brandi Lauren in the quarter-finals,Rachael Ellering in the semi-finals, and Tasha Steelz in the final to win theKnockouts Knockdown tournament, thus she received a futureImpact Knockouts Championship match.[42][43] Martinez received her championship match againstMickie James atTurning Point, where she was unsuccessful in capturing the title.[44][45] On the January 6, 2022 episode ofImpact!, Martinez lost toDeonna Purrazzo in what would be her final match in the company.[46][47]
On the December 29, 2021 episode ofDynamite, Martinez made her return, assistingJade Cargill in defeatingThunder Rosa to advance to the finals of theTBS Women's Championship. It was then announced via social media that she had signed withAEW.[48] Martinez faced Rosa in the February 4, 2022, episode ofRampage, where she was disqualified due to hitting Rosa with alead pipe.[49] Afterwards, Martinez was confronted by theAEW Women's World ChampionDr. Britt Baker, D.M.D., with whom she had an agreement to take out Rosa, however, Baker claimed that Martinez had not done her part.[50] This led to aNo Disqualification match between Martinez and Rosa on the February 16 episode ofDynamite, which was won by Rosa.[51] After the match, Rosa lifted Martinez's arm in sign of respect, however, was attacked by Baker's allies,Jamie Hayter andRebel. Baker handed the pipe to Martinez to attack Rosa, but Martinez hesitated, which led Hayter to attack her from behind, turning Martinez face in the process.[51]
On the March 2 episode ofDynamite, Martinez teamed up with Rosa to defeat Baker and Hayter in a tag team match.[52] On the March 11 episode ofRampage, Martinez lost to Hayter after an interference by Baker.[53] After the match, Baker alongside Hayter and Rebel tried to attack Martinez, which was prevented by Rosa.[53] Following that, Martinez transitioned toRing of Honor, where she would become theROH Women's World Champion,[54][55] and woul remain the champion until losing it toAthena on December 10 atFinal Battle.[56]
On the June 9, 2023, episode ofRampage, Martinez made her first AEW appearance since November 2022, by competing in a four-way to determine the number one contender for the AEW Women's World Championship, which was won bySkye Blue.[57]
On March 30, 2022, AEW presidentTony Khan, who had purchased Ring of Honor one month prior, announced that Martinez would faceWillow Nightingale on April 1 atSupercard of Honor XV for theInterim ROH Women's World Championship, with the winner facinglineal championDeonna Purrazzo at a later date.[58] Martinez would go onto defeat Nightingale to claim the interim ROH Women's World Championship.[54] On the May 4, 2022 episode ofDynamite, she defeated Purrazzo to become the undisputedROH Women's World Champion.[55] She has since successfully defended the ROH Women's World Championship on episodes ofAEW Dark: Elevation.[59][60][61][62] On the November 18 episode ofRampage, Martinez returned from an injury to stop Athena attackingMadison Rayne after their match.[63][64] On December 10, at Final Battle, Martinez lost the title to Athena, ending her reign at 220 days.[56]
After five-month of hiatus, Martinez made her return on the May 18, 2023, episode ofROH on Honor Club, where she defeated Ashley D'Amboise.[65]
On February 14, 2024, Mercedes Martinez entered the inauguralROH Women's World Television Championship tournament and defeatedTrish Adora in the first round to advance.[66] On the March 7, 2024 tapings of ROH during the second round of the ROH Women's World Television Championship tournament Mercedes defeatedAbadon to advance.[67] On the March 16, 2024 tapings of ROH during the semifinals of the tournament Marcedes Martinez facedBillie Starkz but was not successful.[68]
In July 2019, Benitez announced during an interview withNowThis News that she is openlylesbian. She was married and has one child, a boy, born in 2008.[69]
Martinez suffers fromasthma.[70]
She has stated thatBret Hart is her favourite wrestler of all time.[71]
| Winner (wager) | Loser (wager) | Location | Event | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes Martinez (career) | Allysin Kay (title) | Livonia, Michigan | Shine 62 | December 13, 2019 | [112] |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link]
,Wrestlingdata.com,Internet Wrestling Database