The Moment You Realize The Show Must Go On.

Every good thing comes to an end.
Unfortunately for me, I wasn't prepared for it.

Everything was finally going great for me. I was getting the exposure I needed, getting more matches against different people, everything was going great..

I remember it as if it were yesterday.. It was a Friday night and I was outside talking about my match that was about to happen, and everything was great! I was prepared, I knew what was to come, I was going to win, I was finally headed where I wanted to be as a wrestler.

My music hits and out the curtains I went making my way into the ring. I was over the top excited! My matches had been going great so far that I was so confident in myself.

The match begun, we were off to a great start, everything was in place as it should be.. then during the match, my opponent tried a move on me and my legs locked which ended up impacting my knee.

I knew something was wrong, this wasn't the first time I had been badly injured during a match, but I knew something was wrong.

My legs collapsed and I grabbed my knee in agony heading to the corner of the ring.. Keeping in mind that this is a show, so no one could actually tell just how much pain I was in, but I knew I had to finish the match.

I got up hoping that the adrenaline was enough to keep my body going, but as I was going for a clothesline against my opponent.. after only taking a few steps, my body collapsed again.. and I knew I was out.

My opponent got me in a headlock and asked, "Is everything ok?" I replied, "My knee is out, I'm done." He said okay follow my lead.. and I did.

Since I was already down, my only option was to tap out, so I did.

He got up and exited the ring to get help. Security came and carried me out of the ring. And when I was finally able to see my knee, it was so swollen and I knew I'd be out for a while, and sure enough when I went to doctor he said I had a torn meniscus, and a partial ACL tear.

I was so devastated.

Looking back, It all happened so fast, it still feels like a dream but it's funny.. even though I was injured during the match, all I kept thinking was "don't give up, don't give up, keep going, keep going".. and it's funny because that was when I realized that no matter what, The Show Must Go On.

The Moment You Realize Simple Pleasure's Should Never Be Taken For Grantedb

After this booking, the booking kept on coming.
I traveled to Austin, Houston, Corpus, but one of my many matches in San Antonio gave me the opportunity to wrestle for Branded Outlaw Wrestling Women's Title however this was a triple threat match. It would be Me, Kat, and the Champion Barbi Hayden all fighting for the title. EPIC.

I remember being so nervous. I mean this girl was the champion, and we were still establishing ourselves. Luckily we were able to get together before the match and layout a few ideas of what should go on.

the highlight of this match was when Barbi was sitting on the corner of the top rope, getting ready to attack me since i was trying to get up from being beat up, then all of a sudden Kat comes out of nowhere and stops! while doing this she was trying to set up Barbi for a move BUT out of nowhere I come for under Kat and we end up doing a triple somersault which end perfectly and n the chant "THIS IS AWESOME!"

And when you get those chants, that really means that it is awesome. So we were all pleased.

Traveling as a wrestler gave me a better perspective on what wrestler go through on a daily basis. And let me tell you, it was hard. I can only imagine leaving your home and family everyday and only having limited time with them. I was glad this opportunity to wrestle came into my life when it did, and i was glad I took every opportunity that I could.. and that was when I realized simple pleasures should never be taken for granted.  Because little did I know my two year journey was shortly coming to an end.

The Moment You Realize Winning Isn't Everything.

I had my first experience in the ring, but it still wasn't my first solo match.

Solo matches are harder because they have a time limit that you HAVE to fill, which average is 12-20mins. Really just depends on what the "booker" decides. And you have to get with your opponent to see what they are comfortable doing.. (which should be everything) but some people do have their preferences though. And you don't know what kind of wrestler they are.. you can studying their matches but you don't know how hard or soft they hit. Really when taking a match, you run the risk of getting anyone, but for starters, any time in the ring in better then none at all.

It had been a week since I got my first exposure as a wrestler, and then I got the phone call. 

You see these things happen faster for women. Mostly because there are fewer of us in the wrestling world, and anytime a new name pops up everyone is eager to book them.

My phone rang and it was my friend Kat. She said that Laredo Wrestling Alliance wanted to book us for as the pre-main event Saturday afternoon at the 'Tamale Fest' Laredo was hosting.

WOAH. 

I immediately said yes and was SUPER NERVOUS. For the first time I would be in my own match and getting paid for it. I was being paid to travel to another city to wrestle. 

This match is still my favorite match ever. 

When we got to Laredo there was SO MANY PEOPLE THERE. 

Since we weren't established wrestlers here, I played face and Kat was heel. This was also super great for me because I got to be on the crowds side for once, and got them interacting with the match.

At the beginning of the match Kat was outside of the ring talking smack to the crowd, so I started the "We Will Rock You" sounds by stomping in the ring.

Embarrassing right? I was running the risk of the crowd not knowing what I was doing, but after a few rounds of me doing that, they caught on and little kids were joining me saying "We Will Rock You" along with clapping their hands. This warmed my heart. It was the first time the crowd was on my side and it meant a lot to have the crowd get involved. It meant I was doing my job.

The match went on and even though I lost, the crowd cheered as I got up and walked out.. I even had parents stop me to take pictures with their kids. It was the greatest feeling. And that was the moment I realized winning isn't everything.

The Moment You Realize I Got What I Always Wanted.

Picking a song was just as hard as picking a name. Depending on your character's values, the song portrays you and your character. This is the way fans know that you are heading towards the ring.
The song I picked was Kittie "What I Always Wanted."
Growing up I've always loved this band and being a heel, I knew it was perfect!

So being a manager was EASY. I was already hated as a heel, so life was going pretty good. Since I was already established as a heel, and was going to practice EVERY week, the coaches could see that I was had a natural talent for wrestling. So the first opportunity to be in a 30 Man Elimination bout came up, and course me being me, I took the opportunity. WOAH.

I WAS SO NERVOUS! Obviously I wasn't going to win this bout, they just wanted to make that the girls were getting the experience of performing in front of a crowd. The scary thing was, is it was a 30 Man Elimination Match, they only way to be eliminated was being thrown over the TOP ROPE. 😳
WHAAAAAAAT!? I had to trust some random guy to THROW me over the top rope! OK, he wasn't a random guy, but still you get what I'm saying.

The day approached and My entry number was 13. I swear time was going by SUPER FAST. I WANTED TO THROW UP FROM ALL OF THE NERVES. But I didn't. Instead I heard everyones music and counted down the number until it, FINALLY HAPPENED.

As I heard My introduction music I took a deep breathe and proceeded forward.

The crowd went CRAZY! It was the first time I had been solo, so It was the first time the crowd hear my music.. and they BOO'ED me like there was no tomorrow.

I took my time getting to the ring as any heel would and snuck my way in. By this time there was only 4 of us in the ring, I attacked the first person I saw and eliminated him! On to the next, we fought for a few minutes before he eliminated but OH MY GOSH falling from the top rope happened so fast and it was SO CRAZY!!! I walked away in defeat but even through the defeat and little exposure, that was when I realized I got what I always wanted.

The Moment You Realize It's Fun To Be Hated.

I had already been practicing for a few months now, it was getting close to my debut day and I still hadn't thought up a name! I was debuting as a manager for a tag team called HBB, the Hollywood Bad Boys. This would be the first time i would be in front of the wrestling crowd.. and on top of that I was told I was going to be a Heel!

What is a heel you ask? A heel is the "Bad guy  (or girl in my case)" of the company while face is the "Good guy/girl." Was I excited? NO. How could I go in front of a crowd I'd never known and make them hate me!!? Also, why would I want the fans to hate me!!? So No. I was NOT looking forward to being a heel.. but I heard that being a heel was SO MUCH BETTER than being a face, so I was very interested in seeing this different side of the industry.

Now that I knew I was going to be a heel, I still needed a name.
since Shawn Michaels was my favorite wrestler and pretty much my inspiration for wrestling, I knew that I wanted my initials to be S.M.
One of my favorite artists is Freddie Mercury. So I knew Mercury would be my M, and at the time I was binge watching Gossip Girl, so I used one of the names of the main characters, Serena.. and so Serena Mercury was born.

Your character name says a lot about your personality and who you are a wrestler so I was glad I choose that name because it was a perfect fit.

My first debut wasn't a match, like I mentioned, I was introduced as a manager, and even so I was SO NERVOUS! This was because as a manager you deal with promos and well since we were heels... it obviously consisted of us cheating the whole match.

Remember how I said I wasn't looking forward to being a heel?? Well being a heel was the most entertaining thing I have ever done! Since the crowd really hated HBB, they automatically hated me. And when I say hate... I mean HATE. As soon as I walked out and did my first promo, they boo'ed me, interrupted me, called me names... the ugliest names you could think.. But from all the negative comments, my character was able to develop as the 'Queen of Wrestling Revolution Serena Mercury!'

Being a heel was the greatest possible thing ever! This is because I was able to be a complete B!t%h without really being one. This was the first time I felt my alter ego come out and a heel was born. The fans would call me fat and ugly.. and even worse things.. but I didn't care because deep down, I knew they were just jealous of me ;)  ..and that was the moment I realized it's fun to be hated.

The Moment You Realize The First Practice Is Always The Toughest.

An opportunity such as this does not come often, and because of that I remember this day as if it were yesterday. Saturday afternoon I made my way into Cine El Rey to attend my first wrestling practice. Ethan could not attend this practice so I was on my own meeting the other wrestlers. As the newbie I was one of two other girls at practice with about 10 guys there.

The beginning of practice was me learning the basics which started with the star rolls. This was me literally rolling in the ring forming a star. It started at a corner in the ring with a front roll to the middle of the ring, then from the middle of the ring a quarter roll to the second corner of the ring, and repeated until you ended where you started with a back roll. This always made me dizzy.

After learning my star rolls, I next learned to bump. What's a bump you ask? It's landing on the mat. Safety is the most important rule in wrestling because landing wrong can break your neck, back, you can be in serious danger if you don't know how to land. This was were the fun began. Taking a bump is tough on the back.. everything you do in this sport in tough on the body.. but bumping is the first wrestling thing you learn.

During this process, everyone takes turns doing their rolls and bumping so everyone is just standing there WATCHING YOU! No pressure for the new girl right? The head trainer was pretty hard on everyone. Of course I wanted to make a good impression so I listened to everything he said and never said "I can't or I'm scared." In sports saying "no" is something i will never do. I will always try until I perfect my technique. So I learned how to took a back bump, that was pretty simple. Then a front bump, this is harder then a back bump but still easy to take. We moved onto the next bump and when I saw the first person go I TOTALLY FREAKED OUT!! The last bump was a FRONT FLIP BUMP!! Whaaaaat!?? I didn't even think I could flip! The guys started it off, then we moved to the girls and to my surprise both girls refused to do this. Trust me it looked scary. The head trainer then looks at me and says "Okay your turn." I entered the ring with such fear. I listened to his direction, he said "hit the ropes, run to the middle of the jump up and flip forward into a back bump. Go when your ready."

By this point my HEART WAS BEATING SO FAST, I could feel my heart pound out of my chest.. but I knew I had to give this a try and I wasn't going to say No. First I had to visualize myself doing it... or maybe I was just killing time.. regardless I took a deep breath, hit the ropes, jumped up turned into a front flip and ended in a back bump! AND IT WAS GOOD! I ACTUALLY DID IT! AND IT WAS GOOD! The trainer said, "Okay good, finish your three." I finished my three and was SUPER ECSTATIC! The whole practice had come easy to me and it was as if I was meant to be there doing, as if I was born for this. This was a huge accomplishment.

The trainer looked at the other girls and then looked at me...
HIM: How many practices have you been too?
ME:   This is my first practice..
He looked at me, shocked.
HIM: WAIT YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO A PRACTICE BEFORE!?
Me:   No this is my first..
HIM: I THOUGHT YOU HAD BEEN TO A PRACTICE BEFORE!!
Me:  No this is my first.
he looked at the girls and he was so mad at them.
HIM: THIS IS HER FIRST PRACTICE AND SHE DID A FRONT FLIP BUMP AND YOU GIRLS WONT EVEN TRY IT!! SHE IS GOING SOMEWHERE!
I was quiet.
He looked at me a said, "Good job. I look forward to teaching you more."
The girls gave me ugly looks but I didn't care. I had never felt more at home. Practice continued but that was the moment I knew the first practice is always the hardest.

The Moment You Realize That Anything You Dream To Be Is Possible.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been a dreamer. Trust me there isn't anything that I haven't thought of achieving. But the second I saw 'HBK' Shawn Michaels on tv walking into the ring, I knew my life would never be the same.
Up until that point, I had always thought wrestling was fake. But from the moment I first saw that Shawn Michaels match, I knew it wasn't.

It was then that I realized I wanted to become a professional wrestler. And not one of those "diva" girls who runs around the ring half naked, but I wanted to change the way women wrestlers were perceived as on WWE and I wanted to become the 1st Women's Champion.

>>FAST FOWARD>>

By this time I was a sophomore in college, working at Academy and it was there that I met Ethan. Ethan was a rebel, loud and always getting into trouble at work. I on the other hand was more of the quite to myself type.

One day Ethan approached me and started talking to me about WWE. I told him how I had always dreamed of becoming a wrestler, so much so that I joined the wrestling team in high school and how that alone changed my life. He chuckled and said, "You know I actually work with a company right now and we hold professional wrestling shows locally." I was staring at him, eyes wide open and said to him, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Again he chuckled and responded, "You should stop by practice on Saturday." With my eyes still wide open I nodded and said "I'll be there." And from that moment on I realized that anything you dream to be is possible.