Many stars jump into the wrestling world without any sort of training whatsoever. They are usually fans or are interested at a younger age and want to test their skills. Some become huge stars while others do not have what it takes to make it to the pinnacle. In WWE, Sara Del Rey is one of the people that helps stars progress to the next level.
Del Rey is the head trainer for WWE's NXT development program, working side by side with head coach Matt Bloom. She is an experienced wrestler and is well respected in the wrestling community. Her insight is valued and used to help decide where current stars are on their path to success. Though she has such an important role in WWE, there are many things that fans do not know about her.
10 Her Early Days
Sara Del Rey grew up in Martinez, California, and found an interest in professional wrestling while as a high school student. Like many, two of her favorite wrestlers were Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. She was a bit shy while in high school but knew she wanted to be a professional wrestler.
Del Rey went to college but decided to drop out in hopes of following her dreams. She started to train with All Pro Wrestling, and she really struggled to find her footing in the ring. After putting in the work, she would be confident enough to head to Japan.
9 Time in Japan
When she arrived in Japan in 2002, Del Rey went to the Japanese Joshi Wrestling promotion Arsion. The company was founded by Japanese wrestling legend Aja Kong, who Del Rey would later go on to admire. She would spend a few years in Japan training to become a better wrestler.
In 2005, she would win the Impact Zone Wrestling Women's Championship while wrestling at an event in Japan. She defeated former champion Adrenelyn in an exciting match-up. Del Rey would then go on to tour Japan for a bit longer and would have some of the best matches of her career.
8 Days in Mexico
While she was working in Japan, Del Rey was also trying to build a following in Mexico. Lucha Libre-style wrestling has always been very popular and a lot of stars go there to perfect their skills. She wrestled under the name "The American Angel".
She would wrestle under a mask, as most Lucha Libre stars are known to do. She was unmasked though during her time working for the Lucha Libre Femenil promotion. Del Rey would end up wearing a mask once more for a brief stint in MTV's Wrestling Society X.
7 Shining in Shimmer
Since its inception in 2005, Shimmer has been one of the top promotions featuring only female talent. Many women's wrestling stars have made their way through the doors of Shimmer, and it really boosted their careers. Del Rey made her Shimmer debut on their inaugural show competing in an impressive bout against Mercedes Martinez.
She worked with Shimmer on and off for 7 years and had some interesting feuds throughout those years. One of which was with current WWE star Natalya, before she signed with WWE. Del Rey also worked with stars like Jessie McKay, Leva Bates, Allison Danger, and Serena Deeb, among others.
6 Chikara
While working with Shimmer, Del Rey was also a mainstay in Philadelphia-based wrestling promotion Chikara. She worked with the company for 6 years and quickly became a fan favorite. She made her debut as a heel, and the fans were behind her character.
While there, she continued to have battles with some of the best stars of today. She had a notable feud with current AEW Star Eddie Kingston, which resulted in some great intergender matches. Other stars included Awesome Kong, Icarus, and The Super Smash Bros.
5 Ring of Honor Days
As she was making a name for herself by jumping from one promotion to another, Del Rey also competed in Ring of Honor. The promotion has been around for years but recently made mainstream news since it was purchased by AEW. Del Rey competed in the promotion on and off from 2006 to 2012.
Here is where she had a pretty successful tag team run with Allison Danger. She also was a major part of Chris Hero's Kings of Wrestling Stable. Del Rey's last major angle in Ring of Honor was an angle where she teamed with Eddie Edwards to defeat Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis.
4 She Was a Jersey Girl
Del Rey worked a brief stint as a competitor for New Jersey-based promotion Jersey All Pro Wrestling. They had a big partnership with TNA at the time, so she also was able to compete against some of their top Knockout stars. She made her debut with JAPW in 2009 competing in a match against Daizee Haze.
It was here that she had one of the best matches of her career when she took on TNA Knockout Angelina Love. She also had matches against stars like Awesome Kong, Cheerleader Melissa, and current Impact star Mia Yim.
3 Her Relationship Status
Sara Del Rey has been in a serious relationship for many years now. Her partner is none other than current Ring of Honor Champion Claudio Castagnoli. Castagnoli became famous during his time in WWE when he worked under the name Cesaro.
The two started working together during his original Ring of Honor run, back when they both were part of the Kings of Wrestling stable. While Del Rey still works for WWE, Castagnoli made his departure from the company earlier this year and then shocked the wrestling world with his debut in AEW.
2 Championship Runs
While working the independent circuit, Del Rey has had multiple championships runs. As the champion, she would then go on to be the face of each promotion. She won the Impact Zone Wrestling Women's Championship and the Ohio Champion Wrestling Women's Championship at the earlier side of her in-ring career.
She was Jersey All-Pro Women's Champion, and she also held the Shimmer World Championship. She did not win the Ring of Honor Women's Championship, but she did hold their Intergender World Heavyweight Tag Team Championships with Chris Hero. She also won the Shimmer World Tag Team Championships with Courtney Rush, who now goes under the name Rosemary in Impact Wrestling.
1 Who Has She Trained?
Sara Del Rey has been a part of WWE's developmental system since 2012 and has helped with the training of some of the top female stars currently in wrestling today. For example, she helped with the development of WWE's Four Horsewomen; Becky Lynch, Bayley, Charlotte Flair, and Sasha Banks.
During the earlier days of her WWE training career, she helped by working with stars like Paige, AJ Lee, and Kaitlyn. Now she focuses even more on the future of WWE's women's division by bringing in talent all over the world and helping them become stars.
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