Angel Orsini
Encyclopedia
Angel Orsini is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and former mixed martial arts fighter, best known by her ring name
Ring name
A ring name is a stage name used by a professional wrestler, martial artist, or boxer. While some ring names may have a fictitious first name and surname, others may simply be a nickname, such as The Undertaker.-Wrestling:...

 Riptide. She has competed in North American independent promotions including Women Extreme Wrestling, Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. OVW is run by owner Danny Davis and was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance from 1997 until 2000...

 and Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...

, most notably as The Prodigette who managed the stable the 'Sideshow Freaks' during the last years of the promotion.

Early life and martial arts

Born in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, Orsini became involved in bodybuilding
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...

 and strength training
Strength training
Strength training is the use of resistance to muscular contraction to build the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity or elastic/hydraulic forces to oppose muscle contraction...

 in 1991 and, the following year, began studying Tae Kwon Do and Hopkido.

During 1993, she competed as a heavyweight in the North Miami Beach Bodybuilding Championship and the South Florida Bodybuilding Championships winning second place in both competitions.

After three years of training, Orsini became a Black Belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...

 and entered an instructor training program eventually teaching Tae Kwon Do. That same year, she began training with Bart Vale
Bart Vale
Bart Vale is an American former kickboxer, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is known for his "old school" American martial arts look, consisting of a mustache, mullet and American flag trunks...

 in freefighting and mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

.

She began fighting professionally in 1996, winning the Florida State Continuous Fighting Championship before travelling to Japan to make her MMA debut against Yokimiko Hotta in March 1996.

Professional wrestling career

While in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, Orsini was persuaded by female wrestler Reggie Bennett
Reggie Bennett
Reggie Bennett is an American former professional wrestler. She is best known for her work in joshi puroresu organizations such as All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling.-Professional wrestling career:...

 to enter professional wrestling after watching Japanese female wrestling. Returning to the United States, she began training under Liz Chase in Royal Palm Beach, Florida
Royal Palm Beach, Florida
Royal Palm Beach is a village in southeast Florida, located in Palm Beach County. The population was measured at 21,523 in the 2000 census. As of April 2008, the recorded population was 31,864...

 and made her debut five months later facing Joanni Lee Lauer at the Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond Beach, Florida
Ormond Beach, Florida
Ormond Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 36,301 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 37,929. Ormond Beach is the northern neighbor of Daytona Beach and is home to Tomoka State Park.-History:Ormond Beach was...

 in October 1996.

She soon began wrestling for the Fabulous Moolah's Ladies International Wrestling Federation and eventually won several championship titles including the Sunshine Wrestling Federation Women's Championship defeating Luna Vachon in 1997 and defeated her trainer Liz Chase for the Florida Championship Wrestling and Ultimate Wrestling Federation titles during the next two years. She would also train Molly Holly
Nora Greenwald
Nora Kristina Greenwald , better known by her ring name Molly Holly, is an inactive American professional wrestler. Greenwald is best known for her appearances with World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment .Greenwald began her professional wrestling career in WCW, where she...

 for a career in professional wrestling, later going on to become a popular WWE Diva
WWE Diva
Diva is a term used by World Wrestling Entertainment , an American professional wrestling promotion, to refer to its female talent. The term is applied to women who appear as wrestlers, managers or valets, backstage interviewers, or ring announcers....

 in World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...

 during the late 1990s.

In 1999, she became less active on the independent circuit fighting a mixed martial arts match for the hybrid-MMA promotion Pancrase
Pancrase
Pancrase is a mixed martial arts promotion company founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the...

 at the Bronco Bowl in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

 and again competing in the South Florida Bodybuilding Championships receiving second place. She also appeared twice on The Jenny Jones Show
The Jenny Jones Show
The Jenny Jones Show is an American syndicated daytime tabloid talk show that was hosted by comedian/actress/singer Jenny Jones. It was produced by Telepictures and was distributed by Warner Bros. Television Distribution...

on a segment about women who intimidate men regarding their occupation and, the following year, on women in abusive relationships.

Orsini began wrestling in international promotions during the next year, touring Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

 with Lita
Amy Dumas
Amy Christine Dumas , known by her primary stage name Lita, is the lead singer for the band The Luchagors as well as a retired professional wrestler and WWE Diva active from 1999 to 2006....

 and participated in the Trans-Atlantic Challenge while in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

.

Extreme Championship Wrestling

Orsini, who had previously sent a video tape of her wrestling matches to Extreme Championship Wrestling, was hired by promoter Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman is an American entertainment producer, best known for his career in professional wrestling as a promoter, manager, commentator and journalist. He is also an occasional actor in film....

 and began appearing as The Prodigette managing the stable Sideshow Freaks which included Simon Diamond, Johnny Swinger, The Muskateer, Tom Marquez and Bilvis Wesley.

Feuding with Jazz, she also confronted male wrestlers including Jerry Lynn
Jerry Lynn
Jeremy "Jerry" Lynn is an American professional wrestler who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....

 who put her in a piledriver at her last appearance at the ECW Arena. Staying with the promotion until its close in 2001, she was forced to miss the last house show after being severely injured in a car accident.

Although doctors had told Orsini that she had suffered a career ending injury, she successfully returned to wrestling within six months and later won the PGWA Championship from Susan Green
Sue Green
Susan Tex Green is an American professional wrestler. She began wrestling at the age of 15 and was trained by The Fabulous Moolah. She was the frequent tag team partner of Sandy Parker, with whom she won the National Wrestling Alliance 's NWA Women's World Tag Team Championship. The title reign,...

, she dedicated her victory to the memory of her trainer Liz Chase who died earlier that year.

After the demise of ECW, Orsini returned to competing in independent promotions including Women's Extreme Wrestling
Women's Extreme Wrestling
Women's Extreme Wrestling , also known as Women's Erotic Wrestling, is an all woman professional wrestling promotion based in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with offices in New York City, New York. They are notable because their storylines usually are filled with erotic and sexual themes...

 and Assault Championship Wrestling
Assault Championship Wrestling
Assault Championship Wrestling was an American independent wrestling promotion based in Connecticut and promoted by Jason Knight, a retired wrestler and manager, during the early 2000s...

 winning the WEW tag team titles with Simply Lucious defeating Tracy Brooks & Angel Williams.

European and U.S. independent promotions

In 2004, she moved to Rotterdam to compete in European wrestling promotions including International Wrestling Stars (Eurostars) and Free-Style Championship Wrestling. Defeating X-Dream
X-Dream
X-Dream are Marcus Christopher Maichel and Jan Müller ; they are also known as Rough and Rush. They are producers of psychedelic trance music and hail from Hamburg, Germany...

 to win the FCW Lightweight Championship in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...

, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 the next year. During this period, she also competed in an IWF Ladies Tournament as Riptide, meeting Lexie Fyfe
Lexie Fyfe
Mary Beth Bentley , is an American professional wrestler. She has wrestled in various independent wrestling promotions, most notably for Shimmer Women Athletes and has had tryouts for both WWE and WCW.-Early life:...

 in the final.

Orsini moved back to the United States in May 2005 and returned to mixed martial arts competition and training for a professional boxing career.

While in New England Championship Wrestling
New England Championship Wrestling
New England Championship Wrestling was an independent professional wrestling promotion based in the Northeastern United States and has promoted events since 2000...

, she and Alere Little Feather defeated Mercedes Martinez
Mercedes Martinez
Mercedes Martinez is a American professional wrestler, currently performing for Shimmer Women Athletes, as well as numerous independent promotions including World Xtreme Wrestling, Women Superstars Uncensored, and Full Impact Pro....

 and Cindy Rogers
Cindy Rogers
Cindy Rogers is a retired American professional wrestler. She is known for performing on the independent circuit for World Xtreme Wrestling and Shimmer Women Athletes, among others.-Professional wrestling career:...

 on June 4 and, the following night, defeated Luscious Lilly in the opening rounds of the NECW's All-Women's Tournament before being eliminated by Martinez in the second round.

Defeating Luna Vachon at a USWO event on October 14, she began competing for Ohio Valley Wrestling, a developmental territory for World Wrestling Entertainment, attempting to gain a contract with WWE.

She would continue wrestling for various independent promotions across the U.S. until injuring both her heels in a ladder match against Sumie Sakai
Sumie Sakai
born November 11, 1971) is a Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She currently resides in the United States, appearing with professional wrestling promotions in the northeastern United States such as Women's Extreme Wrestling and Chikara....

 at an event for Dangerous Women of Wrestling on February 2, 2006.

Forced to take 14 months off, she returned to active competition one year later teaming with Amy Lee against Mercedes Martinez and Mickie Knuckles
Mickie Knuckles
Mickie Lee Knuckles is an American professional wrestler who has worked for a number of major independent promotions, including Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, Chikara and Combat Zone Wrestling. She also worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name Moose...

 at a Pro Wrestling Unplugged event on February 17, 2007.

Women's Extreme Wrestling

Returning to Women's Extreme Wrestling, she defeated Amber O'Neal
Amber O'Neal
Kimberly Dawn Davis is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name, Amber O'Neal.-Early career :...

 although she lost to Talia Madison
Velvet Sky
Jamie Szantyr is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a former TNA Women's Knockout Champion and TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with her former Beautiful People partners Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich...

 in a match for the WEW Women's World Championship late during the main event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

 on May 5.

On July 12, she again wrestled two matches in one night, losing to Jazz in a TLC match with Francine
Francine Fournier
Francine Fournier , known simply as Francine, is an American former professional wrestling valet most known for her work in Extreme Championship Wrestling.-Extreme Championship Wrestling:...

 as special referee and later defeated Annie Social
Annie Social
Annie Social, is an American professional wrestler who regularly performs for Shimmer Women Athletes and Women Superstars Uncensored . She currently manages Melanie Cruise in Shimmer.-Beginning:...

.

Women Superstars Uncensored

Making her debut in Women Superstars Uncensored
Women Superstars Uncensored
Women Superstars Uncensored is an American, New Jersey based female independent professional wrestling promotion which held its first event in 1996. Shows combine wrestling interspersed with both serious and comedic storylines. The company tapes two DVDs worth of material during weekend shows...

 in September, she was introduced Missy Hyatt
Missy Hyatt
Melissa Ann Hiatt is an American professional wrestling valet, better known by her ring name, Missy Hyatt. She gained the majority of her fame while working for World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling....

 who interviewed Orsani on her interview segment "Missy's Manor". During the interview, she was confronted by wrestler Rick Cataldo and attacked him when he attepted to interrupt her interview. She was then challenged moments later by former tag team partner Amy Lee and agreed to face her the following week.

During their match, only seconds after hitting Orsini with a DDT, the arena lights went out and Lee was attacked by a masked wrestler allowing Orsini to pin her for the victory. Following the match, the masked wrestler revealed herself to be Mercedez Martinez and attacked Lee along with Orsani. Following this incident, she and Mercedez would feud with Lee and Luna Vachon for the next several weeks. On May 31, 2008, in Rahway, NJ, she defeated Nikki Roxx
Nicole Raczynski
Nicole Raczynski is an American professional wrestler, best known for working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Roxxi...

 to win the WSU Championship
WSU Championship
The WSU Championship is a professional wrestling championship in Women Superstars Uncensored. It is competed for in Women Superstars Uncensored, and has been defended on shows of sister promotion National Wrestling Superstars. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in...

. Orsini lost the title to Martinez on March 7, 2009 in Boonton, New Jersey.

Orsini defeated Annie Social, Trixxie Lynn and Rain in succession on April 10, 2009 in Bergenfield, New Jersey
Bergenfield, New Jersey
Bergenfield is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,764.Bergenfield was formed on the basis of a referendum held on June 25, 1894, from portions of Englewood Township and Palisades Township at the height of the...

 to win the third-annual WSU Women's J-Cup Tournament. The tournament also featured Miss April, Brooke Carter
Brittney Savage
Brittney Savage is an American professional wrestler, who currently works on the independent circuit. Brittney wrestled for promotions such as American Championship Entertainment, National Wrestling Superstars, World Xtreme Wrestling and Women Superstars Uncensored...

, Roxie Cotton and Jennifer Cruz.

Orsini created the "All Guts & No Glory Championship" at "WSU When the Tigers Broke Free", and defended the title that night against Awesome Kong.

In wrestling

  • Finishing moves
    • Kiss of Death (Flatliner
      Flatliner
      Flatliner may refer to:* Flatliner, person whose brain or cardiac activity is measured as a flatline* The Flatliners a Canadian ska punk rock band* Flatliner, psychoactive drug 4-MTA* Flat Liner, cocktail drink * Flatliners, film* Flatlinerz, band...

      )
    • Undertow (Moonsault
      Moonsault
      A moonsault, moonsault press, or back flip splash is a professional wrestling aerial technique. Much of its popularity in American wrestling is attributed to The Great Muta, despite it being used in North America by "Leaping" Lanny Poffo years before Muta came from Japan.In a standard moonsault,...

      )

  • Signature moves
    • Cradle suplex
    • Frankensteiner
    • Vertical suplex

Championships and accomplishments

  • Florida Championship Wrestling
    • FCW Women's Championship (4 times)

  • Freestyle Championship Wrestling
    • FCW Lightweight Championship (1 time)

  • Hot-TV Wrestling
    • HTVW Championship (1 time)

  • Professional Girl Wrestling Association
    Professional Girl Wrestling Association
    The Professional Girl Wrestling Association was founded in 1992. The aim of the PGWA is to preserve and promote "Old School" women's pro wrestling. Based in North Carolina, the organization frequently sponsors matches and whole cards in the Mid-Atlantic and Mid-South states, as well as in Mexico...

    • PGWA Championship (1 time)

  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    Pro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...

    • PWI ranked her #22 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2009 and 2011

  • Sunshine Wrestling Federation
    • SWF Women's Championship (1 time)

  • Ultimate Wrestling Federation
    • UWF Women's Championship (1 time)

  • Women's Extreme Wrestling
    • WEW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Simply Lucious
      Veronica Stevens
      Veronica "Ronnie" Stevens, better known by her ring name Simply Luscious, is an American professional wrestler currently performing on the independent circuit. She is best known for her stint in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-Early career:...

    • WEW World Championship (2 times)

  • Women Superstars Uncensored
    Women Superstars Uncensored
    Women Superstars Uncensored is an American, New Jersey based female independent professional wrestling promotion which held its first event in 1996. Shows combine wrestling interspersed with both serious and comedic storylines. The company tapes two DVDs worth of material during weekend shows...

    • WSU Championship
      WSU Championship
      The WSU Championship is a professional wrestling championship in Women Superstars Uncensored. It is competed for in Women Superstars Uncensored, and has been defended on shows of sister promotion National Wrestling Superstars. Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in...

       (1 time)
    • WSU Tag Team Championship
      WSU Tag Team Championship
      The WSU Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling tag team championship in Women Superstars Uncensored. It is competed for in Women Superstars Uncensored, and has been defended on shows of sister promotion National Wrestling Superstars. Championship reigns are determined by professional...

       (1 time) – with Mercedes Martinez
      Mercedes Martinez
      Mercedes Martinez is a American professional wrestler, currently performing for Shimmer Women Athletes, as well as numerous independent promotions including World Xtreme Wrestling, Women Superstars Uncensored, and Full Impact Pro....

    • All Guts, No Glory Championship (1 time)
    • J-Cup Tournament
      J-Cup Tournament
      The J-Cup Tournament is an annual tournament held by Women Superstars Uncensored, in which the winner earns of shot at the WSU Championship.-2008:The tournament was held on March 22, 2008.-2009:...

       (2009)

External links

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