Vanessa Kraven announced on Tuesday that she would not be returning to wrestling. Kraven had been out of active competition since late 2018 due to a couple of serious injuries, both a broken leg and ankle. Throughout 2019, she made some sporadic appearances, such as at The Summit in August 2019. This was a special co-promoted women’s show with Smash Wrestling, NCW Femmes Fatales, RISE Wrestling, and SHIMMER.
— Vanessa Kraven 😈🏔 べネッサ・ザ・マウンテン (@VanessaMtKraven) August 11, 2020
Vanessa Kraven, also known as Mount Kraven or simply The Mountain, debuted in wrestling in April of 2004. She trained under Ron Hutchinson, who also trained other superstars such as Trish Stratus, Edge and Christian, Gail Kim and Traci Brooks. Standing six feet tall, she was a powerful presence and wrestler. In her 16 year career, Kraven began working in her native Canada. She frequented promotions such as Northern Championship Wrestling (NCW), International Wrestling Syndicate (IWS), Association de Lutte Feminine (ALF), and others in her early years. In 2006, Vanessa made her debut in the United States for IWA Mid-South. She also made her debut in Japan for a freelance show and NEO Women’s Pro Wrestling. Vanessa also worked for Ice Ribbon and Pro Wrestling WAVE in 2008.
In 2012, Vanessa would debut for promotions who would become her homes, such as Smash Wrestling, C4 Wrestling, and SHIMMER Women Athletes. There would, of course, be others over the years to come: Shine Wrestling, Acclaim Pro Wrestling, BATTLEWAR Pro Wrestling, North Shore Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Eclipse, and many more. Vanessa Kraven would also be part of WWE’s second Mae Young Classic in 2018. She would lose in the first round to future NXT Superstar Kayden Carter (then known as Lacey Lane).
She held a handful of titles in her career, the NCW Feminin Championship, the APW Heavyweight Championship, the PWE Flame Championship, the SHIMMER Tag Team Championship, and the NCW Femmes Fatales International Championship. The last two were especially prolific. Kraven held the Femmes Fatales title for an impressive 434 days; she and Tessa Blanchard as Mount Tessa were SHIMMER Tag Team Champions for 363 days.
In addition to her injuries, Vanessa was also impacted by the movement started earlier in 2020 called Speaking Out. In her statement, she cites the COVID-19 pandemic as well as her reflections following Speaking Out as some of her reasons to decide to step away from the ring for good. There is a possibility of appearances and her support in the future but the shadow of Mount Kraven will no longer loom in the squared circle, just in history. We here at Last Word on Pro Wrestling thank Vanessa for her contributions to pro wrestling and wish her well in wherever life takes her.
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