{"id":69763,"date":"2020-07-08T18:48:42","date_gmt":"2020-07-08T22:48:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/?p=69763"},"modified":"2020-07-08T18:48:42","modified_gmt":"2020-07-08T22:48:42","slug":"before-they-were-famous-mercedes-martinez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/07\/08\/before-they-were-famous-mercedes-martinez\/","title":{"rendered":"Before They Were Famous: Mercedes Martinez"},"content":{"rendered":"

All wrestlers have to start somewhere on the path to making their dreams a reality, whether it be a wrestling school, church basement, bingo hall, etc. From there, those wrestlers work their way up to the pinnacle of their dreams. For many, that\u2019s a career in\u00a0<\/span><\/em>WWE<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. But sometimes the journey is just as important as the destination. In this LWOPW feature, \u201cBefore They Were Famous,\u201d we take a look at the pre-WWE careers of some of the company\u2019s top current stars, following along on their road to superstardom. In this edition, we will look at the rise of the Latina Sensation, Mercedes Martinez.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Following signing with NXT as part of the January 2020 WWE Performance Center, debuting on NXT as a roster member, and making her Royal Rumble<\/strong> debut, things are finally coming up roses for Mercedes Martinez<\/strong>. A native of Waterbury, CT, Martinez enters her twentieth year in professional wrestling. She was trained by Jason Knight<\/strong> of ECW fame. Following her initial training, she was mentored by Afa<\/strong> of the Wild Samoans<\/strong>. In an interview with Danny Stone of the Mirror<\/a> she said this: “With their tutelage, advice and support, I didn’t have to go through like 10 times what maybe a Sara did. It was ‘this is my girl, do not mess with Mercedes!’. So no-one really messed with me. I had the right people at the right time, and if they did mess, I know how to handle myself anyways. I know how to put someone in place!”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Before They Were Famous: Mercedes Martinez<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Before signing with WWE, she was one of the most tenured, respected, and traveled women to not be signed with a major promotion. Mercedes Martinez began to work in the industry in the New England area for promotions like Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW), New England Championship Wrestling (NECW)<\/strong>, and Afa’s World Xtreme Wrestling (WXW)<\/strong>. This would also expand to include IWA Mid-South, CHIKARA, CZW, Assault Championship Wrestling, Women’s Extreme Wrestling<\/strong>, and Dynamite Championship Wrestling<\/strong> by 2005. 2005 would also see the beginning of a promotion in which Martinez would be heavily involved with, SHIMMER Women Athletes<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n