Now I know what they mean when they say “Don’t be sad that it’s over, be happy that it happened.” January has been nothing short of fantastic. Meeting new people, seeing old friends and visiting new places is what pretty much sums up the first month of the year.

NY-KO at MPW

I was lucky enough to wrestle my first match of the year with Millenium Pro Wrestling, defending my women’s title against… you guessed it… Thunderkitty. She’s always a tough opponent, but I really think we put on a fine show for the kids at the Simi Valley Boys and Girls Club. I came out on top, as usual (I really don’t think out of our 234238 matches she’s beaten me yet) and retained my women’s title. I’m a little bit worried on what the future will bring for this title. It’s hard to have a strong women’s division when there aren’t many women around, but I am looking forward to my next title defense against the Blood Thirsty Vixen on March 3. I asked for this match specifically, because I need a challenge!!  Bring it, Amanda.

The next promotion I participated in was Dungeon Championship Wrestling in Newhall, CA. This show was actually the first round of the tag-team tournament, and also showcased a first-round match of the Women’s tournament. I didn’t get to work in the women’s match this time, as Morgan took on Thunderkitty. I did get to accompany Morgan to the ring.  Although Thunderkitty is a solid worker, her shenanigans as of late have left me no choice but to regulate. Don’t mess with Bump N Grind. Morgan came up with the “W” and will be moving on to the next round to face the winner of next month’s match, Allison Danger vs. Athena. Is this women’s tourney stacked?  I can guarantee it.

Phoenix Star II

Watching Morgan beat Thunderkitty wasn’t the highlight of the evening for me. The highlight of the evening, and one I’ll never forget, was me taking Zokre’s spot on Los Luchas.  Zokre was out with a knee injury, so Phoenix Star thought it was time to use one of his students as a filler, and he chose me. It was an honor. We took on Brian Cage and Famous B and came out victorious. I’ve been taught well!!  So now Los Luchas will get to move on to the next round of the tag team tournament which takes place on March 24, and hopefully Zokre will be healed by then. But if he’s not, they know who to call…

During the DCW weekend I also got to take part in shooting a music video/documentary for a USC student project. The days were long, and the first two day of shooting I was completely out of my element. I had to act, and it had nothing to do with wrestling.  But Pro-wrestling always brings me life experiences that are beyond the ring, so I truly was blessed to be able to once again step out of the box and be able to do something I don’t do very often. The last day of filming, which was Jan 30, I got to do in ring stuff with Phoenix Star and Ultimo Shamu. Outside the ring and under the masks these guys are my brothers, and I was thankful that I got to share that experience with two people that mean that much to me in the business.

NY-KO at Steel Kittens

Leading up to my Calgary trip (the cast of Lucha Vavoom was EXCITED) I literally wrestled five matches that week. I got to work for Steel Kittens again and shoot some custom matches. A lot of people look down on custom matches. I think that sometimes they are the most positive experiences out of anything I do.  I finally got to work with two of my Wrestlicious sisters Amber O’Neill and Becky Bayless and it was great seeing them again. I actually got to sit down with them and talk this time, and they are truly respectable workers as well as people. I admire what they’ve done with their careers. I also got to see Fantasia, as well as Angel Orsini. All of these chicks were SUPERfun, and we all seemed to be on the same level of thinking when it comes to what we do…

So finally the big day comes…January 26, 2012…what me and the cast of Lucha Vavoom have been waiting for for MONTHS. Yeah. Lucha Vavoom from Calgary needs a blog of its own!!  Maybe some video too…you’ll just have to wait…;)

NY-KO

What a productive year it’s been in my little world!! I think I’ve done more traveling this year than I have in the past ten years! I am truly blessed to have had a ton of amazing opportunities in 2011. Here are some of the highlights from this year:

New York Knockout at Lucha Las Vegas

In January, I wrestled for a company called Lucha Las Vegas. It wasn’t the company I worked for that made this an outstanding moment in 2011, but it was the fact that I got to work against Allison Danger for the first time. I used to watch her at indy shows in New Jersey before I even started training. She was awesome, and I remember her and Alexis Laree (Mickey James) always standing out in those shows because they were real women workers, not just mouth-hugging eye candy. So to be able to work with someone with so much experience was a really positive and exciting moment in my career.  I also cut an EPIC promo on that show. Google it.

Working for Adrenaline Unleashed is always a good time. I conquered Extreme Thing in March, where I defeated Blood Thirsty Vixen to win the Adrenaline Unleashed Women’s Championship belt, and then later on represented AU in the Half Pint brawlers tour at the Silverton in Las Vegas, to defend my title. Despite getting knocked out and having a chunk of hair ripped out of my head, I went on to retain the title. I’m still going strong holding on to the belt and hope to defend it against some worthy competitors in 2012.

In June I got to travel to Greece with my two friends from Brooklyn, Bobby and Pasquali. This was my first non-wrestling related trip since I started ten years ago, but it’s not just a highlight of this year, it’s a trip I’ll never forget for as long as I live. So I had to mention it.  Also, I have family from Greece, so I finally got to see what all of the hype is about.  I’ve been to a lot of places, and this was definitely the most beautiful place I’ve seen yet, with the most gorgeous people!! We traveled to Athens, Mykonos and Santorini all in one week. Sleeping was not an option. Going on that trip made me realize how much more I wanted to travel.

New York Knockout in Greece

August was another unbelievable month. I made my return to Lucha Vavoom! after a long hiatus, teaming up with “El Jimador” as “La Paloma.” We faced Lil’ Cholo and Lil’ Chola, and tore it up!  It felt SO good to be back at the Mayan!  People who know me well know that it’s my favorite company to work for, because there’s never a dull moment, and there are midgets running around the locker room.

Not only did I make my Vavoom comeback that month, I also got to travel to Lebanon, which is another place where my family is from. I got to see experience the cultures of my ancestors all in one year.  I was hesitant to go at first, since I was already booked for another show. But, the opportunity suddenly came around again, and I figured it was a sign!  I needed to do it, and I’m really glad I did.  I traveled with Gangrel and Kiara Dillon. We were the only three non-Lebanese workers on the card, besides another worker from Canada, Gama Singh, Jr. Kiara and I worked each other, and we also did a few mixed tags, where I got to team up with Gangrel. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see much of the country considering safety issues, but I met a lot of great people and have made some new life-long friends.

October was another crazy month, where I got to be a Voodoo Queen at Lucha Vavoom’s Halloween show. I must say, it was my first black-light match, and it was phenomenal. I teamed with Joey Kaos and Skebenga, and we faced the crazy chickens.  Once again the crowd was HOT, and it was a great couple of nights.

Hector Robles created a documentary a few years ago called Luchadores: Fighting for a Dream. It featured Super Gabacho, Hardcore Kidd and I, and the struggles we go through to chase the dream of becoming a professional wrestler. It FINALLY debuted on the Documentary Channel. It seemed like it was from so long ago, and I feel like I’ve come so far in my journey since then, but it’s always nice to be able to Ti-Vo yourself.

Another one of my favorite trips I took was at the end of October. I did a tour in Mexico, where I traveled to Monterrey, San Pueblo and a few other cities. A few other workers on this tour were Cassandro, Chavo Guerrero, Carlito, Rikishi, and Colt Cabana. I really want to thank Cassandro for believing in me and putting me on this tour.  It was such a great experience. I got to team up with Rosy Moreno, and we fought Goya Kong and Lluvia. Getting to wrestle CMLL girls was a great experience. And listening to the other workers talking about the business was an learning experience in itself.  I feel like all the hard work I put in was finally paying off…

New York Knockout with Cassandro

December was a little bit crazy, but the year ended nicely. I battled Thunderkitty for my Millenium Pro Wrestling Women’s belt, and wound up beating her ass. Of course she tried to cheat. I mean it’s the only way she can win. The ref wound up catching her psychotic shenanigans, and DQ’d her.

This past Sunday I wrapped up my year of wrestling at WPW in Costa Mesa. It’s always a pleasure working down there. I love the lucha libre atmosphere, and there’s always a great crowd. It was a four on four match-up, with a lot of new and old faces.  Amazona was one of my opponents, a luchadora out of Tijuana that was trained by Rey Misterio, Sr. I love when the Mexican luchadoras look at me, a big white girl, and assume I can’t do lucha. I’m using it as my strategy—make them think I can’t, and then light them up in the ring! I also got to face Lil’ Cholo, who once again, had the pleasure of punching me in the face. In the long run, it didn’t matter, because my team came out victorious.

I can’t even begin to explain how excited I am for 2012. I’m back in to training and nutrition, and loving it! Mondragon Design created this amazing site for me, and him and his people are working hard to really portray and define the real NY-KO.

I’m also excited to have picked up my training with Los Luchas and Ultimo Shamu. These are three of the most under-rated luchadors in the WORLD, and their support means everything to me. Also, training with coach Pat has helped me improve my boxing skills tremendously. Might there be a different fight for NY-KO in the next year?

Happy Holidays to everyone, and let’s move forward, to make 2012 the best year ever. Be safe, be happy and stay posi!!

NY-KO