Jessika Carr | |
---|---|
Birth name | Jessika Heiser |
Born | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | June 25, 1991
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Jessie Kaye Jessika Carr Jessika Heiser Kennadi Brink Kennedy Lewis |
Billed from | Severn, Maryland Baltimore, Maryland Hollywood, Florida |
Trained by | Duane Gill Bubba Ray Dudley D-Von Dudley WWE Performance Center |
Debut | July 2011 |
Jessika Heiser (born June 25, 1991) is an American professional wrestling referee and former professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Jessika Carr. [1] After signing with the company in 2017, Heiser became the first female WWE referee since the 1980s. [1] She is also known by her ring names Jessie Kaye and Kennadi Brink on the independent circuit. [2] She regularly worked for Maryland Championship Wrestling. [3]
As a teenager, Heiser was overweight; she credited her love of wrestling and desire to become a wrestler as "her escape" and her inspiration to change. [4] With help from a local professional wrestler, who was signed to a developmental contract with WWE, she was able to lose over 60 lbs and become an athlete. [4]
In July 2010, she started training regularly at Duane Gill's Academy of Professional Wrestling in Severn, Maryland. [4] On April 28, 2012, she won the DCW Women's Champion under the ring name Jessie Kaye. [4] On June 2, 2013, she became the inaugural VOW Vixen's Champion. [5] On September 7, 2013, she became the inaugural ECWA Women's Champion. [6] On the October 21, 2016 episode of Women of Honor , Heiser made her Ring of Honor debut under the ring name Kennadi Brink in a match against Rachael Ellering. [7] [8] A day prior on a episode of ROH Women of Honor Kennadi Brink returned and had a match against Amber O'Neal and also was successful in that match as well. [7] [9]
Heiser signed with WWE in 2017 as a referee under the ring name Jessika Carr. She also became WWE's first female referee in decades to make an official debut in WWE history. [1] She also became the first female WWE referee since Rita Chatterton in the 1980s. [10] [1]
On October 21, 2021, Heiser refereed at Crown Jewel, becoming the first woman to referee in Saudi Arabia, as well as becoming the first woman to referee a Hell in a Cell match. [11]
On May 4, 2024, Heiser became the first woman to referee any WWE world title main event, refereeing the match between the champion Cody Rhodes and the challenger A.J. Styles for the WWE World Championship at the WWE Backlash event in Lyon, France. [12]
Heiser credits The Rock, The Undertaker, Trish Stratus and Mickie James as her influences in professional wrestling. [4]
Charles Doyle Haas II is an American professional and former amateur wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) from 2000 to 2009 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2010 to 2013. In WWE he was a member of Team Angle, which later became a Tag Team duo with Shelton Benjamin known as "The World's Greatest Tag Team".
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; when the promotion was sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Mary Louis "Maria" Kanellis-Bennett is an American professional wrestler, manager, promoter, actress and model. She is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH), and is also the co-owner and founder of the independent promotion Women's Wrestling Army (WWA). She has previously wrestled for Impact Wrestling and WWE.
John Jairo Bedoya Jr. was an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Xavier. He was best known for his appearances with Ring of Honor (ROH) between 2002 and 2004, where he was the second ROH World Champion.
Jazmin Benitez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Mercedes Martinez. She also appears for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is a former ROH Women's World Champion. She is also known for her time in WWE, primarily on the NXT brand.
Kimberly Dawn Davis is an American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Amber O’Neal.
Tenille Averil Rallis is an Australian professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, under the ring name Emma. She is also known for her time in Ring of Honor (ROH) and Impact Wrestling, where she performed under her real name Tenille Dashwood.
Elizabeth Chihaia- Kesar is an American professional wrestler, model, singer and ring announcer, better known by the ring name Scarlett Bordeaux. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Scarlett, alongside her real life husband, Karrion Kross, and is a member of the Final Testament stable.
Deonna Lynn Purrazzo is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) since January 2024. She is best known for her tenures with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2014 to 2017 and 2020 to 2023, where she is a former three-time TNA Knockouts World Champion and a former TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champion. She also appeared in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) from 2021 to 2023 and Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2015 to 2018, where she is a former AAA Reina de Reinas Champion and ROH Women's World Champion, respectively, making her a five-time professional wrestling women's world champion.
Adrienne Palmer is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under her ring name Athena. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current ROH Women's World Champion in her first reign, which is the longest reign for the title. She is also known for her time in WWE, where she worked under the name Ember Moon, where she is a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion and a former NXT Women's Champion.
Women of Honor is a term used by Ring of Honor (ROH) to refer to its women's division and to the promotion's female talent. The term is applied universally to wrestlers, backstage interviewers, and managers/valets.
Amanda Leon is an American professional wrestler and model, currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where she performs under her real name as a member of The Calling.
Chelsea Anne Cardona is a Canadian professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Chelsea Green. Green is a former one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion. She is also known for her time in Impact Wrestling, where she is a former Impact Knockouts Champion and Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion.
Rachael Ellering is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to Ring of Honor (ROH). She is also known for her work in Impact Wrestling, where she is a former Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion. She has also worked in WWE's NXT brand under the ring name Rachael Evers.
Priscilla Zuniga, better known by the ring name Diamanté, is a Cuban-American professional wrestler currently performing for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and its sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH). She is also known for her time with Impact Wrestling and on the independent circuit under the ring name Angel Rose.
Karen Glennon is an Irish professional wrestler and valet, best known by the ring name Martina or Session Moth Martina.
Leyla Hirsch is a Russian-born American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), she also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH).
Carla Gonzalez is an American professional wrestler. As of March 2022, she is signed to WWE where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Roxanne Perez. She is the current NXT Women's Champion in her record-tying second reign, and a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion with Cora Jade. Prior to signing with WWE, Gonzalez wrestled under the ring name Rok-C in Ring of Honor (ROH), where she was the inaugural ROH Women's World Champion. She also worked for several independent promotions such as Reality of Wrestling.
Karen Yu is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to the promotion WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Wendy Choo. She is also known for her appearances with Ring of Honor and on the independent circuit as Karen Q and for her appearances with WWE as Mei Ying.
Backlash France was a 2024 professional wrestling event produced by the American company WWE. It was the 19th Backlash event and took place on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at the LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu in the Metropolis of Lyon, France. The event aired via pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming and was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. This was WWE's first PPV and livestreaming event to be held in France, and the first Backlash held outside of North America. The concept of the event was based around the backlash from WrestleMania XL.