Birthplace: Japan
Years Active: 1998-2017
Net Worth: $1 million*
Mariko Yoshida’s career began when she appeared on the All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling in 1988. She wrestled under the name Mariko Yoshida, and she worked for AJW before wrestling with Arsion.
Yoshida became the head trainer at Arsion and, during her career, was known for her high-flying, acrobatic skills. Yoshida’s two signature finishing moves were the back-to-belly, over-the-shoulder piledriver, (nicknamed the “Air Raid Crash”) and head scissors shoulder lock (nicknamed “Spider Twist.”). Yoshida actually invented both of these moves! In 2017 she retired at the age of forty-seven after she lost to her trainee, Hiroyo Matsumoto, in her very last match.
Taya Valkyrie
Birthplace: Canada
Years Active: 2010-Present
Net Worth: $1.5 Million
Taya Valkyrie (birth name, Kira Renee Forster) was actually a classically trained ballerina before taking on a more gritty persona in women’s wrestling. She began her training at Storm Wrestling Academy in 2010 and competed exclusively in Canada. Although Valkyrie signed with the WWE in 2011, she never made an official debut and decided to return to the independent circuit in Canada. She made a debut for AAA Lucha Libre Worldwide in 2012 as a part of a six-member tag team match.
Valkyrie continued to appear on AAA Lucha Libre Worldwide but transitioned to Lucha Underground in 2016. As of today, she can be seen full time in various AAA promotions.
Peyton Royce
Birthplace: Australia
Years Active: 2009-Present
Net Worth: $1 Million
Peyton Royce (born Cassandra McIntosh) entered the Pro Wrestling Women’s Alliance in 2009 as part of a tag team match, which she ultimately won. Royce also had singles matches, suffering both defeats and victories through 2011. In 2015 she joined NXT and unfortunately had a rough beginning with a number of losses.
Later, in 2018, Royce became a part of the tag team, the IIconics with Billie Kay. The duo did well together at the start but also began suffering some defeats. Despite the losses, the IIconics were drafted into the Raw brand in 2019.
Dark Angel/Sarita
Birthplace: Canada
Years Active: 2002-2020
Net Worth: $5 million*
Sarita is the ring name of professional wrestler “Dark Angel,” (birth name, Sarah Stock). Sarita was born in Canada, and began her career there, working in various indie promotional organizations and facing both male and female wrestlers. She then moved to Mexico and started wrestling in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide with the stage name Dark Angel.
She renamed herself, Sarita when she started wrestling in America under a contract with TNA. She was successful and was a two-time Knockout Tag Team champ, also sharing the title with Rosita and Taylor Wilde. Sarita was recently signed to the WWE as the women’s trainer but was unfortunately furloughed and later released.
Sasha Banks
Birthplace: USA
Years Active: 2010-Present
Net Worth: $3 million*
Sasha Banks (born Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado) got her start in wrestling when she trained at Chaotic Wrestling in Massachusetts in 2008. She wrestled under the name Mercedes KV and developed an in-ring partnership with fellow-wrestler Nikki Roxx. Banks officially debuted in the independent realm in 2010 in New England Championship Wrestling.
Banks signed with the WWE in 2012 and made her TV debut on NXT, though she lost to her opponent, Paige. After a few breaks in her career, Banks was selected in the WWE Draft in 2019 and still wrestles today.