Mariah Moreno Is Pro-Wrestling's Transgender Pioneer
Eric Shorey interviews pro-wrestling icon Mariah Moreno, who was publicly out as transgender long before the current wave of LGBTQ+ acceptance.
Within the past few years, LGBTQ+ pro-wrestling has become a sub-cultural phenomenon, often attracting more fans and viewers than the more typical and less political showcases of athletes and superstars. Only a decade ago, much of this progress was totally unimaginable: out wrestlers from previous generations have more recently discussed the violence, discrimination, and abuse they faced because of their sexual or gender identity. And although there’s plenty of work still to be done, it’s worth considering the massive strides the industry has taken towards inclusion.
On July 10th, Billy Dixon will be presenting Paris Is Bumping: Solid Gold ‘21, the second event in an ongoing series of pro-wrestling kiki balls — hybrid shows that combine the aesthetic of ballroom culture with the attitude of an underground fight club. The main event pits the enigmatic Edith Surreal against the bloodthirsty veteran Mariah Moreno.
“I just want these people who are athletic and great performers to get opportunities to be celebrated and for them — to get their flowers when they’re living, and not when they’re dead,” said Dixon, discussing Paris is Bumping with Fansided in 2020. “It’s a love letter to gay history and to people who have made it very much easy for me to live my life in comparison to the lives that they had to live.”
Indeed, Mariah Moreno has been an under-appreciated pioneer in pro-wrestling. As one of the first out trans women in the sport, Mariah was snatching titles long before LGBTQ+ wrestling events were even conceivable. With her first matches occurring more than a decade ago, Mariah is now retrospectively considered an icon in the scene — so much so that at PIBII she’ll be honored with a special recognition of her achievements.
In anticipation of Paris is Bumping and in honor of her impressive career, I sat down with Mariah for a conversation about her rise in the industry, the tribulations of training, and the future of the art form.
ES: Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me today! I wanted to start with such an obvious question, but I’m genuinely curious: how did you get into pro-wrestling? What are some of your earliest pro-wrestling memories?
MM: The earliest I was exposed to wrestling was when I was a toddler. I remember watching GLOW — we were a strict Catholic family so we were never allowed to actually watch it, but we’d catch it while flipping through the channels. I remember seeing the women wrestling — all these way out characters — just for a brief moment, never more than five minutes. But I always wanted more.
I reconnected with wrestling during high school. The kids would come in and talk about The Rock and Stone Cold. I started leaving my TV on the right channel, I didn’t even know what time [wrestling] aired. I missed a lot of it, but I’d try and catch as much as I can. I saw a lot of Ivory, The Kat, Chyna, Terry — late Attitude Era. Sable was already gone but I was hearing about her.
Who were some of your favorites as a kid?
Luna [Vachon]! I was really attracted to Luna, she was completely unique and different. It was Luna, Ivory, and Jacqueline. I loved Chyna. I connected with her on a personal level, just because she was less traditionally feminine than the other women. She was still feminine! But less feminine than the other women. She had those broad shoulders, that jaw line. But Luna was my real favorite. She was rarely there, though.
I really got hooked when I saw Lita. Once I saw Lita make her debut, I was like: this is what I want to see! I first wanted to be a valet. I wanted to be sexy and pretty, have a little fun. But once I saw Lita make that debut and pop that moonsault — I wanted to actually wrestle! She was just something different. Women at the time were either just valets or just wrestlers, and Lita was someone that did both.
What was the process of deciding to train as pro-wrestler like for you?
So fast-forwarding to that part: when I was 18 I had a heartbreaking break up, I fell into drugs. So from 18 to 26 or 27 I was on drugs, I got disconnected to life. I cleaned myself up — we’ll skip that part! — and about six months later I decided to pursue wrestling. By this time, MySpace was a thing, and I had mentioned that I wanted to be a wrestler. Through MySpace I was discovering more about indie wrestling and this student by the name of Mike Impact (RIP!) connected me to the Santino Bros. school. And that’s when my training began.
How was the experience of training?
The school itself was very boot camp-ish, so I had very mixed feelings. I didn’t know if they hated me or if they loved me. Every day was very intimidating. It was really experienced wrestlers training us, but they were very rough. They were safe — but rough! This was all new to me, being physical in the ring. But I was completely committed, I was in it, I wanted it more than ever.
It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t a walk in the park. It’s not like it is today. Oh my god, I don’t want this to come off the wrong way, but they just let anybody train at wrestling now. During the time that I started, it was a little more exclusive. They would beat you down and expect you to not show up the next week. Only the strong survived. Now, it’s totally different! Anybody survives, whether you’re weak or strong. And I’m for that! There’s a place for everyone now. I never really understood why it was so rough, I felt like sometimes it was unnecessary.
We had this one day where we took powerbombs from every trainer. To me it felt like a punishment. Apparently, it was an initiation type thing. They would just wear us out, they wanted us to prove ourselves — that we wanted this more than anything. And I learned that way. I really liked it, I really liked the school. A lot of the old school wrestlers had talked about this rough and tough training, and that was what I wanted. I wanted to experience that, I wanted to be able to tell a story this way. I liked the in-your-face attitude — they still cared about you and your wellbeing, they were always making sure you were OK. They would beat you up, they would slam you, they would pin you — but they were always checking if we were OK, kind of like what we do in the ring.
Were you out as trans at the time?
Yes! Well, not in wrestling. As far as who I was training with, yes. But in storyline, like the fans — they had no idea.
Did you feel you were being treated differently from the other wrestlers at the time?
At that school? No. I mean, I hope not! I felt like I was treated like everybody else. I trained with Thunderkitty, and we both got treated the same, from what I saw and experienced. We both got treated just like the boys. I developed a bond with each and every single person there, especially my trainer. There was respect and love there.
I did notice I was treated differently on the indies. I wasn’t allowed to work in certain places because of who I was or how I was living my life. It was very hurtful. It was very discouraging. There were a few companies that I wanted to work for in Southern California, one place that had a lot of former WWE talent coming out. I wanted to work there, but I was always told no. They said it was a family friendly show.
At that time, everyone knew. I had used my outing in a storyline. That probably was a big mistake in a sense — but maybe not. I wanted to be more comfortable in my own skin. I felt that it would be a safer route to come out, if I wanted to travel independently and make a name for myself. I felt that that would be better than being outed by someone else.
It was rough, hurtful, discouraging. I had a few moments where I cried. I really wanted to work for these companies and I was always getting a no.
How did the Mariah Moreno character develop? How did she come about, what’s her story?
So when I first started wrestling, I went by the name Amanda. I was a comedy wrestler, pure comedy. The whole thing was: A man, duh! In today’s world, it’s an offensive character. But during that time, I wanted to be more accepted, I wanted to be funny. Lots of kiss spots. I did a bronco buster and I called it The Tuck Taster. I had a move set that I would use to make the crowd laugh.
One of my trainers was Angel, The Hardcore Homo. He’s a former XPW wrestler. We were in a tag team. He would do all these kiss spots, we were this comedy tag team. I mean, I was doing hardcore death matches, but I wanted to be fun and comedic.
I won the AWA Intercontinental Championship and that’s when I wanted to be taken more seriously. I was going to start wrestling men for this title, and I was hoping that serious companies would book me. My goal was — and still is! — to work for Shimmer. There were several women’s companies that I was aiming to work for, and I felt that switching my name would help me. So I switched it to my middle name, Mariah, and my actual last name. That’s how she came up.
Did the character change when the name changed?
It was the mannerisms that changed. I started doing less comedic spots, less kiss spots. I was doing a go behind, but then I would thrust, ya know? I was calling it The Titties On Your Back. So, less of that stuff. I started dropping that gimmicky stuff. Less comedic, more actual wrestling.
You were doing so many different styles of wrestling!
It’s a passion! It’s a love! I wanted to dip my fingers in everything: lucha libre, hardcore death matches, comedy. I was trained in Japanese Strong Style. I want to be prepared for everything. If I got called for a spot, I wanted to be ready.
At this point, you’re being recognized as a real trailblazer. How has that been for you?
That’s an amazing feeling! When I first started, I saw Angel and Cassandro as trailblazers. And Pimpinela [Escarlata]. There were no trans wrestlers during the time that I came up. There weren’t people I could look up to or see as a trailblazer in that way. But now, today, seeing these women and these men admire my career or something that I did — that I’ve impacted them in some way, shape, or form — it feels really good!
For a while there it felt like everybody forgot about me. It was a little depressing. But it really turned out that a lot of people knew about me, they just never really reached out to me. I had left wrestling for a little bit and people didn’t think I was going to come back. But I’ve decided to come back because I wanted a piece of that cake — this cake that this new generation of wrestlers made. They’re putting LGBTQ+ wrestling on the map. I didn’t do it! They did it! And I just want to see myself as someone who helped build a foundation for the girls like me to be taken seriously, that we want this, that we also fit in, that there’s a place for us. These younger girls, they’re baking the cake — and I want a bite! I want to be a part of all their careers, I want to watch, I want to work with them. They inspire me!
When I left wrestling, I was bitter. I was upset with the way I was being treated, with the way wrestling was at that time. There was a lot of sexual harassment that I dealt with. I couldn’t get a booking without flirting, my career really went that route. I was thinking that this wasn’t for me. I wanted to be a pro-wrestler, I didn’t want to be labeled a ring rat. I didn’t want to be that kind of girl. These ring rats were getting top dollar for wrestling, sure, but also doing a little side thing. And I left wrestling because of those experiences.
But I got reconnected because I saw all these younger girls doing their thing. And I was like, this is what I always wanted! I have all these younger people that I can play with, have a good time with, even become friends with!
You really stunned a lot of people with your Sex Siren performance at Paris Is Bumping I. What went into that? How was that for you?
That was extremely fun! Seeing how it all panned out, the feedback I was getting from everyone: I felt relevant for several weeks after that aired. It was something that I always wanted to do — I’ve always wanted to do something very diva, very risqué.
I got my body done last January. I had gotten this Brazilian butt lift with lipo, larger breast implants. So I wanted to showcase that. Kind of like how Sable did, or Torrie Wilson. I’ve always wanted to be a sex symbol in wrestling. And being a trans woman, that’s not likely! Especially during the time that I started. And I didn’t have a body like those women. I guess you could say I didn’t have confidence either. But now that I’ve got my body, I feel more confident, I can fit that mold. So when I was asked if I wanted to do this, I jumped on it!
What are you most looking forward to with Paris Is Bumping II?
This is so big for me: I really am looking forward to meeting all these people who I haven’t met. I want to hang out with my peers, I want to get to know everyone. I’m connected to a lot of these people through social media, but I want to connect with them on a personal level, you know what I’m saying? I want to develop friendships with these people, because we have something in common. Not just wrestling — but, you know, we’re on the same side of the rainbow!
When I started wrestling, there wasn’t hardly any of us. Seeing that there’s handfuls upon handfuls now, I want to get to know everybody! I want to get to know them all.
How do you feel about this current generation of LGBTQ+ talent in pro-wrestling? How do you feel about what’s going on in the scene now?
Oh my goodness, they’re so amazing. They’re so talented. Super athletic. Super, super, super athletic. Way more athletic than I am — by a long shot! I’m already old, I can’t move like them! I’m an elder, I guess you could say. But I want to give it my all. They are so amazing. I’m proud of every single one of them.
Do you have any advice for this new generation or a young LGBTQ+ person just getting into pro-wrestling?
Stay humble. Be respectful. Being humble and being respectful will get you farther than any ounce of ability or athleticism.
Take charge of that dream. Take charge of what you want to do. Stay in control of your character. Always think of ideas. And if you can’t make these ideas come to life, share them with your peers. ‘Cause we’re all in this together.
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Get your tickets for Paris is Bumping: Solid Gold ‘21 over here, and make sure to follow Mariah Moreno on Instagram and Twitter.