Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Mariah May
English professional wrestler (born 1998) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Mariah May Mead (born 4 August 1998) is an English professional wrestler. As of June 2025[update], she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Blake Monroe.
.jpg)
Mead first started as a professional wrestling ring announcer in 2018 before debuting as a professional wrestler under the ring name Mariah May in 2019, after which, she performed in independent promotions such as Revolution Pro Wrestling. She made her World Wonder Ring Stardom debut in 2022 and became a Goddesses of Stardom Champion with her Club Venus teammate Mina Shirakawa. She then joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2023 to 2025, where she was a one-time AEW Women's World Champion.
Remove ads
Early and personal life
Mariah May Mead was born on 4 August 1998 in London, England and grew up in the Islington area.[4] Mead's original ring name, Mariah May, is a tribute to her grandmother, who gave Mead's middle name and died before Mead started professional wrestling.[5] Her other ring name, Blake Monroe, is a tribute to her niece and a reference to the actress Marilyn Monroe.[6] She is a fan of Arsenal Football Club.[7]
Remove ads
Professional wrestling career
Summarize
Perspective
Early career (2018–2022)
Before becoming a professional wrestler, Mead began her career as a ring announcer and would perform on multiple shows over the course of 2018.[8] On 2 February 2019, she made her in-ring debut under the ring name Mariah May, facing WWE NXT UK wrestler Nina Samuels in a losing effort.[9] The two would have a series of matches crossing over multiple promotions.[10] As a last-minute replacement, May appeared at Progress Wrestling's Chapter 89 show on 26 May 2019 in her first appearance with the promotion. The show, styled with a 1980s theme, saw her only appearance as a fitness instructor character called Mariah Eagan.[11]
In June 2019, May participated in an unsuccessful three-day WWE tryout at the new UK WWE Performance Center in Enfield, where she received coaching from William Regal and Sarah Stock, among others.[12][13] On 29 February 2020, she competed against five other opponents in the main event of United Wrestling UK's I Can Do This All Day event, winning the United Wrestling Championship to earn her first professional wrestling championship.[14]
After COVID-19 lockdowns, May returned to wrestling on 26 June 2021. She formed a tag team with fellow independent wrestler Zoe Lucas known as the Dream Dollz. The team had their first match together at TNT Extreme Wrestling.[15] This partnership grew deeper at Revolution Pro Wrestling's (RevPro) "Live from the Cockpit 51" event; after Gisele Shaw defeated Lucas to reclaim the vacated RevPro Undisputed Women's Championship, May would take to the ring and ambush the new champion during a post-match interview, cementing her arrival on 4 July 2021.[16] A rivalry quickly formed as May challenged Shaw for her newly won title on 18 July 2021.[17] This feud would continue into the promotion's Queen of the Ring tournament later that month. May, along with Shaun Jackson and Kenneth Halfpenny, assisted Lucas in defeating Shaw to win the crown and the right to call herself Revolution Pro Wrestling's Queen of the Ring.[18] Shortly after, May began calling herself the "Princess of Revolution Pro Wrestling" and found herself up against the duo of Shaw and Hyan throughout the summer.[19] These bouts culminated in May once again challenging Shaw for the championship on 21 August 2021 at RevPro's 9-Year Anniversary Show in Manchester.[20]
During the remainder of 2021, May continued to find success across multiple independent promotions where she would not only successfully defend her first championship but go on to continue and win two more.[21][22] In 2022, she found success at RevPro, picking up victories in singles matches against Chantal Jordan and Laura Di Matteo.[23][24] At Ultimate Pro Wrestling's 7-Year Anniversary Show on 30 January, May interfered in the main event, deciding its outcome and being awarded her forth simultaneous championship with the Big League Wrestling Women's Championship.[25]
The following month, May began her first tour in the United States, starting with a meet-and-greet at New Jersey's Garden State Trading Card Show alongside wrestlers AJ Lee, Kaitlyn, Barbi Hayden, Gisele Shaw, Harley Cameron, and more.[26] She would make her American in-ring debut on 26 March 2022 at Battleground Championship Wrestling's When Worlds Collide event, defeating Lady Frost at Philadelphia's 2300 Arena.[27] The next night, she appeared on Combat Zone Wrestling's All Night Long show, where she competed again before travelling to Dallas, Texas.[28] Over the next three days, she made consecutive appearances at WrestleCon while wrestling at both Texas Style Wrestling on 1 April 2022 and New Texas Pro Wrestling's Cowboys from Hell event, challenging for the latter's Women's Championship against Raychell Rose on 2 April.[29][30][31]
Upon returning to the UK, May travelled across Europe over the following months and wrestled for promotions in Germany during April and Italy during May.[32][33] On 9 August 2022, May and Cameron formed a tag team called Siren's Fury, but would end up never wrestling a match together.[34] In what would be dubbed the Dreamhouse Deathmatch, May faced off with Harley Hudson at Sovereign Pro Wrestling's premiere event First Reign on 1 October 2022, in a match where anything pink was allowed to be used as a weapon.[35] Following this match, May travelled to Pakistan for a week-long media tour promoting Ring of Pakistan and visiting survivors of the 2022 Pakistan floods.[36]
World Wonder Ring Stardom (2022–2024)
At World Wonder Ring Stardom's event Dream Queendom 2, May made her Japanese debut by accompanying Mina Shirakawa to the ring alongside a returning Xia Brookside. Shirakawa and Unagi Sayaka represented the Cosmic Angels to defeat Donna Del Mondo members Mai Sakurai and Thekla in a tag team match. Following the match, a victorious Shirakawa would both verbally and physically confront Sayaka and announce the formation of Club Venus, a trio featuring herself, May, and Brookside.[37]
May officially became the newest member of Club Venus in a match against Super Strong Stardom Big Machine at New Blood Premium, with Shirakawa in her corner, where May began using a masked alter ego by the name of Sexy Dynamite Princess and came out on top in singles competition.[38] The following night on 26 March, May would enter the Cinderella Tournament 2023, picking up a win against Rina.[39] Her time in the tournament would ultimately come to an end in the second round via an over-the-tope-rope elimination from Mai Sakurai.[40] In addition to competing at All Star Grand Queendom, as a last-minute addition to the English-language broadcast of the event, May joined the commentary team for the duration of the show.[41][42]
Following May and Shirakawa's victory over Ami Sohrei and Mirai at Korakuen Hall, the two Club Venus members issued a challenge to The New Eras for the Goddesses of Stardom Championship.[43] Uniting as a Club Venus sub-group called Rose Gold, May and Shirakawa would receive their championship match at Sunshine 2023. Proving successful in their endeavor, they would bring championship gold back to Club Venus and become the 28th Goddesses of Stardom Champions, also marking May's first championship in Stardom.[44] Outlasting 18 other opponents in a last chance Rumble match, alongside Hanan, May qualified to participate in the 5 Star Grand Prix 2023, where she competed as part of the Blue Stars block.[45] On 30 September, she faced her fellow last chance Rumble winner Hanan in her final match of the tournament, which also served as May's farewell match from Stardom.[46] On 4 April 2024, May temporarily returned to Stardom at Stardom American Dream 2024, teaming with Club Venus members Shirakawa and Brookside in a losing effort against Mayu Iwatani, Momo Kohgo, and Tam Nakano.
All Elite Wrestling (2023–2025)
On the 8 November 2023 edition of Dynamite, May was announced as the newest signing to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).[47] May was introduced in a segment by RJ City as a superfan of AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm, establishing her as a heel.[47] In the following months, Storm adopted May as an "understudy" and protégé.[48][49] On the 3 January 2024 episode of Dynamite, May made her AEW in-ring debut, defeating Queen Aminata. After the match, May was confronted by the debuting Deonna Purrazzo.[50] At Revolution, May adopted Storm's previous "Rockstar" persona, including wearing Storm's old ring attire and entrance music, and would begin wrestling matches on Dynamite and Collision in this persona as a tribute to her mentor Storm. Despite both Storm and May still being heels, fans started embracing them both with cheers, thus turning them both into tweener. The following weeks, Storm and May started wrestling faces and heels.[51] At Supercard of Honor: Zero Hour, May made her Ring of Honor (ROH) debut, defeating Momo Kohgo. On the 11 April episode of Dynamite, May defeated Anna Jay. Afterwards, she was saved by her former Stardom tag partner Mina Shirakawa, who shared a kiss and champagne, teasing a romantic storyline between the two. May would later reveal that the Shirakawa and herself were told they could not display romantic affection by AEW agents. Later down the line, May would quietly turn babyface along with Storm.[52] In the weeks leading up to Forbidden Door, May was the centre of a love triangle storyline, which saw her torn between supporting Storm and Shirakawa, who was Storm's title challenger at the event. May ultimately remained neutral as the two competed for her affection. After Storm defeated Shirakawa at Forbidden Door on 30 June, May resolved the conflict with a three-way kiss.[53]
.jpg)
In June 2024, May participated in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and subsequently defeated Willow Nightingale to win the tournament on the 10 July episode of Dynamite. With the victory, she also earned an AEW Women's World Championship match against Storm at All In. Immediately after winning the tournament final, May turned on Storm and viciously attacked her and Storm's on-screen butler Luther, thus re-establishing herself as a heel[54] and dubbing herself "The Glamour" Mariah May.[55] At All In on 25 August, May defeated Storm to win the AEW Women's World Championship for the first time.[56] On the 4 September episode of Dynamite, May successfully defended her title in her first title defense against Nyla Rose.[57] Ever since winning the title, May yearned for Mina Shirakawa to return and celebrate her title win together. On the 16 November episode of Collision, after successfully defending her title against Anna Jay, May reunited with Shirakawa once again.[58] At Full Gear on 23 November, May held her title win celebration with Shirakawa, where May turned on Shirakawa.[59] At Dynamite: Winter is Coming on 11 December, May successfully retained her title against Shirakawa. After the match, May was interrupted by Storm, who returned after a near four-month hiatus in AEW after losing the AEW Women's World Championship to May, and acted as if she had just joined AEW as a rookie in her "Rockstar" persona.[60][61] At Dynamite: Maximum Carnage on 15 January 2025, Storm won a Casino Gauntlet match to earn a title shot against May.[62] At Collision: Homecoming on 25 January, during a face-to-face with May, Storm revealed that her act was all a ruse and that she had been "Timeless" the entire time.[63] At Grand Slam Australia on 15 February, May lost the AEW Women's World Championship to Storm, ending her reign at 174 days.[64] At Revolution on 9 March, May failed to defeat Storm in a rematch for the title billed as a "Hollywood Ending" Falls Count Anywhere match to end their feud in what would be her final match in AEW.[65] On 30 May 2025, May left AEW after her profile was removed from the company's roster page on their website.[66]
WWE (2025–present)
She made her surprise WWE debut for the NXT brand on 3 June 2025 episode of NXT as a face, where she confronted NXT Women's Champion Jacy Jayne.[67] She subsequently adopted a new ring name, Blake Monroe.[6] Monroe made her televised in-ring debut at NXT The Great American Bash on 12 July in a tag team match, where she teamed with Jordynne Grace to defeat Fatal Influence (Jayne and Fallon Henley).[68] On the following night at Evolution, Monroe accompanied Grace in Grace's NXT Women's Championship match against Jayne, where Monroe turned on Grace, thus turning heel.[69]
Remove ads
Other media
Mead has modelled for WWE Shop and British fashion brands such as Misspap and Miss Bardot.[70]
On 16 January 2017, Mead launched a YouTube channel featuring a look into her life and passion for wrestling, fashion, gaming, and fitness.[71] On 14 June 2020, she launched a Twitch channel on which she streamed, chatted, and played games with her fans, whom she referred to collectively as House May.[72]
In 2022, Mead modelled for Freddy by Livify Clothing[73] and at Calgary's Cowboys Music Festival.[74] She also starred as Roxy in the ITV2 wrestling comedy miniseries Deep Heat[75][76] and had a small role in the short horror comedy film Granny DJ.[77][78]
Championships and accomplishments
.jpg)
.jpg)
- All Elite Wrestling
- Apex Pro Wrestling
- Apex Women's Championship (1 time)
- ESPN
- Ranked No. 5 of the 30 Best Pro Wrestlers Under 30 in 2024[81]
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 9 of the top 250 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Women's 250 in 2024[82]
- Slammasters Wrestling
- Slammasters Women's Championship (1 time, inaugural)[83]
- Ultimate Pro Wrestling UK
- Big League Wrestling Women's Championship (1 time)
- United Wrestling UK
- United Wrestling Championship (1 time, inaugural)[83]
- World Wonder Ring Stardom
Remove ads
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads