Fearless fighter never ducks a challenge
Height: 5-foot-5
Weight: 140 pounds
Hometown: New Brunswick, New Jersey
How tough is Angel Orsini? Her first professional match was outside a notorious, rough-and-rowdy Florida biker bar, where her opponent was the vicious and muscular giant Joanie Lauer, later to gain great fame and notoriety in the WWE as Chyna.
And if you think Orsini cowered in the presence of this powerhouse or tried to play a game of "rope-a-dope," well, you just don't know her.
Orsini battled Lauer/Chyna throughout a hard-fought match before the bigger woman's illegal tactics finally wore her down. The bikers looking on in that outdoor match rewarded Orsini with a loud ovation, impressed by her fearlessness and toughness.
"Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but I always give the fans 1,000%," Orsini says. "I may be a little cocky, a little bit of a wiseass, but I'm a tough girl who can walk the talk."
A veteran who has appeared all over the world and wrestled under the names Riptide and Prodigette at various times, Orsini was trained by the late "Chainsaw" Liz Chase at Extreme Championship Wrestling. She quickly established herself as a top professional capable of meeting any challenge.
Her background in mixed martial arts has been a tremendous advantage to her wrestling career. So have her travels around the globe, where she has soaked up different styles and tactics. When you factor in her tremendous strength and stamina –Orsini brawled for more than 70 minutes non-stop against the Latina sensation Mercedes Martinez in a match on the East Coast that many fans have said was the best fight they'd ever witnessed—and you have a formidable opponent.
More proof of her dedication? She broke the heels in both of her feet during a match, yet refused to leave the ring and continued until the final pin fall despite being in agonizing pain.
"There's not a lot out there that scares me any more," she says confidently. "I've fought and beaten some of the best in the business. I've held titles pretty much everywhere I've ever wrestled. I've suffered some pretty serious injuries, but I've always battled back. There are a lot of wrestlers who call themselves warriors, but in my case, I've proved over and over that's just what I am."
And now the woman who blends old-school techniques with the high-impact Japanese style along with a dose of savage hardcore grappling is eyeing the women of Magnificent Ladies Wrestling and looking forward to adding another championship belt to the dozens she already has won.
"There's an interesting roster here," Orsini notes. "You have a lot of different styles, a lot of different sized opponents, a mix of tough veterans and some good looking up-and-comers. It's going to be a lot of fun climbing into the ring with these ladies."
It may be fun for Orsini. For her opponents? Maybe not so much.
"I'm respectful of the skills other girls may have, but I'm not intimidated and I fully expect to beat every single woman I face," she declares, noting she has won men's championship belts in other federations. "I'm grateful and humbled by the support of my fans. They keep me fired up and that's bad news for my opponents."
Credit: Jeff Borden
