If you’re not the lead sled dog, the scenery never changes
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 155 pounds
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Growing up on the harsh streets of Brooklyn, running with a rough crowd in one of the toughest boroughs in New York City, Nikki Tsugranes embodies the grit and determination of the neighborhoods she once prowled.
The self-proclaimed New York Knockout simply loves to fight, whether its on the streets or in the ring. In fact, she loves hand-to-hand combat so much she is currently training as a boxer and will soon appear in her first amateur bout.
"I'm a fighter, not a lover," Tsugranes declares. "I will kick you in the teeth to win, and if my face is broken during a match, I will still get up and try to finish you off. New Yorkers know once you have someone down, you finish them off. That's the way I roll."
The Ballard Brothers, Misterioso and Los Luchas trained Tsugranes in Los Angeles, where American and Mexican lucha-style grappling are both popular. Her hard work with wrestlers using both styles makes her a doubly dangerous threat to any woman she faces because she combines the best –and the most violent parts—of each style.
Fearless and brutal in combat, the strikingly attractive Tsugranes is one of the few U.S. women wrestlers to work in Mexico and Japan, where female wrestling is far rougher and more dangerous. She has done more than hold her own, notching hard won victories over several of the major stars in both countries.
"Wrestling in Mexico and Japan is an accomplishment in itself," Tsugranes brags. "You don't get invited to fight there unless you have the goods. And I have the goods."
Though she currently lives in Los Angeles with her dog, Nicho, Tsugranes dismisses most of the professional women wrestlers of Southern California as unworthy competitors. She is impressed with two foes, however.
"Michelle Morgan and Erica D'Erico are my favorite opponents because they fight back," Tsugranessays. "They're not whiny little bitches who are afraid of getting kicked too hard. They bring it and I respect that. Most of the girls I face just fold up like a cheap tent."
It's the search for quality opponents that brings the N.Y. Knockout to Magnificent Ladies Wrestling, where the talent roster continues to expand with every taping and the wrestlers range from well-traveled veterans to fast-rising young stars.
"I really want some good matches with some good workers and I know Magnificent Ladies Wrestling will supply that," Tsugranes says. "It's no fun for me to slaughter some bimbo who doesn't belong in the ring. I like a good fight and the harder, the rougher, the nastier it gets, the more I love it."
Tsugranes holds a championship belt from Epic Pro Wrestling in Southern California, but she also is eyeing the gold strap of Magnificent Ladies Wrestling.
"I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum and I'm all out of bubblegum," says Tsugranes with a menacing chuckle. "I'm looking forward to knocking heads in the Magnificent Ladies Wrestling. Just be ready for the fight of your life. If you're not, I'm going to beat the bloody hell out of you in a New York minute."
Credit: Jeff Borden
