Taynara Melo Guevara (née de Carvalho and formerly Conti; born June 9, 1995) is a Brazilian

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

and

judoka is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

. She has been signed to

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. It is owned and operated by Shahid Khan, Shahid and Tony Khan, with the latter serving as President (corporate title), president an ...

(AEW) , where she performs under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Tay Melo (). In AEW, she has often performed in a tag team with Anna Jay as TayJay. Prior to joining AEW, Melo performed for

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

's NXT

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

as Taynara Conti from 2017 to 2020. Through a partnership with AEW in 2022, she also appeared in the Mexican promotion

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Promociones Antonio Peña, S.A. de C.V. doing business as, d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (commonly referred to as simply AAA, pronounced "Triple A" – an abbreviation of its original name Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración de Espectáculos ...

(AAA), where she was a former one-time AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champion with real life husband Sammy Guevara as members of AEW's Jericho Appreciation Society stable. She took a maternity leave from AEW in January 2023 and made her in-ring return at an event for AEW's Japanese partner promotion,

World Wonder Ring Stardom , is a Japanese ''joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded in September 2010 by former All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (AJW) co-producer Ross ...

, in January 2025 before making her return to AEW that June.

Early life and judo

Taynara Melo de Carvalho was born on June 9, 1995, in

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas. Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, the city wa ...

. She has a brother and two sisters, one of whom is adopted. Melo grew up in Rio's notorious poverty-stricken and crime-infested

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of impoverished neighborhoods in Brazil. The term, which means slum or ghetto, was first used in the Slum of Providência in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was b ...

s. She holds a black belt in

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

and a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Melo briefly went to law school in Brazil and participated in trials for the Brazilian Olympic team at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

prior to joining WWE. Melo began her athletic career in

artistic gymnastics Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different types of apparatus. The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique, Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), ...

CR Vasco da Gama Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (; English: Vasco da Gama Club of Rowing), commonly referred to as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although originally a rowing club and then a multi-sport club, Va ...

, but soon migrated to

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

. She initially fought for the judo team ''Brasil vale ouro'' ("Brazil is worth gold") and later joined Brazilian sports and education NGO Instituto Reação, led by Olympic judoka Flávio Canto. Melo was a regional champion and four-time state champion. In addition, she was a four-time Brazilian runner up. She joined the Brazilian team and participated in the European circuit in Portugal and Germany.

Professional wrestling career

WWE (2016–2020)

In October 2016, Melo was announced as having signed with WWE and reported to the

WWE Performance Center WWE Performance Center (WWE PC) is a group of professional wrestling schools owned by American company WWE. They serve as tryout and training facilities for WWE, and also contain sports science and medical facilities as well as live events and ...

. She made her professional wrestling debut as Taynara Conti at

WrestleMania Axxess WWE World at WrestleMania, formerly known as WrestleMania Axxess, is a professional wrestling fan convention held by WWE during the week of WrestleMania. The event typically runs for four to five days—from Thursday to Sunday or Monday—and fea ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

on April 1, 2017, competing against Sarah Bridges in a losing effort. She took part in the inaugural Mae Young Classic, during which she lost to

Lacey Evans Macey Estrella-Kadlec ( Evans; born March 24, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and former U.S. Marine. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Lacey Evans. Originally introduced to wrestling wh ...

in the first round of the tournament. Conti appeared on television on the October 11 episode of '' NXT'', interfering in a triple threat match between

Nikki Cross Nicola Glencross (born 21 April 1989) is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Nikki Cross and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction. In WWE, ...

, Peyton Royce, and Liv Morgan on behalf of The Undisputed Era (

Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989), known by the ring name Adam Cole, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of The Paragon (professional wrestling), ...

, Bobby Fish, and

Kyle O'Reilly Kyle Richard Thomas Greenwood (born March 1, 1987), better known by his ring name Kyle O'Reilly, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Paragon (professio ...

) to prevent Cross from winning the match. This led to a match between Conti and Cross on the November 1 episode of ''NXT'', where Conti lost. On April 8, 2018, Conti performed during the pre-show of

WrestleMania 34 WrestleMania 34 was a 2018 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the 34th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, held for ...

, competing in the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal, becoming the first female Brazilian to compete on the evening of WrestleMania. Later in the year, Conti qualified for the 2018 Mae Young Classic tournament after she defeated Vanessa Borne. She defeated Jessie Elaban in the first round but lost to Lacey Lane in the second round. On April 20, 2020, Conti was released from her WWE contract as a result of budget cuts due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Like all other talent released, she remained under the 90-day no compete clause, which expired on July 23, 2020. Conti later revealed in an interview that she had been unhappy for months at WWE and wanted to be released, but the company initially would not grant her a release out of fear she would go to

(AEW).

All Elite Wrestling (2020–present)

On August 4, 2020, Melo appeared on AEW as Tay Conti, participating in the AEW Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw and teaming with Anna Jay. The team, known officially as TayJay, defeated Nyla Rose and Ariane Andrew in the quarterfinals but lost to Ivelisse and Diamante during the semi-finals. On the August 26 episode of ''

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

'', she received a contract from the stable The Dark Order to join them. On September 9, AEW announced that Conti had signed with the company. On the January 13, 2021, episode of ''Dynamite'', Conti competed for the

NWA World Women's Championship The NWA Women's World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The title was first held by Mildred Burke in 195 ...

for the first time, and was defeated by

Serena Deeb Serena Deeb (born June 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is well known for her first stint with WWE, appearing on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE Brand Extension, brand and also kn ...

. In the following weeks, Conti earned a title match for the AEW Women's World Championship, but she was not successful in beating the champion, Hikaru Shida, on the April 21 episode of ''Dynamite''. In September, Conti and Anna Jay began a feud with

Penelope Ford Olivia Hasler (born September 14, 1992) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Penelope Ford. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is also known for her work in Combat Zone Wrestling. Professional wrestling ...

and The Bunny in a series of singles and tag matches on ''Dynamite'' and '' Rampage''. On November 13, Conti fought again for the AEW Women's World Championship, this time facing defending champion

Britt Baker Brittany Ann Baker (born April 23, 1991) is an American professional wrestler and dentist. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling—where she performs under the ring name Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. and is a former AEW Women's World Championship, AEW W ...

at Full Gear but came up unsuccessful. The TayJay/Bunny & Ford feud came to a head when the team of Jay and Conti defeated the team of The Bunny and Ford in a street fight on December 31 on ''Rampage''. On March 6, 2022, at

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

, Conti faced Jade Cargill for the AEW TBS Championship in a losing effort. After months of feuding, on May 29 at Double or Nothing Conti teamed up with Sammy Guevara and

Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...

in a trios mixed tag team match facing American Top Team's

Ethan Page Julian Micevski (born September 20, 1989), better known by his ring name Ethan Page, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand, and is ...

, Paige VanZant and

Scorpio Sky Schuyler Andrews (born April 2, 1983), better known by the ring name Scorpio Sky, is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a former two-time AEW TNT Champion and ...

, which Conti's team lost. On June 15, at '' Road Rager'', Conti along with Guevara, joined the Jericho Appreciation Society, turning heel. On August 12 on ''Rampage'' Quake by the Lake under the new ring name Tay Melo, teamed up with Guevara defending the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship against Dante Martin and Skye Blue which they successfully retained. Melo and Guevara then started a feud with Ruby Soho and Ortiz, trading wins during August before defeating them at All Out due to interference from Anna Jay. The feud between Melo and Soho resumed on the November 30 episode of ''Dynamite'', leading to a match at Winter Is Coming where Soho defeated Melo. The feud continued with Melo and Jay defeating Soho and

Willow Nightingale Danielle Paultre (born January 25, 1994), better known by the ring name Willow Nightingale, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a current member of The Conglomeration and a former AEW T ...

on the December 28 episode of ''Dynamite''; Soho and Nightingale however defeated Melo and Jay on the January 11, 2023, episode of ''Rampage'' in a street fight. After a two-year absence from television, Melo made her return to AEW on June 4, 2025 at Fyter Fest, where she saved Anna Jay from an attack from Megan Bayne and

, turning

face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

in the process. The following week at Summer Blockbuster, Melo and Jay defeated Bayne and Ford.

Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2022)

On April 30, 2022, Conti made her AAA debut teaming with Sammy Guevara to defeat

Los Vipers Los Vipers is a professional wrestling group, which has existed in various incarnations in the Mexican wrestling promotions Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) since 1997. The group has consistently been presented as a '' Rudo'' (bad guy ...

, Maravilla and Látigo, and Sexy Star II and Komander to win the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship at

Triplemanía XXX Triplemanía XXX was a three-day professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event promoted and produced by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA or Triple A). The event was held on April 30, June 18, and Octobe ...

. For most of the match, La Parka Negra would wrestle in Guevara's place.

World Wonder Ring Stardom (2025)

On January 3, 2025, following a 22 month hiatus from wrestling, Melo made her in ring return and debut for Stardom at New Year Dream where she teamed with Mina Shirakawa and faced the team of

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

and Thekla but were defeated.

Other media

Melo appears as a main cast member for '' AEW All Access''.

Personal life

In 2017, Melo married fellow judoka Jorge Conti. In November 2021, Melo revealed that she was no longer married, and that the couple had been separated "for a long time". Melo had been in a relationship with fellow professional wrestler Sammy Guevara since January 2022. The couple got engaged in June in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and were wed on August 7, 2022, in

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

. In May 2023, at Double or Nothing, Melo and Guevara revealed they are expecting their first child, and confirmed it on their social media accounts. On November 28, 2023, Melo gave birth to a daughter named Luna Guevara. She is a fan of

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

(particularly the UFC and the MMA fighters Amanda Nunes and Charles Oliveira), often comments on the events and fights of these events on her social media, in addition to having declared that she is open to a challenge of fighting MMA in the future and that she has visited a UFC Gym several times.

Championships and accomplishments

** AEW Dynamite Awards (1 time) *** Biggest WTF Moment (2022) – * ''Inside the Ropes'' ** Most Improved Wrestler (2021) *

** AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Sammy Guevara * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' ** Ranked No. 49 of the top 150 female wrestlers in the ''

PWI Women's 150 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The mag ...

'' in 2021 * ''

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four Wee ...

'' ** Most Improved (2021)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Conti, Taynara 1995 births All Elite Wrestling personnel Living people Brazilian female professional wrestlers Brazilian martial artists Martial artists from Rio de Janeiro (city) Expatriate professional wrestlers Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Jericho Appreciation Society members 21st-century female professional wrestlers AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champions