Janai Ruiz (born September 25, 1994) is an American

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 ...

. She was previously signed to

Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...

(MLW), where she performed under the ring name Janai Kai and was a member of

Contra Unit Contra Unit is a Heel (professional wrestling), villainous professional wrestling Stable (professional wrestling), stable, currently performing in Major League Wrestling (MLW). It consists of leader Mads Krügger, Mads Krule Krügger, Ikuro Kwon, M ...

. She is also a former one-time and longest reigning MLW World Women's Featherweight Champion. She is best known for her tenure with the

professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event. Within ...

Game Changer Wrestling Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), formerly known as Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW), is an American Independent circuit, independent professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in New Jersey. The promotion was original ...

and various others from the American independent scene.

Professional wrestling career

American independent circuit (2018–present)

Ruiz made her

professional wrestling 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, real- ...

debut in Pro Wrestling 2.0, at a

house show A house show (also commonly called a live event) is a professional wrestling event produced by a major Professional wrestling promotion, promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in o ...

named ''PW2.0 And Justice For All'' which took place on July 3, 2018, where she teamed up with her "Diamond Dynasty" teammates Robyn Reid and Salem, and Sofia Castillo in a losing effort to The Dream Team (Gabrielle Arce, Lacey Lane,

Santana Garrett Santana Garrett (born May 22, 1988) is an American professional wrestler, valet and model. She is currently signed to Women of Wrestling (WOW). During her career, Garrett has wrestled in many independent promotions across the world. She is best ...

and

Tessa Blanchard Tessa Blanchard (born July 26, 1995) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she is a former Impact World Champion, and a former Impact Knockouts Champion. She previously performed for ...

). In

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...

, she made her first appearance at ''ROH Women's Division Wednesday #32'' on December 1, 2021, where she fell short to

Trish Adora Patrice Adora McNair (born March 13, 1989), known under the ring name Trish Adora, is an American professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer, predominantly for All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is a member of Sh ...

. Ruiz made her first

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

appearance at '' AEW Dynamite #17'' on December 3, 2021, where she fell short to

Jade Cargill Jade Cargill (born June 3, 1992) is an American professional wrestler. she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand. She is a former two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion. She is also known for her career in All Elit ...

. At ''Warrior Wrestling 22'', an event promoted by Warrior Wrestling on May 28, 2022, she unsuccessfully challenged

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 ...

for the

Warrior Wrestling Women's Championship Warrior Wrestling is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Chicago Heights, Illinois. Roster # Adam Brooks # Alex Coughlin #Alex Shelley #Alex Zayne #Alpha Wolf #Anthony Bowens # Anthony Henry #AQA #Aramis #Arez #ASF ...

. At

MLW Slaughterhouse MLW Slaughterhouse is a professional wrestling event produced by Major League Wrestling (MLW). It is a Halloween-themed show that is usually held in October. History The event's name originated from a 2019 special episode of the promotion's tele ...

event from October 14, 2023, Ruiz defeated

Delmi Exo Elizabeth Medrano (born April 16, 1996), known under the ring name Delmi Exo, is an American professional wrestler and promoter. Major League Wrestling (MLW) where she is a record-setting two-time MLW Women's Featherweight Champion. She also pe ...

to win the

MLW World Women's Featherweight Championship The MLW World Women's Featherweight Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion Major League Wrestling (MLW). The current champion is Shoko Nakajima, who is ...

Game Changer Wrestling (2021–present)

Ruiz competed in one of

's signature events, the

GCW Bloodsport GCW Bloodsport is a professional wrestling event held by the American promotion Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). This event consists of a unique ruleset compared to a traditional pro wrestling event, in that every match must end in either a knockout ...

, in which she made her debut in '' GCW Josh Barnett's Bloodsport 6'' on April 8, 2021, where she fell short to Karen Tran in singles competition. At ''Barnett's Bloodsport 8'' on March 31, 2022, Ruiz fell short to

Masha Slamovich Anna Khozina (; born 18 June 1998) is a Russian-American professional wrestler, better known by her ring name Masha Slamovich. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she is the reigning TNA Knockouts World Champion in her Li ...

. She also worked in other events promoted by the company. At '' The Wrld on GCW'' on January 23, 2022, she competed in a 20-person

Pabst Blue Ribbon Pabst Blue Ribbon, commonly abbreviated PBR, is an American lager beer sold by Pabst Brewing Company, established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1844 and currently based in San Antonio, Texas. Originally called Best Select, and then Pabst Select, ...

kickoff battle royal won by Big Vin and also involving notable opponents such as

Psycho Clown Psycho Clown (born December 16, 1985) is the ring name of a Mexican '' luchador'' '' enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler, signed to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). Psycho Clown's real name is not a matter of public record, as is often ...

, Ruckus,

B-Boy A b-boy is a person devoted to breaking or break dancing. B Boy may also refer to: Music * "B-Boy", a song by Tech N9ne featuring Big Scoob, Bumpy Knuckles, Kutt Calhoun, and Skatterman from the album '' K.O.D.'', 2009 * "B Boy" (song) by Meek ...

Lufisto Genevieve Goulet (born February 15, 1980), better known by the ring name LuFisto, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (1997–present) LuFisto began training when she was 17 years old in ...

Dark Sheik Sam Khandaghabadi (born July 27, 1985), better known by her ring name Dark Sheik (sometimes stylized as DARK Sheik), is an American professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer. She is best known for her tenure with Game Changer Wrestl ...

and

Thunder Rosa Melissa Cervantes (born July 22, 1986), known by her ring name Thunder Rosa, is a Mexican professional wrestler and Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a former AEW Women's World Cham ...

. In the second part of the sixth ''

Joey Janela's Spring Break Joey Janela's Spring Break is a professional wrestling event held by the American promotion Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). This event is traditionally held annually with appearances from top independent talent, retired wrestlers, and the event's n ...

'' event, she competed in the signature Clusterfuck Battle Royal, bout won by The Second Gear Crew (AJ Gray,

Mance Warner Quirt Miller (born October 10, 1988), better known by his ring name Mance Warner, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He also makes appearances on the independent circuit, predominantly fo ...

and

Matthew Justice Matthew Hannan (born March 23, 1988) is an American professional wrestler, primarily performing on the independent circuit and for Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is former one-time MLW World Tag Team Champion (with 1 Called Manders), und ...

) which also involved notable opponents such as

Billie Starkz Lillian Bridget (born December 8, 2004), better known by the ring name Billie Starkz, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), but predominantly appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), whe ...

Blake Christian Christian Hubble (born July 22, 1997), better known by his ring name Blake Christian, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He also makes appearances for its sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH) and on ...

Jimmy Wang Yang James Carson Yun (born May 13, 1981) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment from 1999 to 2010, under the rin ...

Maven MAVEN is a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars to study the loss of that planet's atmospheric gases to space, providing insight into the history of the planet's climate and water. The name is an acronym for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution" w ...

, Edith Surreal and many others. Another signature pay-per-view she competed in is the ''GCW Cage Of Survival'', making her first appearance at the second edition from June 4, 2023, where she fell short to

Maki Itoh is a Japanese professional wrestler, actress, and singer affiliated with Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, where she is a former 2-time International Princess Champion and former 2-time Princess Tag Team Champion, both times alongside Miyu Yamashita ...

. At ''JCW Big Ass Extreme Birthday Bash'' on July 9, 2023, she unsuccessfully faced

Utami Hayashishita is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to Dream Star Fighting Marigold where she is the current Marigold World Champion. She is best known for her time in World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the former leader of Queen's Quest. ...

in singles competition.

Japanese independent circuit (2023–present)

Gleat (2023)

Ruiz made her debut in the Japanese promotion

Gleat Gleat (stylized as GLEAT and pronounced as "great") is a Japanese professional wrestling and mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2020 by former Pro Wrestling Noah parent company Lidet Entertainment after the acquisition of Noah and DDT Pr ...

at ''GLEAT Ver. 6 ~ 2nd Anniversary'' on July 1, 2023, where she teamed up with Aoi,

Michiko Miyagi , better known by her ring names and , is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese promotion Gleat. She is also known for her tenure with World Wonder Ring Stardom where she is a former Artist of Stardom Champion. Pro ...

and

Risa Sera , better known by her ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress. She is currently a freelancer working in the deathmatch unit Prominence, who is best known for wrestling in Ice Ribbon. She is a four-time International Ribbon Tag ...

to defeat

Itsuki Aoki better known by her ring name Itsuki Aoki is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for her time in the Japanese promotions Oz Academy and Pro Wrestling Wave. In World Wonder Ring Stardom, she is a m ...

Rydeen Hagane better known by her ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler currently working as a freelancer and is best known for her tenure with the Japanese promotion Pure-J, and JWP Joshi Puroresu. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit ( ...

Unagi Sayaka is a Japanese professional wrestler working as a freelancer. She is best known for her time with World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is a former Artist of Stardom and Future of Stardom Champion. In the Japanese independent scene, she worked f ...

and Yukari Hosokawa. One month later, it was revealed that Ruiz alongside Aoi, Miyagi and Sera formed the "Diamond Egoist" villainous stable and had their first match as a group at ''GLEAT Ver. Mega'' on August 4, 2023, where they fell short to

Dash Chisako , better known by her ring name , is a Japanese people, Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She was trained by Meiko Satomura and has worked for her Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion since ...

Kyoko Inoue is a Japanese female professional wrestler currently signed to World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana. She has held the WWWA World Single Championship three times, and is the first woman to win a men's title in Japan. Inoue is the founder of NEO J ...

, Unagi Sayaka and Yukari Hosokawa in an eight-woman tag team match. At ''GLEAT G PROWRESTLING Ver. 60 ~ Max Voltage'' on September 20, 2023, she teamed up with stablemate Miyagi and

Hiragi Kurumi is a Japanese people, Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently working for the Japanese professional wrestling promotion Ice Ribbon where she is one half of the International Ribbon Tag Team Championship, International Rib ...

in a losing effort against Kairi,

Nanae Takahashi (born December 23, 1978) is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and the founder of Seadlinnng, as well as a co-founder of World Wonder Ring Stardom. She was signed to Dream Star Fighting Marigold, where she held her final match at Marigo ...

and Yukari Hosokawa.

Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (2023)

Ruiz made her first appearance in

Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese joshi puroresu or women's professional wrestling promotion founded in 2012 as a sister promotion of DDT Pro-Wrestling. Initially running alongside other shows such as live music and other idol performances, it became its own stan ...

on the finals night of the ''2023 Max Heart Tournament'' from February 11, where she teamed up with

Hikari Noa is a Japanese former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, known for her time in List of professional wrestling promotions in Japan, Japanese professional wrestling promotion Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, where she was an International Pri ...

to defeat

Yuki Arai is a Japanese professional wrestler and idol best known for her time in the Japanese promotion Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling. She is also a member of the Japanese idol group SKE48. Professional wrestling career DDT Pro-Wrestling (2018; 2021–presen ...

and

Rika Tatsumi better known by her ring name is a Japanese professional wrestler working for the Japanese promotions Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW) and DDT Pro Wrestling. Professional wrestling career Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (2014–present) Ishizawa ma ...

. She briefly moved to title scene at ''TJPW City Circuit Winter ~ Nagoya Performance'' on February 18, where she unsuccessfully challenged Miu Watanabe for the

International Princess Championship The is a women's professional wrestling championship owned by the CyberFight and promoted by Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling (TJPW). The title was introduced on July 16, 2019, and the inaugural champion was crowned on August 25, 2019, when Natsumi Mak ...

Major League Wrestling (2023–2025)

On October 14, 2023, at

Janai Kai defeated

via submission to become the

holder. On May 18, 2024, at MLW Fury Road Janai Kai was revealed as the newest member of

. On May 19, 2025 Kai announced her departure from MLW.

Championships and accomplishments

*Combat Fights Unlimited **Shoot To Thrill Tournament (2021) *TitleMatchNetwork.com **Ladies Night Out Championship (1 time) *

( 1 time) *''

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. 468 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''

PWI 500 ''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 ...

'' of 2021 ** Ranked No. 37 of the top 250 female wrestlers in the ''

PWI Women's 250 ''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 ...

'' in 2024 *REAL Pro Wrestling **RPW Women's Championship (1 time)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kai, Janai 1994 births Living people American female professional wrestlers Sportspeople from Washington, D.C. Professional wrestlers from Washington, D.C. 21st-century female professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers Professional wrestling managers and valets Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions MLW World Women's Featherweight Champions Dominican Republic female professional wrestlers 21st-century American sportswomen