Katarina Waters
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Katarina Leigh Waters (born 10 November 1980) is a German-born English American retired
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 actress. She is best known for her time with
Impact Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busine ...
under the ring names Katarina or Winter and for her time in
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, ...
under the ring name Katie Lea Burchill. She spent many years on the
independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...
, particularly in the
Frontier Wrestling Alliance Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted ...
, where she used the ring name Nikita. After signing with WWE, she competed in their former developmental territory
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promotion and former developmental territory based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow, Matt Jones (radio host), Ma ...
, where she became a two time Women's Champion, before being called up to the main roster. After being released from the WWE in April 2010, Waters joined TNA in August 2010, adopting the new ring name Winter. During her first year in the company, she won both of the promotion's women's championships, first teaming with Angelina Love to win the Knockouts Tag Team Championship in December 2010 and then winning the Knockouts Championship two times in June and August 2011.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (2000–2002)

At a young age, Waters read an article about the main event of
WrestleMania VI WrestleMania VI was a 1990 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the sixth annual WrestleMania and took place on April 1, 1990, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Can ...
and believed the Ultimate Warrior's mysterious origins to be true. When she came to England at 18, she was under the impression that wrestling companies only existed in America until she saw a local show advertised in London. However, the show's style was catered more towards British wrestling than
sports entertainment Sports entertainment is a type of spectacle which presents an ostensibly competition, competitive event using a high level of theatre, theatrical flourish and extravagant presentation, with the purpose of entertainment, entertaining an audience. Un ...
and Waters once again retired thoughts of becoming involved in wrestling until she saw Alex Shane and Dominator on ''
The Jerry Springer Show ''Jerry Springer'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Jerry Springer. The show ran for twenty-seven seasons from September 30, 1991, to July 26, 2018, in which it broadcast 3,891 episodes. It was taped at the NB ...
'' with their more outrageous gimmicks and became interested again, seeking out National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) UK Hammerlock and being trained by Jon Ryan. Originally, Waters used the name Kat but after
Stacy Carter Stacy Lee Carter (born September 29, 1970) is an American retired professional wrestling Manager (professional wrestling), valet and professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in the World Wrestling Federation from August 1999 to F ...
began using this name in the
World Wrestling Federation 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, ...
(WWF), she changed her name to Nikita after the television program '' La Femme Nikita''. After being trained Waters made her debut in February 2000 on ITV Meridian's ''TransAtlantic Wrestling Challenge'', a tournament between British and American wrestlers of the NWA where she won the Women's Championship.


Frontier Wrestling Alliance (2002-2006)


Feud with The Family (2002–2003)

After starting her wrestling career, Waters sought the
Frontier Wrestling Alliance Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted ...
(FWA) and began training with Alex Shane, who inspired her on ''The Jerry Springer Show''. With Shane she began hosting a talk radio programme on
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which helped FWA gain national notoriety among the wrestling community. Because of her association with the show she was placed on the card for their February 2002 event, Revival, where she lost to Lexie Fyfe. However, the match was badly reviewed backstage and Waters began training twice a week to improve herself. To keep exposure while improving her in-ring skills, she began to frequently tag team with fellow newcomer Hade Vansen in mixed tag team matches, including a match against British female veteran Sweet Saraya, until August when she impressed with a singles match against Paul Travell. This led to a feud where Travell dominated until the end of 2002 but in the first FWA event of 2003 Nikita picked up her first singles victory in the company over Travell and went on a singles winning streak for a month until she lost in her third bout against Andy Simmons. While Nikita had become successful as a solo wrestler, however, her rivalry with Travell had escalated when he became part of The Family, a group of villainous wrestlers who became FWA Tag Team Champions. The feud escalated after Nikita and Shane failed to win the Tag Team Championship a number of times and led to one of Waters' most famous moments in wrestling when, at the Frontiers of Honour co-held with American promotion
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 ...
(ROH) in May Alex Shane,
Ulf Herman Ulf Nadrowski (born April 4, 1966) is a German professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ulf Herman. He is best known in the United States for his appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling where he was part of The Full Blooded Ital ...
, and Nikita took on The Family (Travell, Brandon Thomas, and Scott Parker) in a hardcore six-man tag team match. Though The Family won, Nikita gained notoriety when she jumped from the top tier in the arena onto the ground, landing on The Family and their feud ended. Waters spoke about this moment in Alternative Wrestling Magazine saying "So the crowd saw what I was about to do and started reacting and cheering before I had even done any-thing, and just that moment standing up there in the light and hearing that was, well, let's just say I wanted to stay up there forever". It was later announced to be the tenth most memorable moment of the FWA's first decade in their
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Top 20 Countdown.


Sporadic appearances (2003–2006)

With her rivalry against The Family over, Nikita began a new storyline where an anonymous bounty had been put on her head. As she took on all comers trying to claim the bounty, Nikita went undefeated in the rest of 2003 and 2004. By June 2004 she had faced and defeated most of the company's major wrestlers which led to the return of the World Association of Wrestling's veteran Sweet Saraya who revealed the bounty had been placed on Nikita by the jealous ring announcer, Jane Childs. Saraya claimed the bounty with a non-sanctioned assault on Nikita, delivering a tombstone piledriver at the Carpe Diem event putting Nikita out of action for months and off the FWA roster for over a year. She returned in October 2005 in a losing effort against Simply Luscious. She was victorious on the next show in a six-man tag team match, with her and Luscious on opposing teams. Though Nikita would not wrestle after this point, she realigned herself with former tag team partner Hade Vansen and at New Frontiers 2006 helped him win the FWA British Heavyweight Championship in a five-way event featuring Joe Legend, Alex Shane,
Jody Fleisch Jerome Fleisch (born 2 April 1980) is an England, English retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jody Fleisch. He is best known for his work with the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, One Pro Wrestling an ...
, and
Jonny Storm Jonathan Whitcombe (born 19 April 1977) is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jonny Storm. He has worked for many independent promotions across the United Kingdom, including the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, Real ...
. She remained at Vansen's side until June's FWA Vs All Star Wrestling event year when she announced her retirement from the company as she had been scouted for
World Wrestling Entertainment 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, ...
(WWE) and sent to
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promotion and former developmental territory based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow, Matt Jones (radio host), Ma ...
(OVW) for training.


International circuit (2005–2006)

In 2005, she flew to France to take part in the Fighting Spirit Federation's subordinate promotion Queens of Chaos. In an exhibition match she aligned herself with German wrestler Sick (Dejan Stegar) in a losing tag team effort to Kid Kash and
Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
. However, in the Queen of the Rumble match with the World Queen of Chaos Championship on the line she entered second and became the winner, besting competition from England, Ireland, America, and Japan. She defended the title all over France and in Switzerland until almost exactly a year later when, after defending the belt against
Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some o ...
in a
two out of three falls match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
, she announced she had exclusively signed with WWE and had to relinquish the title undefeated. During her time on the Continent she made a guest appearance in German Stampede Wrestling (GSW), losing to Wesna with
Nora Greenwald Nora Kristina Greenwald (born September 7, 1977) is an American retired professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, under the ring name Molly Holly, as a producer. She is also known for her tenure in World Championship Wr ...
as referee International Impact III. She returned to GSW for Night In Motion VII: A Few Good Men in July 2006 to take on the promotion's other premiere female wrestler and namesake, Blue Nikita. The Greek Nikita won the match and since then Waters has used the name Katie Lea instead. Just before she lost her Nikita name to Blue Nikita, Waters took part in the video tapings for
Shimmer Women Athletes Shimmer Women Athletes (often referred to and stylized as SHIMMER) was an American, Chicago-based independent women's professional wrestling promotion which held its first event on November 6, 2005. Established by Dave Prazak and run by both ...
in May 2006. Playing a fan favourite in ''Volume 5'', she defeated Lacey but then for ''Volume 6'' became a
villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
by using underhanded tactics and was pinned by Daizee Haze.


World Wrestling Entertainment (2006-2010)


Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006-2008)

After relocating to the United States, Waters began using the ring name Katie Lea, having lost a match to Greek wrestler and namesake Blue Nikita. She made her debut with a
dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...
victory over Melody on 23 August. A week later she teamed with
ODB ODB may refer to: People * Ol' Dirty Bastard (1968–2004), American rapper and founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan * ODB (wrestler) (born 1978), Stage name of American professional wrestler Jessica Kresa * Original David Baker (born 1972), a monik ...
to make her television debut, losing to
Beth Phoenix Elizabeth Copeland ( Kociański; born November 24, 1980), better known as Beth Phoenix, is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she is a former WWE Divas Champion and a three-time WWE Women's ...
and Serena. At the time ODB, seeing herself as the best wrestler in OVW, created the
OVW Women's Championship The OVW Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship championship in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). The first holder of the title was ODB, who declared herself champion in August 2006. The belt was defended as any oth ...
for herself and defended it in a battle royal, in which Lea unsuccessfully participated. On 13 September she had another chance in a four-way match but Serena won the belt, besting Lea, Phoenix, and ODB. Her next title opportunity, on 11 October, ended in disqualification when an angry Serena, who had lost the belt to Phoenix, interrupted her three-way match also including ODB. Lea consoled herself by winning a Halloween costume contest. The day after Halloween saw the OVW Women's Championship contested in a gauntlet match, which Lea won by last pinning Serena, earning her first Women's Championship. She held the title for 212 days, giving her the longest single and combined reigns until Melody went over that mark in June 2009. Phoenix did not take her loss well as it was not in a straight singles match and tried to earn a rematch but lost to Lea in a mixed tag team match the following week, with El Aero Fuego and Charles Evans as their respective partners. Lea tried to defend her belt against Serena but the match ended in disqualification when a jealous Phoenix attacked Serena for having a chance before her and so on 22 November the three were put in a no-disqualification non-title match which Serena won. Having already defended her belt against Serena, though, Lea continued to defend against newcomers, such as ODB and Jennifer Fit. She also began to host an in-ring talk segment entitled "Kat's Kradle. After this match, on 6 December, Phoenix made her way to the ring and announced herself as still being champion with her own belt. Troubleshooter, or authority figure, Danny Basham announced that as ODB had created the belt for herself neither belt was official but promised to settle the matter. At 13 December OVW television tapings he announced that the dispute would be settled in OVW's first ladies
ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself become ...
and the winner would be officially recognised as Women's Champion. In the last television episode of 2006, Lea climbed to the top of the ladder to retrieve both belts and become the undisputed OVW Women's Champion as the year closed. Their feud closed on the first episode of 2007 when Basham went to present the OVW Women's Championship, giving it official recognition in the company, only for Phoenix to snatch it from him. However, this proved to be a show of sportsmanship as Phoenix presented the belt to Lea herself in recognition of their competitive ladder match. She then began a feud with
Cherry Pie Cherry pie is a pie baked with a cherry filling. Traditionally, it is made with sour cherries rather than sweet cherries. Sour Cherry, Morello cherries are one of the most common kinds of cherry used, but other varieties such as the black cherr ...
after two successful title defences against her resulted in an assault from Pie's stablemates The Untouchables ( Deuce and
Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called '' pips'' or ''dots'' ...
) until Jon Bolen and Ryan Reeves saved her. Days later at a non-televised event, Lea and Bolen defeated Cherry and Domino in a mixed tag match. However, the televised rematch was a three-on-two handicap with all three Untouchables defeating Lea and Bolen. At the end of January all the women in OVW competed in a two out of three
tug of war Tug of war (also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war, rope pulling, or tugging war) is a sport in which two teams compete by pulling on opposite ends of a rope, with the goal of bringing the rope a certain distance in one direction against ...
which Lea was on the winning side. This led to the Miss OVW competition which saw the women compete in a variety of competitions and matches with
ODB ODB may refer to: People * Ol' Dirty Bastard (1968–2004), American rapper and founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan * ODB (wrestler) (born 1978), Stage name of American professional wrestler Jessica Kresa * Original David Baker (born 1972), a monik ...
gaining the crown on 21 March. After this ODB picked up a non-title victory on 11 April and win by disqualification the following week and with a battle royal victory earned herself contention for the title. On 1 June, ODB brought Lea's reign as champion to an end in singles action at OVW Six Flags. After a series of mixed tag team contests between the two, ODB retained her title in a three-way match also featuring Victoria Crawford on 21 July. She pinned Phoenix in August for another shot at the belt but came up short at the end of the month. Milena Roucka then won the belt from ODB in a six-way dark match, in which Lea participated. After defeating Roucka twice in non-title matches In late October, Roucka attacked Lea in a game of duck, duck, goose and subsequently defeated Lea in a Kiss My Foot match in December to retain the title. In 2008, Lea began receiving presents from a secret admirer including a telegram, flowers, and an outfit. By late February, Paul Burchill revealed himself to be her admirer and helped her win the Women's Championship for the second time. She lost the title a week later to Josie in a dark match because WWE had severed ties with OVW and called her up to their programming.


Debut and championship pursuits (2008–2009)

Waters made her television debut on 11 February's ''Raw'' (airing on tape delay from the previous week) as the on-screen sister of fellow FWA alumnus Paul Burchill, becoming Katie Lea Burchill. The two originally displayed early signs of a gimmick based around
incest Incest ( ) is sexual intercourse, sex between kinship, close relatives, for example a brother, sister, or parent. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by lineag ...
with Paul using the catchphrase "whatever Katie wants, Katie gets", but owing to the WWE changing its television rating to PG (Parental Guidance) later that year, the incest indications stopped. At
WrestleMania XXIV WrestleMania XXIV was a 2008 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) List of WWE pay-per-view events, event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the 24th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 30, 2008, at the Camping Wo ...
, Lea was one of the lumberjills in the
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
BunnyMania Match, in which
Beth Phoenix Elizabeth Copeland ( Kociański; born November 24, 1980), better known as Beth Phoenix, is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she is a former WWE Divas Champion and a three-time WWE Women's ...
and Melina defeated Maria and Ashley. After appearing alongside Burchill on '' WWE Heat'', Lea made her in-ring television debut on 28 April episode of ''Raw'' defeating
Super Crazy Francisco Islas Rueda (born December 3, 1973), better known by his ring name Super Crazy, is a Mexican '' luchador'' (or professional wrestler). In Mexico, Islas has worked for Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) and made appearances ...
in an intergender
Handicap Match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...
along with Burchill. On 19 May, on ''Raw'', she had a confrontation with the Women's Champion,
Mickie James Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American Country music, country singer and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE. She is also signed to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) as Cre ...
where she insinuated James had used her relationship with
John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
to sleep her way to success. Two weeks later, Lea teamed up with Beth Phoenix in a winning effort defeating James and Melina, in which she pinned James. On 16 June episode of ''Raw'', Lea and Burchill defeated James and
Mr. Kennedy Kenneth Anthony Anderson (born March 6, 1976) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is known for his tenure in WWE from 2005 to 2009 under the ring name Mr. Kennedy, and his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, T ...
in a mixed tag team match, where Lea pinned James a second time, thus earning a title shot At the Night of Champions pay-per-view, Lea challenged
Mickie James Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American Country music, country singer and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE. She is also signed to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) as Cre ...
for the
WWE Women's Championship The WWE Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championships, world championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE, defe ...
but was unsuccessful in capturing the title. On 14 July episode of ''Raw'', Lea once again challenged James for the Women's Championship, but was unsuccessful. After she and her brother beat James and
Kofi Kingston Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kofi ...
, she received another chance at James' title in August but failed to win. She closed out the year by appearing tag team matches, regularly teaming with
Jillian Hall Jillian Hall (born September 6, 1980) is a retired American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE. After debuting in 1998, Hall worked on the independent circuit under the name Macaela Mercedes. ...
. On the last ''Raw'' of the year, she made her final appearance in a battle royal to determine the next challenger for the Women's Championship, which was ultimately won by Melina.


Brand switches and departure (2009–2010)

Two days later, on 30 December, it was revealed that Lea and Burchill had been moved to the ECW brand, but failed to make an impression with Burchill losing to continue DJ Gabriel's winning streak. Going into 2009, Lea made a better impact in her ''ECW on Sci Fi'' debut with a win against Gabriel's partner Alicia Fox. However, the Burchills lost a tag team match against Gabriel and Fox the following week. On 5 April 2009, she competed in the 25-Diva Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXV, but the match was won by Santina Marella. Lea wrestled again in July 2009 against the newly drafted
Bella Twins The Bella Twins are an American former professional wrestling tag team that performed in WWE and consisted of identical twin sisters Nikki Bella and Brie Bella. Each of the Bella Twins are former WWE Divas Champions. Brie was the first twin in WW ...
. First facing Nikki, Katie took the advantage but Nikki swapped places with her twin sister, fooling both Katie and the referee, causing Katie to lose. Two weeks later on '' WWE Superstars'', the twins made the same switch in reverse order after the referee could not differentiate between the two and Lea lost again. From August towards the end of 2009, Paul became embroiled in a rivalry with backstage interviewer
Gregory Helms Gregory Shane Helms (born July 12, 1974) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract, and currently works for the company as a backstage Producer (professional wrestling), producer. In ...
, over whether he was also in-ring performer The Hurricane. They agreed to settle the matter in a match on 17 November episode of '' ECW'', which saw Hurricane's mask put up against Burchill's career on the ECW brand. Despite many attempts, Paul could not secure the pin and subsequently lost the match, resulting in both he and Katie Lea leaving ECW. The following week on ''ECW'', Katie Lea and Paul, now sporting masks and calling themselves The Beautiful Nightmare and The Ripper, respectively, appeared in a backstage segment with General Manager Tiffany and asked for a contract, which Tiffany said they would receive if The Ripper could defeat The Hurricane the next week on ''ECW''. However, The Ripper was unmasked by Hurricane and subsequently defeated in their match, resulting in Katie and Burchill remaining off ECW. On 11 January 2010, Lea moved back to the Raw brand without her brother Paul Burchill, by competing in a first round tournament match for the vacant Divas Championship but lost to Eve Torres. At the
Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...
pay-per-view, Katie Lea teamed up with Maryse, Natalya, Hall, and Alicia Fox in a losing effort to the team of Kim, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, and The Bella Twins. On 26 February, Paul was formally released by WWE leaving Katie to appear on her own, but she was released from her WWE contract two months later, on 22 April, ending her five-year tenure with the company.


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2010-2012)


Knockouts Tag Team Champion (2010–2011)

After her release from WWE, Waters briefly returned to the independent circuit, wrestling under the ring name Kat La Noir. On 23 August 2010 Waters wrestled in a tryout dark match for TNA at the tapings of their ''
Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a large force or mechanical shock over a short period of time * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Imp ...
'' television show, losing to Madison Rayne; it was reported on 15 October that TNA had signed her to a contract. Waters debuted on 21 October episode of ''Impact!'', using the name Winter, admiring Angelina Love during a backstage segment in a somewhat supernatural appearance. After weeks of appearing only in front of Love, Winter was seen for the first time by other Knockouts on 25 November episode of ''Impact!'' when she saved Love during a large backstage brawl. On 9 December at the tapings of 23 December episode of ''Impact!'' Winter replaced an injured
Velvet Sky Jamie Lynn Szantyr (born June 2, 1981) is an United States, American color commentator and retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler best known for her time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and the National Wrestling Allian ...
and teamed with Love in a tournament final, where they defeated Madison Rayne and Tara to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship. On the edition of 13 January of ''Impact!'', Angelina and Winter successfully defend their championship against Madison Rayne and Tara after Winter knocked out Tara with a dragon sleeper. On the edition of 27 January of ''Impact!'', Winter brawled with Velvet Sky, who claimed she was trying to break up The Beautiful People. On the edition of 3 March of ''Impact!'',
Cookie A cookie is a sweet biscuit with high sugar and fat content. Cookie dough is softer than that used for other types of biscuit, and they are cooked longer at lower temperatures. The dough typically contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of ...
and
Robbie E Robert Strauss (born October 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler and Manager (professional wrestling), manager. He is signed to WWE, where he is a Producer (wrestling), producer, the on-screen assistant to the NXT general manager Ava (w ...
aligned themselves with former ''
Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...
'' cast member Angelina Pivarnick, with whom they bonded through their mutual dislike of Jenni "JWoww" Farley, whom Pivarnick proceeded to challenge to a match (whom was replaced by Winter). The following week, Winter, Angelina Love and Velvet Sky defeated Cookie, Angelina Pivarnick and Sarita in a six knockout tag team match. Winter and Love lost the Knockouts Tag Team Championship to Mexican America (Sarita and Rosita) on 13 March at Victory Road, after an interference by Velvet Sky backfired. On the following episode of ''Impact!'', Winter and Angelina Love teamed up with Matt Morgan where they defeated Mexican America (Rosita, Sarita, Hernandez) in a six-person street fight, After the match, the "fan", who had interfered in Morgan's match at Victory Road, once again entered the ring and attacked Morgan.


Knockouts Champion and departure (2011–2012)

On the edition of 24 March of ''Impact!'', Winter, seemingly having control over Love's actions, prevented her from saving Sky from a beatdown at the hands of Sarita and Rosita, turning her heel in the process. On the edition of 7 April of ''Impact!'', Love, still under Winter's spell, turned on Sky during a Knockouts Tag Team Championship match against Sarita and Rosita and left her to be pinned by the champions. On the edition of 23 June of ''Impact Wrestling'', Winter defeated TNA Women's Knockout Champion
Mickie James Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American Country music, country singer and Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE. She is also signed to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) as Cre ...
in a non-title Street Fight, following outside interference from Love, earning her a shot at James' Knockouts Championship. On 7 August at Hardcore Justice, Winter defeated James, with help from Love, to win the Knockouts Championship for the first time. With the win, she became the first British Knockouts Champion and became the sixth Knockout (after Angelina Love, Awesome Kong, Madison Rayne, Taylor Wilde and Tara) to have held both the Knockouts Championship and Knockouts Tag Team Championship. On 25 August at the tapings of the edition of 1 September of ''Impact Wrestling'', Winter lost the Knockouts Championship back to Mickie James, ending her reign at just 18 days. On 11 September at No Surrender, Winter regained the title from James. On 16 October at Bound for Glory, Winter lost the title to Velvet Sky in a four-way match, which also included Madison Rayne and Mickie James and was refereed by
Karen Jarrett Karen Jarrett (' Smedley and formerly Angle, born October 12, 1972) is an American professional wrestling Valet (wrestling), valet and personality appearing for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is the former wife of professional wrestler and Olym ...
. On 12 January 2012 episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', Winter lost to ODB. After saving ODB from Love and Winter, Eric Young was challenged by Love to a match. Young won the match via disqualification, after Love kicked him in the groin. This led to a tag team match, on 26 January episode of ''Impact Wrestling'', with Love and Winter losing to ODB and Eric Young. Winter and Love appeared together for the first time in five months, on 14 June, at an Impact house show in
Belton, Texas Belton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Belton is the county seat of Bell County, Texas, Bell County and is the fifth largest city in the Killeen – Temple – Fort Hood metropolitan area, Killeen-Temple metropolitan area. In 2020, the popu ...
, when they teamed up with Rosita and Sarita in a losing effort against Mickie James, Tara, and Velvet Sky in the main event four-on-three handicap match after Sky pinned Rosita for the win. Waters left TNA shortly afterward.


Independent circuit (2011–2018)

On 25 February 2011 Waters made her debut at World Independent Ladies Division in a in ring segment with Tab Jackson and Aiden Riley. On 4 August 2011, Waters defeated Tab Jackson in a no holds barred match to win the vacant WILD World Championship. On 10 December 2011 Winter defeated Terra, this match was later named 2011 match of the year. On 2 February 2012 she became the longest reigning champion with her reign surpassing the previous record of Lucky O'Shea's 182 days. On 14 May 2011 at the FWE Meltdown pay-per-view, Waters made her debut for Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE), defeating Rosita. At the FWE Empire City Showdown pay-per-view, on 20 September 2011, Winter defeated Rosita with
Christy Hemme Christina Lee Hemme ( ; born October 28, 1980) is an American wrestling executive and retired professional wrestler, ring announcer, backstage interviewer, singer and model (person), model. She was previously signed to Total Nonstop Action Wre ...
as the special guest referee. At the FWE Fallout pay-per-view, on 15 November 2011, Winter defeated Rosita with Christy Hemme as the special guest referee. At the FWE Haastility pay-per-view, on 15 December 2011, Winter defeated Jackie Haas. Then, at FWE No Limits, Winter defeated Brooke Tessmacher in the first round, before losing to
Maria Kanellis Mary Louis Kanellis-Bennett (born February 25, 1982) is an American professional wrestler, manager, promoter, singer and model. She is best known for her tenures in WWE, TNA, All Elite Wrestling, and Ring of Honor. Outside of wrestling, she ...
, after the interference from TnT (Tara and Brooke Tessmacher), in a tournament to determinate the first ever FWE Women's Champion. Month later, on 24 March, Waters defeated Maria and fellow TNA Knockout Rosita in a
three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...
to win the FWE Women's Championship for the first time. On 28 April, Waters defeated Melina with Lita as the special guest referee to retain the FWE Women's Championship. Later Maria challenged Winter to a rematch and Winter accepted On 28 July 2012 episode of ''FWE Wrestling'', Winter dropped the FWE Women's Championship back to Maria Kanellis, making Maria a two-time champion. On 4 October 2012 at the ''Back 2 Brooklyn'' pay-per-view, Waters, under the name Katarina Leigh, teamed up with Maria in losing effort to The Beautiful People (Angelina Love and Velvet Sky) in a tag team match. After the match ended, Waters was attacked by the evil Ivelisse Velez, who was making her FWE debut. Winter made her debut for
House of Hardcore House of Hardcore (HOH) was an American wrestling promotion founded by Professional wrestling, professional wrestler Tommy Dreamer. Its slogan is "No Politics, No BS, Just Wrestling." In its history, HOH has run events in twelve states and thre ...
, on 6 October 2012 at the promotion's first show, where she lost to
Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
in a singles match. Under the name Katarina Leigh, she participated in Pro Wrestling Syndicate's Bombshells Championship tournament making the final where she was eliminated last by Missy Sampson in a four-way elimination match. In October 2016, Leigh wrestled for What Culture Pro Wrestling in the UK, unsuccessfully challenging for the WCPW Women's Championship.


Return to Impact Wrestling (2018–2019)

Leigh made her return to Impact Wrestling under a new name, Katarina, on 10 May episode as Grado's new girlfriend. At Impact Wrestling One Night Only: Zero Fear which aired on 15 June 2018, Katarina unsuccessfully challenged Su Yung for the Impact Knockouts Championship. Katarina turned heel on 6 September episode of ''Impact!'', when she dumped and insulted Grado and announced that she was in love with Grado's best friend,
Joe Hendry Joe Hendry (born 1 May 1988) is a Scottish Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), while also making appearances for partner promotion WWE on its NXT (WWE brand), NXT WW ...
, only for Hendry to turn Katarina down after she kissed him.


Women of Wrestling (2017–2019)

Waters made her debut for
Women of Wrestling Women of Wrestling (WOW) is an American women's professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded in 2000 by David McLane (who also founded Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW)). WOW is based in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, ...
(WOW) during their taping in October 2018, under the name The Temptress, as she aligned herself with The Dagger. On WOW's seventh episode that aired on
AXS TV AXS TV () is an American cable television channel majority-owned by Canadian broadcaster Anthem Sports & Entertainment. It is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musi ...
on 1 March 2019, The Temptress defeated
Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...
. The Temptress, along with The Dagger, have feuded with Fire and Keta Rush. The Temptress, along with the Dagger, competed in the WOW World Tag Team Championship tournament at the second season on AXS TV, however, were eliminated on the first round by losing to
Adrenaline Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands a ...
and
Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...


Acting career

Waters has acted in several films. She has had roles in such films as '' Amanda & The Guardian'', '' 24 Hours in Vegas'', and playing a special forces operative in the
zombie apocalypse Zombie apocalypse is a subgenre of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction in which society collapses due to overwhelming swarms of zombies. Usually, only a few individuals or small bands of human survivors are left living. There are many d ...
thriller, '' Redcon-1''. She also had a recurring role on '' Emergency: L.A.'' as a police officer named Dana Lewis. Since 2011, she has also served as a
horror host A horror host is a person who acts as the host or presenter of a program where horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal w ...
of ''Katarina's Nightmare Theater'', a line of
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
editions for vintage
cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...
horror films Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...
released by Scorpion Releasing. Waters appeared in the 2021 horror film, ''The Amityville Moon'', as the evil Sister Francis.


Personal life

Waters was born and raised in West Germany (which later became Germany after reunification) before relocating to England to attend university. Waters graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with honours in film and drama. She is fluent in both English and German. As well as wrestling, Waters had a small career in film, directing the British independent film ''Welcome To Hell'' and acting in Utopian Pictures' ''Tough Justice'' as Tara Hunt and as "Stripper #1" in TVyouno.com film ''24 Hours in Las Vegas'', Zoe in ''Go Green'', Valerie in ''Bad Pixel'' and as the Serpent Queen in the 2012 film ''Amanda and the Guardian'', which was never released. Waters also appears, along with Shelly Martinez, in the music video for "Miss Outta Control" by Electrolightz. Her biggest influence in the wrestling world is
Kevin Nash Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor, podcaster and retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is also known for his tenures in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Ac ...
. As well as in film, Waters has made some small television appearances. She appeared on the pilot showcase programme ''
Comedy Lab ''Comedy Lab'' is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998. Several pilots first shown on ''Comedy Lab'' have gone on to spawn full seri ...
'' in 2002. Her role saw her performing wrestling moves during "
Karma Chameleon "Karma Chameleon" is a song by English band Culture Club, featured on the group's 1983 album '' Colour by Numbers''. The single was released in the United Kingdom in September 1983 and became the second Culture Club single to reach the top of t ...
", as sung by the then relatively unknown
Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and media personality. He established himself as a stand-up comedian and radio host before becoming a film actor. After beginning his career as a comedian and la ...
. In 2003, she appeared on an episode of '' Fort Boyard'' under her ringname Nikita. As she was appearing in the
Frontier Wrestling Alliance Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) was a professional wrestling promotion in Britain. Established in 1993 as the Fratton Wrestling Association it soon became the Frontier Wrestling Alliance six years later and until 2007 when it lost a scripted ...
at the time, her teammates included Doug Williams, Paul Burchill and World Association of Wrestling's Sweet Saraya. Waters favorite's are wrestlers
Jonny Storm Jonathan Whitcombe (born 19 April 1977) is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jonny Storm. He has worked for many independent promotions across the United Kingdom, including the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, Real ...
, Darren Burridge, Alex Shane, television shows '' La Femme Nikita'' and ''
Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...
'', Waters also cited that "I am totally obsessed with Lex Luthor". Waters has studied film and drama for three years. In an October 2019 tweet for National Coming Out Day, Waters described herself as pansexual, polyamorous, and a relationship anarchist. On 7 July 2022, Waters announced via
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
that she became an American citizen.


Championships and accomplishments

* British Empire Wrestling ** British Empire Woman's Championship (1 time) * British Independent Circuit ** British Women's Championship (3 times, current) * Family Wrestling Entertainment ** FWE Women's Championship ( 1 time) * Hoodslam ** GLAM Championship (1 time, current) ** GLAM Championship Tournament (2020) * Maverick Pro Wrestling ** MPW Women's Championship (2 times, current) *
Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promotion and former developmental territory based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow, Matt Jones (radio host), Ma ...
**
OVW Women's Championship The OVW Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship championship in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). The first holder of the title was ODB, who declared herself champion in August 2006. The belt was defended as any oth ...
( 2 times) * ''
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. 18 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the '' PWI Female 50'' in 2012 * Queens of Chaos ** World Queens of Chaos Championship (1 time) *
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...
** TNA Knockouts Championship ( 2 times) ** TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Angelina Love ** TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament (2010) – with Angelina Love * Trans-Atlantic Wrestling ** TWC Women's Championship (1 time) * World Independent Ladies Division Wrestling ** WILD World Championship ( 1 time) ** WILD Warrior of the Year (2011) ** WILD Match of the Year (2011) vs. Terra Calaway


References


External links

* *
Impact Wrestling profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waters, Katarina 1980 births 21st-century American actresses 21st-century English actresses 21st-century English sportswomen 21st-century female professional wrestlers American female professional wrestlers American LGBTQ sportspeople American pansexual people American people of English descent American people of German descent English emigrants to the United States English female professional wrestlers English LGBTQ sportspeople English pansexual people German emigrants to the United Kingdom German female professional wrestlers German LGBTQ sportspeople German pansexual people Immigrants to the United Kingdom Immigrants to the United States LGBTQ professional wrestlers Living people Naturalized citizens of the United States OVW Women's Champions Pansexual women People from Lüneburg Professional wrestling managers and valets TNA/Impact Knockouts World Champions TNA/Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champions