Dori Elizabeth Prange ( ; born January 9, 1991) is an American
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
currently signed to
orld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where she performs under the ring name Ruby Riot.
[ Prange has also worked in ]World Wonder Ring Stardom
World Wonder Ring Stardom (スターダム 女子プロレス), often referred to simply as Stardom (stylized as ST★RDOM), is a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded in ...
(aka, "Stardom") as Heidi Lovelace, and extensively on the U.S. independent circuit for promotions such as Shimmer Women Athletes
Shimmer Women Athletes (often referred to and stylized as SHIMMER) is 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 him ...
, Shine Wrestling
Shine Wrestling (stylized as SHINE Wrestling and often referred to simply as SHINE) is an American, New York based independent women's professional wrestling promotion. It is the sister promotion to Shimmer Women Athletes and airs events on In ...
, Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg.
...
(OVW) and IWA Mid-South
Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in ...
.
Professional wrestling career
Independent circuit (2010–2016)
In 2010, Prange began training with Billy Roc at his School of Roc. She would make her debut for Juggalo Championship Wrestling
Juggalo Championship Wrestling (formerly Juggalo Championshit Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (Joseph Utsler), better known as the hip-hop duo In ...
, at the ''Arena Chicks at the Gathering!'' event under the ring name Heidi Lovelace, where she defeated C.J. Lane. Lovelace made her debut for Shimmer Women Athletes
Shimmer Women Athletes (often referred to and stylized as SHIMMER) is 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 him ...
competing in Volume 51, where she teamed up with December in a losing effort to Pink Flash Kira and Sweet Cherrie in a tag-team match.
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2012–2013)
On May 16, 2012, Prange received a tryout in Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg.
...
(OVW) against Taeler Hendrix, which she failed to win. Prange made her debut for the promotion under the ring name Heidi Lovelace on the May 23 episode of ''OVW episode 666'', where she lost to C.J Lane. On September 1 at OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'', Lovelace defeated Taeler Hendrix in a no disqualifications match, earning a future championship match against her. Lovelace defeated Hendrix for OVW Women's Championship on September 15 during a live event
A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
in Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Elizabethtown is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 28,531 at the 2010 census, and was estimated at 30,289 by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2019, making it the 11th-largest city ...
. After winning the Women's Championship, Lovelace had victories over Jessie Belle Smoothers, Epiphany, Josette Bynum and Scarlett Bordeaux
Elizabeth Chihaia (born May 13, 1991) is an American professional wrestler, model, singer and ring announcer better known by the ring name Scarlett Bordeaux. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the r ...
. On the November 14 episode of ''OVW episode 691'', Lovelace dropped the Women's Championship to Taryn Terrell
Taryn Nicole Dryden (née Terrell; born December 28, 1985) is an American model, actress, stuntwoman, ring announcer, and a retired professional wrestler.
She is best known for her time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), under her real n ...
after the special guest referee Taeler Hendrix cost her the match. Since January 2013, Hendrix received gifts from a secret admirer which she thought was either Dylan Bostic or Ryan Howe. The conclusion of that story ended on the April 27 episode of ''OVW'' when Heidi announced that it was her sending the gifts to Hendrix. On the May 4 episode of ''OVW'', Lovelace tried to express her feelings to Hendrix but ended up alone with Hendrix confused. On the May 31 episode of ''OVW'', Lovelace (after being told by Hendrix that Trina has something against the two of them) confronted Trina and challenged her to a match for the Women's Title on the ''Saturday Night Special'', which Trina accepted. The following day at OVW's ''Saturday Night Special'', Trina reversed Lovelace's attempt of a hurricanrana into a powerbomb to retain her title.
Shine Wrestling (2012–2014)
At Shine Wrestling
Shine Wrestling (stylized as SHINE Wrestling and often referred to simply as SHINE) is an American, New York based independent women's professional wrestling promotion. It is the sister promotion to Shimmer Women Athletes and airs events on In ...
's ''Shine 2'' event, Prange as Heidi Lovelace faced fellow OVW wrestlers Sojournor Bolt and Taeler Hendrix in a three–way match, which was won by Bolt. On November 16, at ''Shine 5'', Lovelace was defeated by Sassy Stephie in a singles match. On February 22, 2013, at ''Shine 7'', Lovelace was defeated by Brittney Savage
Brittney Savage (born April 29, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with wrestling promotions such as American Championship Entertainment, National Wrestling Superstars, World Xtreme Wrestling and Women Supe ...
. On May 24, Lovelace teamed with Luscious Latasha and Solo Darling to take on Sojournor Bolt, Sassy Stephie and Jessie Belle
Jessie Belle McCoy (born July 2, 1985), better known by her ring name Jessie Belle Smothers or simply Jessie Belle, is an American model, professional wrestling valet, and professional wrestler. She is signed to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).
Profe ...
in a six–women tag team match, in which her team lost. Lovelace's losing streak continued at ''Shine 15'' when she was defeated by Mercedes Martinez
Jazmin Benitez (born November 17, 1980) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Mercedes Martinez. She also appears for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is a form ...
in singles action. During ''Shine 16'' on January 24, 2014, her losing streak ended after being confirmed as the newest member of the "All Star Squad" (ASS) faction run by Daffney
Shannon Claire Spruill (July 17, 1975 – September 1, 2021) was an American professional wrestler, wrestling manager and actress better known by her ring name Daffney.
Daffney began her professional wrestling career in World Championship Wre ...
, after forming a tag team with fellow ASS member Solo Darling called "The Buddy System" and defeated S-N-S Express (Sassy Stephie and Jessie Belle Smothers).
Chikara (2013–2016)
On May 18, 2013, Lovelace made her debut for Chikara, when she and Saturyne entered the 2013 Tag World Grand Prix. They were, however, eliminated in their first round match by Arik Cannon
Arik Cannon (born December 23, 1981) is an American professional wrestler known for competing in companies such as Chikara, Dragon Gate USA, IWA Mid-South, All American Wrestling and Wrestling Society X. He also runs the Minneapolis-based wre ...
and Darin Corbin. On December 6, 2014, in the pre-show of the Tomorrow Never Dies
''Tomorrow Never Dies'' is a 1997 spy film, the eighteenth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode from a screenplay by ...
iPPV, Lovelace defeated Missile Assault Ant in the finals of a tournament to win the Chikara Young Lions Cup
The Young Lions Cup was a professional wrestling championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Chikara.
History
A tournament is held every year to determine the champion. Originally, experience level was the prima ...
. She defended her Young Lions Cup multiple times in 2015, remaining undefeated in the year.
Also in 2015, Heidi took part in the "Challenge of the Immortals" tournament, which was a season-long double round-robin event. She was drafted to Dasher Hatfield's team, christened "Dasher's Dugout", which also included Dasher's fellow Throwbacks teammate "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti, and then Chikara Grand Championship
The Chikara Grand Championship was a professional wrestling championship owned by the Chikara promotion. The first champion was crowned on November 13, 2011, at the High Noon pay-per-view, when Eddie Kingston defeated Mike Quackenbush at the ...
holder, Icarus. Their team led in points for much of the tournament, before ultimately forfeiting their points due to it being revealed that "Mr. Touchdown" had been cheating late in the tournament, by giving Dasher a secretly "loaded" elbow pad. Even so, Dasher and Heidi took part in the season-closing "Tourneo Cibernetico" 16-man match together.
On Saturday, March 19, 2016, she received a title shot at the Chikara Grand Championship against fellow female wrestler Princess Kimber Lee in Gibsonville, North Carolina at the Mid-Atlantic Sportatorium. Kimber retained after escaping the Chikara Special submission and then locking on a bow and arrow style submission that contorted Heidi to the point she had to tap (she had suffered neck damage due to the double-digit German suplexes she sustained over the course of the match).
World Wonder Ring Stardom (2015)
On January 11, 2015, Lovelace made her Japanese debut for the World Wonder Ring Stardom
World Wonder Ring Stardom (スターダム 女子プロレス), often referred to simply as Stardom (stylized as ST★RDOM), is a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded in ...
promotion, teaming with Act Yasukawa in a tag team match, where they defeated Hudson Envy and Kris Wolf
Kris Hernandez (born August 12, 1984) is an American retired professional wrestler, best known by the ring name Kris Wolf. She wrestled for World Wonder Ring Stardom in Japan, where she is a former High Speed Champion, as well as a founding member ...
. On January 18, Lovelace, Yasukawa and Dragonita were forced to join the villainous Monster-gun stable, after being defeated by Envy, Wolf and the stable's leader Kyoko Kimura
is a retired Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Throughout her 14-year career, she competed in Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Ibuki, Ice Ribbon, JWP Joshi Puroresu, NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling and World Wonder Ring Stardom, am ...
in a six-woman tag team match. Following the addition of the new members, Monster-gun was renamed Oedo Tai. On February 8, Lovelace, Dragonita and Envy unsuccessfully challenged Heisei-gun (Io Shirai
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Iyo Sky (stylized in all caps). She is a member of Damage CTRL and one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions w ...
, Mayu Iwatani
(born February 19, 1993) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom. Since making her debut in January 2011, she became a two-time World of Stardom Champion, two-time Wonder of Stardom Champion, one-time ...
and Takumi Iroha
is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to Marvelous That's Women Pro Wrestling. She also competes in Seadlinnng, where she is a former Beyond the Sea Champion.
Iroha was trained by Fuka Kakimoto and made her debut in April 2013 f ...
) for the Artist of Stardom Championship
The is a professional wrestling six-woman tag team championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. The title was first announced during Stardom's year-end event on December 24, 2012, and two days later its name was revealed as the ...
.
WWE
NXT (2016–2017)
On December 15, 2016, it was reported that Prange had signed with WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...
and reported to the WWE Performance Center
The WWE Performance Center is the official professional wrestling school system of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The promotion currently operates two Performance Center locations, which serve as training facilities for WWE ...
. She made her in-ring debut on January 13 at an NXT live event
A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
, losing to Daria Berenato. Going by the ring name Ruby Riot, she made her television debut on the March 22 episode of '' NXT'', attacking Nikki Cross
Nicola Glencross (born 21 April 1989) is a Scottish professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Nikki Cross. She is a one-time WWE Raw Women's Champion, three-time WWE Women's Tag Te ...
and the rest of Sanity
Sanity (from la, sāntā) refers to the soundness, rationality, and health of the human mind, as opposed to insanity. A person is sane if they are rational. In modern society, the term has become exclusively synonymous with ''compos mentis' ...
, alongside Tye Dillinger
Ronnie William Arneill (born February 19, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Shawn Spears, where he is a current member of The Pinnac ...
, No Way Jose
''No Way Jose'' is a 2015 American comedy-drama film. Adam Goldberg directed the film from a screenplay that he co-wrote with Sarah Kate Levy. It stars Adam Goldberg, Ahna O'Reilly, Pat Healy (actor), Pat Healy, Emily Osment and Gillian Jacobs. T ...
and Roderick Strong
Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due ...
, establishing herself as a face
The face is the front of an animal's 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 aff ...
. This led to a match between the two teams at NXT TakeOver: Orlando, on April 1, where Riot's team lost.
In her first singles match, which aired on the April 12 episode of ''NXT'', Riot defeated Kimberly Frankele with Nikki Cross attempting to distract her. The following week, Cross called out Riot and a brawl ensued. William Regal booked the two in a match, which again led to a brawl that had to be split up. On the May 3 episode of ''NXT'', Riot participated in a #1 contender's battle royal for Asuka's NXT Women's Championship
The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on April 5, 2013, ...
and made it to the final three before Asuka attacked her, Cross, and Ember Moon
Adrienne Reese (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current ROH Wo ...
, resulting in a no contest. A fatal four-way match between all four women for the championship was later scheduled at NXT TakeOver: Chicago, but Moon was later taken out of the match due to a legitimate injury. Riot lost the match at the event after Asuka pinned both her and Cross simultaneously. On the October 18 episode of ''NXT'', Riot competed against Ember Moon and Sonya Deville
Daria Rae Berenato (born September 24, 1993) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sonya Deville. She is also a former on-scr ...
in a triple threat qualifying match for a title opportunity at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, but was unsuccessful as the match was won by Moon. She later competed twice against Sonya Deville, with Riot winning the first match on the November 22 episode of ''NXT'', but losing the second one on December 7 in a No Holds Barred match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "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 ...
, which turned out to be her last match on NXT after already being on the main roster.
The Riott Squad (2017–2019)
On the November 21, 2017, episode of ''SmackDown Live
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
'', Riot, now known as Ruby Riott, made her main roster debut, alongside Liv Morgan
Gionna Jene Daddio (born June 8, 1994) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Liv Morgan. She is a former SmackDown Women's Champion.
In ...
and Sarah Logan, by attacking both Becky Lynch
Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987) is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE under the ring name Becky Lynch where she performs on the Raw brand. Lynch is one of WWE's most recognizable and highest-paid wrestlers. Twitter na ...
and Naomi
Naomi or Naomie may refer to:
People and biblical figures
* Naomi (given name), a female given name and a list of people with the name
* Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth
* Naomi (Romanian singer) (b ...
, turning heel. Later that night, they interrupted a match between SmackDown Women's Champion
The WWE SmackDown Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main ros ...
Charlotte Flair
Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. She is currently inactive.
She is a second-genera ...
and Natalya Natalya (russian: Наталья) is the Russian form of the female given name Natalia.
The name Natasha (russian: link=no, Наташа), being originally a diminutive form of Natalya, became an independent name outside the Russian-speaking state ...
and attacked both. The following week, the trio, now dubbed The Riott Squad, made their in ring-debuts, defeating Flair, Natalya and Naomi in a six-woman tag team match. On January 28, 2018, at the Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle r ...
event, Riott competed in the inaugural women's Royal Rumble match where she lasted 11:00 and eliminated Becky Lynch
Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987) is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE under the ring name Becky Lynch where she performs on the Raw brand. Lynch is one of WWE's most recognizable and highest-paid wrestlers. Twitter na ...
and Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Lynn Benson (formerly Guerrero, née Lara;Guerrero, Eddie. ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'', p. 53. born April 16, 1968) is an American professional wrestling personality and manager. She is best known for her t ...
before she was eliminated by Nia Jax
Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian-born American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Nia Jax from 2014 to 2021 and became a one-time Raw Women's Champion and t ...
. Riott challenged Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship
The WWE SmackDown Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling championship#World championship, world championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion ...
at Fastlane, but was unsuccessful. In April, Riott also competed in the first ever WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal
The WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal was a professional wrestling battle royal held at WrestleMania by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The winner of the match received the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal Trophy. The inaugura ...
on the WrestleMania 34
WrestleMania 34 was the 34th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 8, 2 ...
kickoff show, but she was unsuccessful in winning the match.
On April 16, The Riott Squad were drafted to Raw as part of the 2018 Superstar Shake-Up
The 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up was the twelfth WWE draft, produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between the Raw and SmackDown brands. Instead of a traditional draft, changes between the brands were made behind the scenes, ...
. Later that night, the group attacked both Bayley and Sasha Banks
Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks.
Banks previously wrestled ...
during their match. Two weeks later, Riott defeated Banks in her first match for on ''Raw''. Six days later during the Backlash
Backlash may refer to:
Literature
* '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi
* ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston
* Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character
* ''Backl ...
''Kickoff'', Riott defeated Bayley. The following night, Riott competed in a Money in the Bank qualifying match against Banks and Ember Moon
Adrienne Reese (born August 31, 1988) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She also appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the current ROH Wo ...
; Moon pinned Riott for the victory. She competed in a Gauntlet Match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "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 ...
on the May 28 episode of ''Raw'', but was unsuccessful. On the August 6 episode of ''Raw'', Riott (who had been sidelined with a knee injury) returned and assisted Morgan and Logan in defeating Bayley and Banks in a tag team match.
In September, The Riott Squad began a feud with The Bella Twins
The Bella Twins were a professional wrestling tag team who performed on WWE and consisted of identical twin sisters Brie Bella and Nikki Bella (real names Brianna and Nicole). Each of the Bella Twins are a former WWE Divas Champion. Brie is t ...
, who aligned themselves with Ronda Rousey
Ronda Jean Rousey (; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current SmackDown Women� ...
. This prompted a six–woman tag team match to take place at Super Show-Down, where The Riott Squad were defeated. The Riott Squad took part of the first-ever all women's pay–per–view, Evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
, where they were defeated by Bayley, Banks and Natalya. On the November 12 episode of ''Raw'', Riott was named as the final member for Team Raw in the five–on–five elimination match at Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the s ...
. During the event's ''Kickoff'', Riott and Natalya fought in the locker room. This led to team captain Alexa Bliss
Alexis Cabrera (née Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss ...
removing them from the team and replacing them with Banks and Bayley. On January 27, 2019, at the Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle r ...
, Riott competed in the second women's Royal Rumble match, entering at number 21, lasting 13:08 and eliminating four competitors before she was eliminated by Bayley. The following month, on February 17, Riott challenged Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women's Championship
The WWE Raw Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main roster, alo ...
at the Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the