Madison Knisley (born September 9, 2003) 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 ...

and

gymnast Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

. She is signed to

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, ...

where she performs on the NXT

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

under the

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

Thea Hail.

Early life

Madison Knisley was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. She went to school at Pivik Elementary School, in Plum Borough, Pennsylvania and practiced gymnastics at a gymkhana in Monroeville.

Professional wrestling career

All Elite Wrestling (2021)

On September 28, 2021, Knisley made her

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

debut as enhancement talent on ''

Dark Darkness is the condition resulting from a lack of illumination, or an absence of visible light. Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low luminance because the hue-sensitive photoreceptor cells on the retina are ...

'' under the

Nikita Knight against

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 ...

. She wrestled in another match against Julia Hart, on the October 24, 2021 episode of ''Dark'', which she lost.

WWE

Chase University (2022-2024)

On March 17, 2022, Knisley was announced as one of the 14 recruits who reported to the

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

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

. One month later, on the April 8 episode of '' NXT Level Up'', she made her in-ring debut under the ring name Thea Hail against Ivy Nile, which she lost. During the May 31 episode of '' NXT 2.0'', a

vignette Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...

aired showing Hail graduating with a 4.0

GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...

, and tossing away major university hats. She instead picked and donned a Chase University hat, officially aligning herself with the

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

. On the June 17 episode of ''NXT'' ''Level Up'', Hail, with Duke Hudson and Bodhi Hayward accompanying her ringside, picked up her first victory over Arianna Grace. On the October 11 episode of '' NXT'', Hail competed in her first match on the NXT

against

Kiana James Kayla Klingensmith (' Inlay; born May 23, 1997) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Kiana James. James is currently inactive due to a leg injury she suffered in June ...

. During the match, James' manager Mr. Stone interfered and cut a promo, which seen Hail hit him with a back body drop and stomp him out of the ring. James used Stone's distraction to her advantage, picking up the victory with a flatliner. On the February 7, 2023, episode of ''NXT'', Hail confronted

Tiffany Stratton Jessica Lynn Woynilko (born May 1, 1999) is an American professional wrestler and former gymnast. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Tiffany Stratton and is the current WWE Women's Champion in he ...

over a

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

video which Stratton uploaded and she took issue with. After the incident, Ava appeared behind Hail, cupped her hand over mouth, then dragged her away. Two weeks later, on February 21, Chase and Hudson defended Hail's honor, by facing

The Dyad Grizzled Young Veterans (also shortened as GYV) are an English professional wrestling tag team consisting of James Drake and Zack Gibson. Primarily touring the independent circuit, they also appear on All Elite Wrestling (AEW), its sister promo ...

, who had Ava by their side. Hail was chased around the ring by Ava, which led to Chase arguing with her, while Fowler and Reid hit Hudson with the double codebreaker, ultimately costing Chase University the match. On April 1, on the NXT Stand & Deliver Kickoff pre-show, Hail, Duke Hudson, Andre Chase, and

Tyler Bate Tyler Bate (born 7 March 1997) is an English professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand and is one of the two members of New Catch Republic, performing alongside Pete Dunne. In 2017, he became the inaugur ...

defeated

Schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

in an eight-person mixed tag team match to successfully retain control of Chase University. On the June 6 episode of ''NXT'', Hail won a

battle royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...

to become the number one contender for Stratton'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 NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champion is Jacy Jayne, who is in her fi ...

. The match took place at Week 2 of ''Gold Rush'' on June 27, where Hail failed to win. She challenged Stratton once again on July 30 at

The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event held during the summer and has been produced by the American promotion WWE since 2004; since 2020, it has been held as an annual event for WWE's developmental brand, NXT. Created by Dus ...

in a

submission 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. ...

, but lost while being held in a

boston crab The Boston crab, also known as the ''cangrejo'' (Spanish for "crab") or , is a professional wrestling hold that typically starts with one wrestler lying in a supine position on the mat, with the other wrestler standing and facing them. It is a ty ...

, as Chase

threw in the towel A submission, also called a "tap out" is a combat sports term for yielding to the opponent, resulting in an immediate defeat. A submission is often performed by visibly tapping the floor or opponent with the hand or foot, or by verbalizing to the o ...

on her behalf. In response, on the following week's episode of ''NXT'' on August 2, Hail threw in the towel during Chase's match against

Baron Corbin Thomas Pestock (born September 14, 1984) is an American professional wrestler, Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner, former professional football player and former amateur boxer. He is wrestling as a freelancer under the ring name Bishop Dyer, appea ...

while he was being held in a single-leg crab, though Corbin thrown it back out and won by pinfall. On the August 15 episode of ''NXT'', Hail lost to

Jacy Jayne Taylor Grado (born June 2, 1996) is an American professional wrestler. , she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Jacy Jayne, and is the current NXT Women's Champion in he ...

due to distraction from her stablemates. The following week at ''NXT'': Heatwave, Jayne approached Hail backstage, empathising with her over Chase costing her the championship, turning

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

in the process. On August 29, Hail ditched class at Chase University in order to spend time with Jayne instead. On the following week, Jayne represented Chase University with Hail for the first time, defeating

Lola Vice Valerie Loureda (born July 19, 1998) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Lola Vice. As a mixed martial artist, she competed in the wo ...

and Elektra Lopez in a tag team match. At Week 2 of ''NXT'': Halloween Havoc on October 31, Hail and Jayne challenged

WWE Women's Tag Team Champions The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Women's Tag Team Championship, women's tag team Professional wrestling, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is th ...

Chelsea Green Chelsea Anne Cardona (née Green; born April 4, 1991) is a Canadian professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she works on the WWE SmackDown (brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Chelsea Green and is the lea ...

and

Piper Niven Kimberly Benson (born 6 May 1991) is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Piper Niven and is a member of The Green Regime stable. Benson began her career on the U ...

for the titles though they were unsuccessful as Chase refused to help Jayne cheat to win. On the January 30, 2024, episode of ''NXT'', as Chase, Hudson and Riley Osborne were about to bid farewell to Chase U due to financial troubles, Hail and Jayne announced they would be releasing a calendar to help save it. Following Chase and Hudson's defeat to

Bron Breakker Bronson Rechsteiner (born October 24, 1997) is an American professional wrestler and former football player. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Bron Breakker. He is a former two-time WWE Intercontinenta ...

and Baron Corbin in the

NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's Professional wrestling championship, professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT ...

match at ''NXT'': Roadblock on March 5, Jayne and new Chase U student Jazmyn Nyx mocked Hail, resulting in her storming off. On the March 12 episode of ''NXT'', Hail and Fallon Henley lost a tag team match after Jayne refused to be her partner the previous week. An emotional Hail disavowed her friendship with Jayne and declared she was returning to the "old Thea Hail". On the following week of ''NXT'', Jayne (with Nyx) turned on Chase U. At NXT Stand & Deliver on April 6, Hail teamed up with Henley and Kelani Jordan to defeat Jayne,

and

Izzi Dame Franki Carissa Strefling (born July 13, 1999) is an American professional wrestler and former professional volleyball player. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Izzi Dame and is a member of The Culling ...

in a six-woman tag team match. On the following episode of ''NXT'', Jayne revealed the truth of Chase U's gambling debt. In Hail's NXT Women's Championship match in 2023, Chase placed an illegal bet that Hail would win the title. However, he chose Hail's safety and threw in the towel, resulting in him losing the bet. On the April 16 episode of ''NXT'', Hail lost to Tatum Paxley after interference from Jayne and Nyx. Following this, a match was scheduled between Hail and Jayne for Week 2 of ''Spring Breakin, which Hail won. However, a dissatisfied Henley turned heel and attacked Hail as she was celebrating. On the May 21 episode of ''NXT'', Henley defeated Hail to qualify for a spot for the six-woman

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 ...

to crown the inaugural NXT Women's North American Champion at NXT Battleground. On the November 19 episode of ''NXT'', Ridge Holland, who had joined and defected Chase U, defeated Chase with the future of Chase U on the line, causing the stable to disband.

Singles competition (2025–present)

After a five-month hiatus, Hail returned on the April 15, 2025 episode of ''NXT'' and defeated

Karmen Petrovic Monika Klisara (born October 29, 1995) is a Bosnian and Canadian professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Karmen Petrovic. After winning national championships in karate, Klisara made ...

to qualify for the six-woman ladder match for the vacant NXT Women’s North American Championship at NXT Stand & Deliver. Prior to the match, she reunited with Andre Chase (who was in a storyline with Uriah Connors and Kale Dixon to reform Chase University) and gave her blessing for the reformation of Chase U but would like to remain as an alumni. At NXT Stand & Deliver on April 19, Hail failed to win the title.

Other media

Video games

Championships and accomplishments

* ''

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. 115 of the top 250 female singles wrestlers in the '' PWI Women's 250'' in 2023

References

External links

* * * {{ProfessionalWrestlingProfiles 2003 births 21st-century female professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers American female professional wrestlers Living people Professional wrestlers from Pennsylvania Professional wrestlers from Pittsburgh Professional wrestling managers and valets 21st-century American sportswomen