Theresa Serrano (born January 25, 1994) is an American

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

. She 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 works 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 ...

Zoey Stark. She is a former 1-time

NXT Women's Tag Team Champion The NXT Women's Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling Women's professional wrestling championship, women's tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It w ...

Professional wrestling career

Independent circuit (2013–2021)

On June 8, 2013, Serrano made her debut at Vendetta Pro Wrestling, losing to Hudson Envy. On November 16, 2013, she entered under the ring name Lacey Ryan and won her first match against Larry Butabi. During this time, she also won the UCW-Zero Ultra-X Championship. She was able to keep this until January 25, 2014, when she lost it to The Durango Kid. On March 22, she wrestled her last wrestling match for the time being. Ryan celebrated her comeback on August 16, 2018. She wrestled a match 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 ...

, but this ended in a no contest. On May 23, 2019, she wrestled a match against Alex Gracia under the ring name Serrano, which she was able to win. On September 29, she won the FSW Women's Championship, defeating

Taya Valkyrie Kira Renée Magnin-Forster (born October 22, 1983), better known by her ring name Taya Valkyrie, is a Canadian professional wrestler, fitness competitor, and Model (people), model. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where she is one-half ...

for the title. Ryan held the title until November 20, 2020, when she lost it to Mazzerati.

WWE

NXT (2021–2023)

On January 20 2021, it was reported that Serrano had signed a contract with

. On the January 29 show of ''

205 Live ''WWE 205 Live'' is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by WWE. It premiered on November 29, 2016, as a replacement for ''WWE Superstars'', and ended on February 11, 2022. The show originally aired e ...

'', Serrano, (now renamed Zoey Stark), made her debut as

Marina Shafir Marina Shafir (; born 14 April 1988) is a Moldovan professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. As a wrestler, she is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a member of Death Riders, a villainous stable formerly known as Bla ...

's tag team partner in the Women's

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is an annual professional wrestling tag team tournament held by the American promotion WWE, and is featured on its NXT brand, having first been established in 2015. In subsequent years, wrestlers from the NXT U ...

tourney, losing to

Ember Moon Adrienne Palmer (née Reese; born August 31, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She primarily appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the ...

Shotzi Ashley Louise Alfaro (Birth name, née Urbanski; born March 14, 1992), better known by the ring name Shotzi Blackheart, is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Shotzi ...

in the 1st round. On the February 17 show of '' NXT'', she made her NXT debut, defeating Valentina Feroz. On the February 24 show of '' NXT'', she lost to

NXT Women's Champion The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling Championship (professional wrestling), championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT (WWE brand), NXT, th ...

Io Shirai is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name (stylized in all caps) and is the current Women's World Championship (WWE), Women’s Wo ...

in a non-title match. After the match, Shirai embraced Stark, establishing Stark as a

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 ...

. At NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Stark defeated

Toni Storm Toni Rossall (born 19 October 1995), better known by the ring name Toni Storm, is a New Zealand-Australian professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the epithet "Timeless" Toni Storm and is the reigning AEW Women' ...

. 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 ...

, Stark and Io Shirai defeated The Way (

Candice LeRae Candice LeRae Dawson (born September 29, 1985) is an American professional wrestler. , she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Candice LeRae. She was the inaugural WWE Women's Speed Champion and a fo ...

Indi Hartwell Samantha De Martin (born 17 August 1996), better known by the ring name Indi Hartwell, is an Australian professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). She is best known for her tenure in WWE from 2019 to 2024, wh ...

) to win the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship. They lost the titles to Toxic Attraction (

Gigi Dolin Priscilla Lee Kelly (born June 5, 1997) is an American professional wrestler and former reality television personality. She is best known for her tenure in WWE where she performed under the ring name Gigi Dolin. She is a former record-tying two- ...

and

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 ...

), at

Halloween Havoc Halloween Havoc is a professional wrestling List of NWA/WCW closed-circuit events and pay-per-view events, event currently produced by WWE. Since 2020, it has been held annually for the company's WWE brand extension, developmental brand, NXT (WWE ...

in a triple-threat tag team (Scareway To Hell Ladder Match), also involving

and Persia Pirotta. On the November 2 Edition of ''NXT'', Stark was attacked backstage by Jayne and Dolin. This was used to write her off television as she suffered a legitimate knee injury (a torn ACL, MCL & meniscus) which required surgery. On the July 19 2022 edition of ''NXT'', Stark returned from injury in the 20-Woman

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 ...

, for the Number 1 contendership, for the NXT Women's Championship in a winning effort. On the November 8 edition of ''NXT'', Stark &

Nikkita Lyons Faith Marie Jefferies (born August 5, 1999) is an American professional wrestler, taekwondo practitioner, and musician. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT and Evolve brands under the ring name Nikkita Lyons. Jefferies has als ...

failed to win the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship from Kayden Carter and Katana Chance. After the match, Stark attacked Lyons, turning

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

for the 1st time in her WWE career. On January 28, 2023, Stark entered her 1st Royal Rumble match at #13, lasting 26:34, scoring no eliminations, before being eliminated by Sonya Deville.

Raw (2023–present)

In the

2023 WWE Draft The 2023 WWE Draft was the 17th WWE Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between their Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The two-night event began with the April 28 episode of ''Friday Night SmackDown'' (in Cor ...

, Stark was drafted to the Raw

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 ...

. On the May 8 edition of ''Raw'', Stark made her main roster debut, defeating

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

. At

Night of Champions WWE Night of Champions is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The inaugural event took pl ...

, Stark assisted

Trish Stratus Patricia Anne Stratigeas (; born December 18, 1975), better known by the ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, yoga instructor, actress and former fitness model. She is signed to WWE. An inductee of the 2013 WWE Hall ...

to defeat

Becky Lynch Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987), better known by the ring name Becky Lynch, is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand and is the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion in her ...

, aligning with Stratus in the process. On the June 5 edition of ''Raw'', Stark defeated Natalya to qualify for the women's Money in the Bank

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 ...

. At Money in the Bank, Stark teamed up with Stratus throughout the match to prevent Lynch from winning, including a failed attempt to restrain Lynch with

handcuffs Handcuffs are Physical restraint, restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a Link chain, chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm whi ...

. Stratus, Stark and Lynch were defeated when Stark's former tag team partner

Iyo Sky is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name (stylized in all caps) and is the current Women’s World Champion in her first reign. She is also a former two-time WWE W ...

, captured the Money in the Bank briefcase. Stark, being accompanied by Stratus, wrestled her first main event match on the main roster, on the August 28 edition of ''Raw'' in a

falls count anywhere 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. ...

vs. Lynch. Stark accidentally struck Stratus through a table, which allowed Lynch to put Stark through another table to win the match. At Payback, Stark aided Stratus in the latter's

steel cage 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 ...

against Lynch in a failing effort. Stark then ended her alliance with Stratus when Stratus slapped and berated her after the match, which prompted Stark to attack Stratus in retaliation. On the September 4 edition of ''Raw'', Stark lost to

Shayna Baszler Shayna Andrea Baszler ( ; born August 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and a former kickboxer and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she became a former List of NXT Women's Champions, two-time and lon ...

by technical submission, after fainting to Baszler's Kirifuda Clutch. After the match, Baszler gave praise to Stark's toughness. In the next week, Stark ran out to save Baszler, when Baszler was attacked by

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 ...

, after Baszler's match with Green. On the September 18 edition of ''Raw'', Stark and Baszler teamed up for the 1st time, to face Green & Niven, however, the match ended in a no contest, after

Nia Jax Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nia Jax ( ). Fanene signed to WWE in early 2014 and was first assigned to th ...

interrupted the match. At Crown Jewel, Stark failed to win the

Women's World Championship The Women's World Championship was the first Women's professional wrestling world championship in the world. History Cora Livingston defeated Hazel Parker in 1906. Though the contest was for the Featherweight Championship, from that point she ...

from

Rhea Ripley Demi Bennett (born 11 October 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler. As of July 2017, she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Rhea Ripley. She is a List of Women ...

, in a fatal-five way match, also involving

Raquel Rodriguez Raquel or Racquel is a variation of the given name Rachel. Notable people with the name include: Raquel *Raquel (wrestler), Brazilian professional wrestler *Raquel Alessi (born 1983), American former actress and model * Raquel Naa Ayorkor Ammah ( ...

and Baszler, (who Ripley pinned to retain the title). On the following episode of ''Raw'', Stark 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 ...

for a Women's World Championship match, against Ripley at Survivor Series: WarGames, but failed to win the title. At ''Raw'': Day 1, Stark and Baszler defeated

Tegan Nox Steffanie Newell (born 15 November 1994) is a Welsh professional wrestler. She performs on the independent circuit under the ring name Nixon Newell. She is best known for her tenures in the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, where s ...

and Natalya, to become the #1 contenders for the

WWE Women's Tag Team Championship 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 ...

. Stark competed in the

Queen of the Ring tournament The Queen of the Ring tournament, originally known as the Queen's Crown, is a women's professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held periodically by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Established in 2021, the winn ...

, where she lost in the quarterfinals. On the July 8 edition of ''Raw'', Stark and Baszler aligned themselves with the returning Sonya Deville, after weeks of declining the latter's offer, calling themselves

Pure Fusion Collective Daria Rae Berenato (born September 24, 1993) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her time in WWE where she performed under the ring name Sonya Deville ( ), and is a one-time WWE Women's Tag ...

(P.F.C.). Stark entered the tournament to crown the inaugural Women's Intercontinental Champion, where she lost in the semifinals. At

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 ...

, Stark entered the match at #8, where she helped Baszler and Deville eliminate Maxxine Dupri, but she was eliminated by

Bianca Belair Bianca Nicole Crawford (née Blair; born April 9, 1989) is an American professional wrestler and fitness and figure competitor. she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under t ...

, and

Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a 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) (born 1977 ...

. On February 7, Deville's contract was not renewed by WWE, making P.F.C. a tag team consisting of Stark and Baszler. On the April 11 edition of ''Smackdown'', P.F.C. took part in a tag team gauntlet match to earn a WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match at

Wrestlemania XL WrestleMania XL was a 2024 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 40th annual WrestleMania and took place as a two-night event on Saturd ...

, but were defeated by Bayley & Women's Intercontinental Champion Lyra Valkryia. On May 2, Shayna Baszler was released by WWE, effectively ending P.F.C. On the May 19 episode of ''Raw'', Stark took part in a triple threat Money in the Bank qualification match, facing

and

Kairi Sane is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress. she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name . From 2012 to 2017, she wrestled for the Japanese promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom under the ring name . E ...

. During the match, as Stark attempted a missile dropkick from the top ropes, she landed awkwardly on her right knee, and appeared to be in serious pain. She was removed from the match immediately, and it was later confirmed that she would be out of action.

Other media

Serrano, as Zoey Stark, made her

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

debut as a playable character in '' WWE 2K23''.

Personal life

Serrano was born to a Mexican American father and Puerto Rican mother. Serrano is in a long term relationship with professional wrestler, actor, and wrestling instructor Thomas Merrett Howard, who goes by the ring name Tom Howard.

Championships and accomplishments

*Future Stars Of Wrestling **FSW Women's Championship (1 time) * ''

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

'' ** Ranked No. 86 of the top 150 female wrestlers in the ''

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

'' in 2021 *

Ultra Championship Wrestling-Zero Ultra Championship Wrestling-Zero (UCW-Zero, formerly known as American Professional Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Founded by promoter Steve Neilson in 2002, it is a Utah-based ...

** NWA UCW-Zero Ultra X Championship (2 times) *

** NXT Women's Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with

** WWE Women's Speed Championship #1 Contender Tournament (

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

)

References

External links

Zoey Stark
at Online World of Wrestling * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stark, Zoey 1994 births 21st-century American professional wrestlers 21st-century American sportswomen 21st-century female professional wrestlers American female professional wrestlers Living people NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Professional wrestlers from Utah Sportspeople from Salt Lake City