- Angel Orsini
Infobox Wrestler
name=Angel Orsini
img_capt=
names=Angel Orsini
Riptide
Prodigette
height=5 ft. 6 in. (168 cm)
weight=155 lb. (70 kg)
birth_date=birth date and age|1969|8|26
death_date=
birth_place=Fort Lauderdale, Florida ,United States
death_place=
resides=Rotterdam, The Netherlands
billed=
trainer=Liz Chase
Dusty Rhodes
debut=October 1996
vs. Joanni Lee Lauer
retired=
website= [http://www.ecwprodigette.com/ ECWprodigette.com] |Angel Orsini (born
August 26 1969 ) is an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and former mixed martial arts fighter, best known by her ringname Riptide, who has competed in North American independent promotions includingWomen Extreme Wrestling ,Ohio Valley Wrestling andExtreme Championship Wrestling , most notably as The Prodigette who managed the stable Sideshow Freaks during the last years of the promotion.Career
Early life and career
Born in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida , Orsini became involved inbodybuilding andstrength training in 1991 and, the following year, began studyingTae Kwon Do andHopkido .During 1993, she competed as a heavyweight in the
North Miami Beach Bodybuilding Championship and theSouth Florida Bodybuilding Championships winning second place in both competitions.After three years of training, Orsini became a
Black Belt and entered an instructor training program eventually teaching Tae Kwon Do. That same year, she began training withBart Vale infreefighting andmixed martial arts .She began fighting professionally in 1996, winning the Florida State Continuous Fighting Championship before travelling to Japan to make her MMA debut against
Yokimiko Hotta in March 1996.Professional wrestling
While in
Japan , Orsini was persuaded by female wrestlerReggie Bennett to enter professional wrestling after watching Japanese female wrestling. Returning to the United States, she began training under Liz Chase inRoyal Palm Beach, Florida and made her debut five months later facing Joanni Lee Lauer at theIron Horse Saloon inOrmond Beach, Florida in October 1996. [ cite web |url=http://itscwrestling.com/si/forums/index.cgi?noframes;read=179813 |title=Angel Orsini Interview |accessdate= |author=Williams, Harold |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2005-12-22 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=ITSCwresstling.com |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]She soon began wrestling for the
Fabulous Moolah 's Ladies International Wrestling Federation and eventually won several championship titles including the Sunshine Wrestling Federation Women's Championship defeating Luna Vachon in 1997 and defeated her trainer Liz Chase for the Florida Championship Wrestling and Ultimate Wrestling Federation titles during the next two years. She would also train Molly Holly for a career in professional wrestling, later going on to become a popularWWE Diva inWorld Wrestling Entertainment during the late 1990s.In 1999, she became less active on the independent circuit fighting a mixed martial arts match for the hybrid-MMA promotion
Pancrase at theBronco Bowl inDallas, Texas and again competing in the South Florida Bodybuilding Championships receiving second place. She also appeared twice on "The Jenny Jones Show " on a segment about women who intimidate men regarding their occupation and, the following year, on women in abusive relationships.Orsini began wrestling in international promotions during the next year, touring
Peru with Lita and participated in the Trans-Atlantic Challenge while inGreat Britain .Extreme Championship Wrestling
Orsini, who had previously sent a video tape her wrestling matches to Extreme Championship Wrestling, was hired by promoter
Paul Heyman and began appearing as The Prodigette managing the stable Sideshow Freaks which includedSimon Diamond ,Johnny Swinger , The Muskateer, Tom Marquez and Bilvis Wesley.Feuding with Jazz, she also contronted male wrestlers including
Jerry Lynn who put her in a piledriver at her last appearance at the ECW Arena. Staying with the promotion until its close in 2001, she was forced to miss the last house show after being severely injured in a car accident. [ cite web |url=http://www.gerweck.net/angelorsiniinterview.htm |title=Interview Recaccessdate= |author=Gerwick, Steve |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Gerwick.net |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]
Although doctors had told Orsini that she had suffered a career ending injury, she successfully returned to wrestling within six months and later won the PGWA Championship from Susan Green, she dedicated her victory to the memory of her trainer Liz Chase who died earlier that year.
After ECW was sold to WWE, Osami returned to competing in independent promotions including
Women's Extreme Wrestling andAssault Championship Wrestling winning the WEW tag team titles with Simply Lucious defeatingTracy Brooks &Angel Williams .European and U.S. independent promotions
In 2004, she moved to Rotterdam to compete in European wrestling promotions including International Wrestling Stars (Eurostars) and Free-Style Championship Wrestling. Defeating
The X-Dream to win the FSCW Lightweight Championship inGeant ,Belgium the next year, Orsini moved back to the United States in May 2005 and returned to mixed martial arts competition and training for a professional boxing career.While in
New England Championship Wrestling , she andAlere Little Feather defeatedMercedes Martinez andCindy Rogers on June 4 and, the following night, defeated Luscious Lilly in the opening rounds of the NECW's All-Women's Tournament before being eliminated by Martinez in the second round.Defeating Luna Vachon at a USWO event on October 14, she began competing for Ohio Valley Wrestling, a developmental territory for World Wrestling Entertainment, attempting to gain a contract with WWE.
She would continue wrestling for various independent promotions across the U.S. until injuring both her heels in a ladder match against
Sumie Sakai at an event forDangerous Women of Wrestling on February 2, 2006.Forced to take 14 months off, she returned to active competition one year later teaming with Amy Lee against Mercedes Martinez and
Mickie Knuckles at aPro Wrestling Unplugged event on February 17, 2007. [ cite web |url=http://www.warned.net/PWURavensRevengeResults.html |title=PWU "Raven's Revenge?" Results from 02/17/07 |accessdate= |author=Farrell, Errol Leigh |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2007-02-18 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Warned.net |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] [ cite web |url=http://www.wrestleview.com/news2006/1171789496.shtml |title=2/17 Pro Wrestling Unplugged & & JCW Report, Simon Dean training camp |accessdate= |author=Martin, Adam |date=2007-02-18 |publisher=Wrestleview.com ]Women's Extreme Wrestling
Returning to Women's Extreme Wrestling, she defeated
Amber O'Neal although she lost to Talia Madison in a match for the WEW Women's World Championship late during the main event inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania on May 5.On July 12, she again wrestled two matches in one night, losing to Jazz in a TLC match with Francine as special referee and later defeated
Annie Social . [ cite web |url=http://www.wrestlingobserver.com/wo/news/headlines/default.asp?aID=18697 |title=Headlines - Sunday news update: No Way Out coverage, ROH title defended for first time at Budokan Hall, Double tragic anniversary today; Update on Mistico; Hogan/Vince angle on TV tonight and much more |accessdate= |author=Meltzer, Dave |authorlink=Dave Meltzer |coauthors= |date=2007-02-18 |year= |month= |format= |work= |publisher=Wrestling Observer |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]Recent years
Making her debut in
Women Superstars Uncensored in September, she was introducedMissy Hyatt who interviewed Orsani on her interview segment "Missy's Manor". During the interview, she was confronted by wrestlerRick Cataldo and attacked him when he attepted to interrupt her interview. She was then challenged moments later by former tag team partner Amy Lee and agreed to face her the following week.During their match, only seconds after hitting Orsani with a DDT, the arena lights went out and Lee was attacked by a masked wrestler allowing Orsani to pin her for the victory. Following the match, the masked wrestler revealed herself to be Mercedez Martinez and attacked Lee along with Orsani. Following this incident, she and Mercedez would feud with Lee and
Luna Vachon for the next several weeks. [ cite web |url=http://wrestlingnews.wrestling-radio.com/index.php?view=newsitem&hline=3790 |title=WSU 9/22 Results: Tammy Sytch, Christy Hemme, Missy Hyatt & Much More |accessdate= |author= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |year=2007 |month=September |format= |work= |publisher=Wrestling-Radio.com |pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] . On May 31, 2008, in Rahway, NJ, she defeatedNikki Roxx to win the WSU Women's Championship.In wrestling
*Finishing and signature moves
**"Undertow " (Moonsault )
**Frankensteiner
**Vertical suplex
**Cradle suplexChampionships and accomplishments
*Florida Championship Wrestling
**FCW Women's Championship (4 times)
*Freestyle Championship Wrestling
**FCW Lightweight Championship (1 time)
*Hot-TV Wrestling
**HTVW Championship (1 time)
*Professional Girl Wrestling Association
**PGWA Championship (1 time)
*Sunshine Wrestling Federation
**SWF Women's Championship (1 time)
*Ultimate Wrestling Federation
**UWF Women's Championship (1 time)
*Women's Extreme Wrestling
**WEW Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Simply Lucious
**WEW World Championship (2 times)
*Women Superstars Uncensored
**WSU Women's Championship (1 time, current)References
External links
* [http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profiles/a/angel-orsini.html Profile at Online World of Wrestling]
* [http://bodyslamming.com/other/prodigette.html Indy Superstars - Riptide]
* [http://www.glorywrestling.com/gg/Riptide/R.asp Riptide of G.L.O.R.Y. Wrestling]
* [http://www.wrestlingclothesline.com/Top50Women2005.htm Wrestling Clothesline: Top 50 Independent Woman Wrestlers]
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