Sara Del Rey

1.1. Early Life and Education

As a child, Sara Ann Amato, born in Martinez, California, developed an early fascination with professional wrestling. She admired high-energy characters like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. Although her interest waned for a few years, it rekindled during her high school years. Amato described herself as "really shy and kind of awkward and scared of social situations" during high school, which made her initially doubt her ability to succeed as a professional wrestler. After graduating from high school, she briefly attended college but ultimately found it unsatisfying and decided to pursue professional wrestling instead.

1.2. Early Wrestling Training

Amato began her professional wrestling training at All Pro Wrestling's boot camp, where she was coached by Tommy Drake, Donovan Morgan, and Micheal Modest. Initially, wrestling did not come naturally to her, requiring her to dedicate countless hours to training. Tommy Drake, her coach, later admitted that he did not believe she would make it in the industry due to her lack of natural talent. However, he expressed delight at being proven wrong, praising Amato as "a genuine person and the definition of a book that you don't judge the cover of," and highlighting her dedication to proving doubters wrong. Following her initial training, she also continued her wrestling education in Japan.

2.1. Japanese and Mexican Promotions (2002-2007)

In 2002, Amato traveled to Japan for a tryout with the joshi promotion Arsion, founded by Aja Kong. She considers this experience a significant highlight of her career. When Arsion disbanded, she joined Major Women's Pro-Wrestling AtoZ (メジャー女子プロレスAtoZ_{Mejā Joshi Puroresu AtoZ}^Japanese), also based in Japan, alongside LuFisto. She later became affiliated with Pro Wrestling Iron (プロレスリング・アイアン_{Puroresuringu Aian}^Japanese). In March 2005, she also competed for All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling (全日本女子プロレス_{Zen Nihon Joshi Puroresu}^Japanese) shortly before its dissolution.

On February 15, 2005, while on tour in Japan, she captured the Impact Zone Wrestling (IZW) Women's Championship by defeating Adrenelyn. Later that year, she undertook another tour of Japan, during which a video compilation of six of her matches, titled "Sara Del Rey Japan Tour 2005," was released. She also wrestled in Mexico for promotions such as Lucha Libre Femenil, where she adopted the masked persona "The American Angel." Her time under the mask ended on December 16, 2005, when she was unmasked in a match for Lucha Libre Femenil. She later briefly wore a mask again as Nic Grimes, the storyline sister of Vic Grimes, for the MTV promotion Wrestling Society X.

2.2. Shimmer Women Athletes (2005-2012)

Sara Del Rey debuted for Berwyn, Illinois-based Shimmer Women Athletes at their inaugural show in November 2005, wrestling to a twenty-minute time limit draw against Mercedes Martinez. At Volume 2, she won a four-way elimination match against Daizee Haze, Lacey, and Martinez, last eliminating Haze. She continued her winning streak by defeating Haze in the main event of Volume 3 and Rain at Volume 4 in February 2006. In the main event of Volume 5, Del Rey pinned Mercedes Martinez. Later that night, she partnered with Martinez against The International Home Wrecking Crew (Rain and Lacey) but they were defeated at Volume 6. On October 22, she defeated the debuting Nattie Neidhart. Following this, she suffered her first singles loss in Shimmer at Volume 8 in a rematch against Mercedes Martinez.

On April 7, 2007, Del Rey defeated Cheerleader Melissa and Nikki Roxx in the main events of Volume 9 and Volume 10 respectively, leading her to the inaugural Shimmer Championship tournament. On June 1, she advanced through the tournament by eliminating Cindy Rogers and Alicia. At Volume 12, she defeated Sarah Stock and then Lacey in the finals, becoming the first-ever Shimmer Champion. Later that night, she teamed with Nikki Roxx to defeat The Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew. Del Rey successfully defended her title against Lacey at Volume 14, Amazing Kong at Volume 15, and Sarah Stock in a two-out-of-three falls match at Volume 16. At Volume 17, she and Allison Danger lost to MsChif and Cheerleader Melissa. Del Rey lost the Shimmer Championship to MsChif at Volume 18, ending her reign at 329 days.

On July 5, 2008, Del Rey participated in a 21-woman battle royal to determine the number one contender for the Shimmer Championship but was eliminated by Portuguese Princess Ariel. This led to a match between them at Volume 19, which Del Rey won. At Volume 20, she defeated Serena Deeb and later defeated her again in a rematch. On May 2, 2009, Del Rey defeated Madison Eagles. That night, she and Amazing Kong attacked Shimmer Champion MsChif, prompting Cheerleader Melissa to intervene. At Volume 24, Del Rey and Amazing Kong defeated MsChif and Melissa to become the number one contenders for the Shimmer Tag Team Championship. However, at Volume 26, they failed to win the titles from Nevaeh and Ashley Lane due to disqualification. The duo attacked the champions after the match, but were forced to leave by Serena Deeb and Mercedes Martinez, whom Del Rey and Kong later defeated.

On November 8, Del Rey defeated Jessie McKay. Later that night, she was disqualified in a match against Ayako Hamada, but the match was restarted, and Del Rey secured the victory. At Volume 33, Del Rey defeated Nevaeh. At Volume 34, she lost to Jessie McKay in a three-way match that also included Hamada. At Volume 35, Del Rey defeated Rachel Summerlyn with assistance from Daffney. At Volume 36, Del Rey was eliminated by Hamada in an 8-woman tag team elimination match. On March 18, 2012, Del Rey and Courtney Rush (now known as Rosemary) defeated Hamada and Ayumi Kurihara, the Canadian NINJAs (Nicole Matthews and Portia Perez), and Regeneration X (Allison Danger and Leva Bates) to win the Shimmer Tag Team Championship. This made Del Rey the first woman to hold both of Shimmer's championships. On July 7, Del Rey and Rush lost the titles to the Canadian NINJAs.

2.3. Chikara (2006-2012)

Sara Del Rey began wrestling for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Chikara in May 2006, initially as a fan favorite. In November 2009, she entered her first major storyline with the company, turning into a villain and forming the stable Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (BDK) with Claudio Castagnoli (now known as Cesaro), Ares, Daizee Haze, Pinkie Sanchez, Tim Donst, and Tursas.

As part of BDK, Del Rey regularly teamed with Daizee Haze. They secured victories over teams like The Osirian Portal (Amasis and Ophidian), Los Ice Creams (El Hijo del Ice Cream and Ice Cream, Jr.), The Throwbacks (Dasher Hatfield and Sugar Dunkerton), Amazing Kong and Raisha Saeed, and Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw. On September 19, 2010, Del Rey competed against Japanese joshi legend Manami Toyota in only her second match in the United States, where she and Claudio Castagnoli were defeated in a tag team match by Toyota and Mike Quackenbush. On October 23, Del Rey represented BDK in the torneo cibernetico match, facing a team of Chikara originals, but was eliminated by Eddie Kingston. The following day, Del Rey and Haze defeated the Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno and Player Dos) to earn a shot at the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas (tag team championship), held by their stablemates Ares and Claudio Castagnoli. However, they were forced to defend their points in a four-way elimination match on November 21, where they were eliminated by Mike Quackenbush and Jigsaw, losing their opportunity.

In May 2011, Del Rey entered the 12 Large: Summit tournament to determine the first-ever Chikara Grand Champion. On July 31, Del Rey achieved an upset victory over BDK leader Claudio Castagnoli in a tournament match, after which both she and Haze were attacked by Castagnoli. On August 3, Del Rey announced her resignation from BDK. She was eliminated from the 12 Large: Summit on October 7 after a defeat by Mike Quackenbush. On November 12, Del Rey was part of Team Hallowicked in the eighth annual torneo cibernetico, facing a team composed of BDK and The Batiri members. Del Rey ultimately won the match by pinning her former stablemate Tim Donst. During December's JoshiMania weekend, Del Rey secured wins over Japanese wrestlers Aja Kong, Tsubasa Kuragaki, and Ayako Hamada. In early 2012, Del Rey began a feud with The Batiri stable, culminating on June 2 at the Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur pay-per-view, where Del Rey and Saturyne defeated The Batiri by disqualification in a two-on-three handicap match. On July 28, Del Rey received her first shot at the Chikara Grand Championship but was unable to defeat the defending champion, Eddie Kingston. The following day, Del Rey was defeated by Icarus in her Chikara farewell match.

2.4. Ring of Honor (2006-2012)

In 2006, Sara Del Rey began a feud with Daizee Haze, whom she defeated on June 3, 2006, at a Ring of Honor (ROH) show. She also formed a tag team called the Dangerous Angels with Allison Danger, competing as a team in ROH. As one of the few female mainstays in ROH, Del Rey became a member of Sweet & Sour Inc., a faction managed by Larry Sweeney. During her time in the faction, she was paired with Chris Hero by Sweeney and dubbed the "Intergender Heavyweight Tag Team Champions", although this "title" was never officially recognized by ROH. She temporarily left the faction after Sweeney interrupted a match between her and Daizee Haze on an April 11 ROH show and verbally berated her. Sweeney later claimed that he was "grooming" Del Rey for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), but Del Rey responded by stating she was a wrestler, not a "Diva." She returned as a "proud member" of Sweet & Sour Inc. at the May 9 ROH show. After Sweeney's departure from ROH, Del Rey followed Chris Hero and became a member of The Kings of Wrestling.

In the second episode of Ring of Honor Wrestling on HDNet, Del Rey defeated Daizee Haze. She later lost in a tag team match, partnering with Sassy Stephie, against Haze and Nevaeh. She also participated in a three-way non-title match against Haze and Shimmer Champion MsChif, which MsChif won. On the 17th episode, she and MsChif defeated the team of Haze and Nevaeh. On September 28, 2009, Del Rey won a match against Nikki Roxx.

Del Rey returned at the June 29 tapings of Ring of Honor Wrestling, saving Adam Cole and Eddie Edwards from a beat down by Mike Bennett, Brutal Bob, and Maria Kanellis. On August 11 at Boiling Point, Del Rey and Edwards defeated Bennett and Kanellis in a tag team match. In 2020, Del Rey won an online tournament featuring several female wrestlers from ROH.

2.5. Other Independent Promotions

Sara Del Rey debuted for Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) at their inaugural show on January 10, 2009, where she defeated Daizee Haze. At the second show on May 9, she defeated Amazing Kong and later won a battle royal, becoming the number one contender for the inaugural JAPW Women's Championship. On June 27, she defeated ODB in Jersey City, New Jersey, to become the first JAPW Women's Champion. She successfully defended the title against Portia Perez at European Homicide on August 1 and against Hailey Hatred in Beachwood, New Jersey, on September 12. At Halloween Hell, she quickly defeated Roxie Cotton for her third title defense. On November 13, Del Rey successfully defended the championship against Alissa Flash at a Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) house show in Wayne, New Jersey. The following day at JAPW Girl Power, Del Rey's match against Cheerleader Melissa ended in a double disqualification after Hailey Hatred attacked both competitors. It was later announced that the three women would face off in a three-way no disqualification match for Del Rey's championship at the next JAPW show.

Del Rey made another successful title defense against Sumie Sakai at Season's Beatings. On January 9, 2010, she won the three-way no disqualification match, retaining the championship. On January 23, she defeated Madison Rayne at JAPW's 12th Anniversary Show to retain the championship. Del Rey continued to defend her title, defeating Hailey Hatred in a Falls Count Anywhere match at Wild Card. She defended the title against Ayumi Kurihara at Old School on April 17 and against Annie Social at Notorious Thunder on May 22. On July 3, Del Rey wrestled at another TNA house show, losing to Angelina Love in a match to determine the number one contender for the TNA Knockouts Championship. On November 20, she retained the championship against Mia Yim, and against LuFisto at the 13th Anniversary Show on December 11. After Del Rey signed with WWE in July 2012, the JAPW Women's Championship was declared vacant, ending her reign at 1,108 days.

On September 5, 2009, Del Rey participated in the debut show of NCW Femmes Fatales, where she defeated Cherry Bomb. Later that night, she attacked the promotion's owner, LuFisto, and challenged her to a match at the next show. Del Rey took part in the tournament to crown the inaugural NCW FF Champion but lost to LuFisto in the first round on June 5, 2010.

2.6. Return to Japan (2011)

In 2011, Sara Del Rey made her return to Japan after a six-year absence, participating in REINA Women's Pro Wrestling (レイナ女子プロレス_{Reina Joshi Puroresu}^Japanese). She teamed with Mia Yim to compete in the tournament to crown the inaugural REINA World Tag Team Champions, though they were unsuccessful. On September 25, she had a singles match (一騎討ち_ikkuchi^Japanese) against Yumi Hotta for the first time in eight years, which she lost.