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Tamyra Mensah-Stock, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist, was the first black woman to win an Olympic wrestling gold. She retired from competitive wrestling and signed with WWE in May 2023.
Tamyra Mensah-Stock said that she reached saturation after winning the Olympic gold and multiple world championship titles in her 15-year career. In an interview with Olympics.com, Mensah-Stock spoke about the same and her intention to pursue her WWE dreams. She was quoted as saying:
"I wiped the floor with everybody, and I was like, man, this is not fun anymore. I need a change. Something in the back of my head that’s just been itching at me, a dream of mine for I don’t know how long. I just wanted to be in the WWE.”
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In May 2023, she finally signed with the WWE as the third Olympic gold medalist and the first female wrestler to do so after Kurt Angle and Gable Steveson. This could be the reason behind Mensah-Stock's absence as a probable Paris Olympic contender.
Tamyra Mensah-Stock, 31, initially competed as an amateur wrestler. In the 2016 Rio Olympics Trials, Mensah-Stock won in the 68 kg category but the lack of any other qualifier in the 68 kg division brought her Rio dreams to an end.
At the 2019 World Championships, she won in the 68 kg category and secured a coveted spot on the 2020 Tokyo Olympics roster. Mensah-Stock went on to clinch the gold in Tokyo and became the first African-American and black wrestler to win an Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling for women.
The Olympian then took an eight-month-long break, contemplating retirement since WWE was on her mind. At her final bout at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships in the 68 kg category, Mensah-Stock won the bronze.
Tamyra Mensah-Stock debuted at the WWE NXT house show and clinched victory
Earlier this year, the 31-year-old made her WWE debut at the NXT "Coconut Loop" house show. Her first match in the WWE resulted in a win as Tamyra Mensah-Stock defeated Breanna Covington in an adrenaline-fuelled bout.
Reporter Dave Meltzer also praised Mensah-Stock following her signing with WWE. He said in his Daily Update on F4WOnline (via SEScoops):
"Internally, we’ve heard nothing but good about her for months.”
All eyes are on Shawn Michaels to see which category he places Tamyra Mensah-Stock to advance her career. Michaels is a former professional wrestler who is the Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. He also deals with the development and promotion of the NXT brand.
Shawn Michaels was appointed as the coach of WWE Performance Center in 2016 and Mensah-Stock also trains under him.
