Hailing from Washington DC, Trish Adora kicked off her journey to becoming a professional wrestler by training at the Team 3D Academy under the umbrella of WWE Hall Of Famers Bully Ray and D-Von Dudley. Throughout her several years in the business, that aforementioned training and her own development has led her to compete in EVOLVE, SHINE, Ring of Honor, Maryland Championship Wrestling and also doing work for WWE.
When deciding to take on professional wrestling, Trish didn’t put much stock into the school she was going to attend and was planning on attending another school before locking in on Team 3D Academy. She shared with POST Wrestling during our chat that the possibility of training with the Dudleyz was presented to her through a friend. Trish opened up about what she learned from her time with D-Von and Bully Ray and the rest is history.
“Going to train at Team 3D Academy with Bubba Ray and D-Von has been such a life changing experience. Before I joined in May 2015, I didn’t put much stock into which school I was going to. I mean, I was actually going to go to another school. Then, after I moved to Florida, I got a job, and on the first day of my new job, one of my co-workers told me she was a wrestler and trained with the Dudleyz. I couldn’t believe the universe put that in place for me. I went to visit the school a few times and the rest is history. They’ve always told me to represent myself well and be respectful. Respect is huge there. We learn that just like we learn taking bumps and running the ropes. Having respect for the business alone has opened quite a few doors that sure felt locked to me at one point. It’s so fundamental, and I’m glad that I have so much respect for this business thanks to them. It’s literally the foundation that has taken me all over the U.S. and very soon, all over the world.”
One of the promotions that Trish Adora has become a staple in is ‘Hoodslam’ based in Oakland, California. This year alone, Trish has had ten matches for the promotion and she said that Hoodslam is one of the easiest promotions to work for. Through Hoodslam, she earned the opportunity to wrestle in Japan for Wrestle-1 and is very proud of what the promotion is accomplishing but left one reminder to those attending Hoodslam shows: leave the young children at home.
“Hoodslam is easily one of my favorite places to work. Dark Sheik, Anton Voorhees and The Stoner Bros. have something really special in Oakland. I’m going to Japan to train at Wrestle-1 thanks to Hoodslam, and of course, the roster of ladies there are top notch talents. Heather Monroe, Dark Sheik, Lady K, and Simone Sherie are amazing people and I’m honored to have worked with them and I can’t wait to return, and it streams on Twitch, so it’s amazing exposure and I’m thankful that they have given me a great place to work with excellent crowds, consistent shows, and just all around fun. Just don’t bring your F’n kids.”
I got my first glimpse of Trish Adora at Prime Time Pro Wrestling’s show over the Summer in Washington DC. Adora will be in action again for Prime Time Pro Wrestling on November 18th and during our chat, she explained how much it means to her to be able to wrestle in her hometown and talked about the plans she has in store to give back to the community and city that raised her.
“It’s such an honor to be able to work in front of my hometown. It’s a place that I have so much pride in and I want to give back to my community in a million different ways. I’d love to start a financial literacy program, independent libraries, and hopefully, one day opening a wrestling school here. Also, at the show, I ran into someone who I used to work with about 6 years ago. He was a photographer there and remembered me as the girl who always said that I wanted to be a wrestler. Now I’m the girl who is a wrestler.”
Several of the promotions and companies that Trish Adora has wrestled in are listed at the beginning of this article. Trish was asked about the state of the independent wrestling scene and she added to the conversation by expressing her joy that wrestlers are able to make a living off of wrestling. She stated that there is so much potential for everyone to work somewhere and make money and listed off a few more of the promotions that she’s a part of.
“I think it’s awesome that people are making a living wrestling and getting exposure and signing to big companies. There are so many great companies all over the world like Hoodslam, CHIKARA, Bar Wrestling and Bizarro Lucha, FEST Wrestling, Prime Time Pro Wrestling, and that’s just a few in the US. There is so much potential for everyone to work somewhere and make some good money. I mean, honestly, I think that the state of independent wrestling as a whole is on the up and up.”
In August of 2018, Trish Adora made her way to Full Sail University in Florida to take on the-then NXT Women’s Champion Kairi Sane in a non-title match. Adora did not leave the match victorious but looks back on the experience with positive memories. She had the opportunity to see familiar faces that she trained with and said Kairi Sane was all smiles and love until they stepped inside the squared circle.
“I enjoyed my experience there. I got to see some familiar faces of people I used to train with. The vibe was pretty laid back and Kairi was lovely and all smiles… until we got in the ring, of course.”
Representation in professional wrestling is a topic that has risen to the forefront of the industry over the past several years. Black wrestlers in the sport are making their voices heard and are reaching new heights of success. From Naomi being one of seven black WWE Women’s Champions in history, Bobby Lashley becoming the 9th black WWE Intercontinental Champion in history, Jordan Myles (ACH) speaking out about the offensive t-shirt that was designed for him to Kofi Kingston’s WWE Title win to Game Changer Wrestling presenting a show for African-Americans featuring all-black wrestlers that is slated for April of 2020.
Representation in today’s landscape can impact the next generation. Trish Adora revealed that it wasn’t until she saw Jacqueline wrestle that she got the idea in her head that she could become a professional wrestler.
“Representation absolutely matters. As a kid, I watched wrestling with my father and brothers and I thought it was so cool. They were such larger than life characters; I thought they were superheroes! And it wasn’t until I saw Jacqueline for the first time that I thought, ‘Oh, I can do that too?!’ And then I had it stuck in my head from then on that I was going to be a wrestler.”
Another black athlete that Trish Adora shared high praise for is Big Swole, formerly known as Aerial Monroe. Swole and Adora have mixed it up on a number of occasions throughout their respective careers and Adora has nothing but positive words to share about Big Swole. She dubbed Swole as one of the figureheads for black women’s wrestlers and said she is a person that gives her all when she steps into the ring.
“I see Big Swole as one of the figureheads of black women wrestlers. She is quite personable and all around, a joy to work with. She gives herself completely in the ring, which in turn gives me the confidence to take her to the limit.”
Trish Adora is looking to further establish herself as one of the top independent wrestlers and further build her resume as she progresses in her career. Trish will be in action this Saturday for Prime Time Pro Wrestling and can be found on both Twitter and Instagram @TrishAdora202.
