| Leilani Steel | |
|---|---|
 Steel in OWT in early 2019. | |
| Birth name | Leilani Alamea Makaio |
| Born | February 10, 1994 (age 25) Honolulu, Hawai'i, United States |
| Resides | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Leilani Steel |
| Billed height | 5 ft. 5 in. (1.68 m) |
| Billed weight | 120 lbs. (54 kg) |
| Billed from | Honolulu, Hawai'i |
| Trained by | The Five-0 Factory OWT |
| Debut | 2013 |
Leilani Alamea Makaio (both February 10, 1994), better known by her ring name Leilani Steel, is an American professional wrestler and model currently signed to a developmental contract with Omega Wrestling Alliance.
Early Life[]
Makaio was raised in East Honolulu, the second and youngest child of wrestlers Keoni Makaio and Justina Makaio (better known by her ring name, Jade Steel). Her older brother Malosi was born in 1990 and eventually became a sports agent. Her father is of Native Hawaiian, Samoan, and Chamorro ancestry, while her mother is of African-American, Mexican, Yavapai, and unspecified white ancestry. Her mother is originally from Phoenix, Arizona and met her father after moving to Honolulu to attend the University of Hawaii. Makaio's parents became fixtures in the Pacific Wrestling Federation (PWF) from the mid-1980s forward, still maintaining behind-the-scenes roles in the promotion despite being retired. Makaio attended the exclusive Punahou School, where she played water polo and tennis before graduating.
Professional Wrestling Career[]
Pacific Wrestling Federation (2010 - 2017)[]
Early Appearances and Training (2010 - 2013)[]
After spending her entire childhood at wrestling shows, Makaio got her first "real" experience in the business at the age of sixteen when her parents permitted her to help set up and take down the ring before and after PWF shows. They were strict about how involved she would be, saying she wouldn't step into the ring until after finishing high school. For the next two years, Makaio remained as a member of the ring crew, also sometimes working as a ringside assistant or ticket-taker. She officially began training under her mother and father at The Five-0 Factory, the PWF-affiliated school they ran, in July 2012. During this time, she worked as a surfing instructor and a barista. Makaio says that her parents were harder on her than other students, "because they expected a lot more from me". She, however, says now that she is grateful to have been given this treatment because it "made [her] tough".
In-Ring Competition (2013 - 2017)[]
After training for just over a year, Makaio made her in-ring debut for PWF in August 2013 under the name Leilani Steel at a live event in Pearl Beach. She wrestled mainly in lower card matches until April 2014, when she competed in a triple threat for the vacant PWF Polynesian Championship. Steel cemented her place as a promotion mainstay in December 2014, when she finally captured the title at Christmas in Hawaii 2014. She went on to hold the promotion on one other occasion and worked exclusively for PWF by choice until November 2017 at Island Attack, when she revealed that it would be her final match in the promotion, as she had signed with EAW.
Elite Answers Wrestling (2017 - 2018)[]
NEO (2017 - 2018)[]
Steel attended an EAW tryout camp in June 2017. That November, it was announced that the company had offered her a developmental contract, and that she was in the process of completing medical tests. After spending the holidays with her family, Steel reported to the EAW Performance Center in January 2018 and began working live events the following month.
Omega Wrestling Alliance (2018 - present)[]
OWT (2018 - present)[]
Steel signed a developmental contract with OWA in April 2018.
Personal Life[]
Makaio currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She speaks fluent Hawaiian and "understands bits and pieces" of Samoan, Spanish, and Tagalog. She is an avid fan of University of Hawai'i at Manoa athletics, as that is the school her mother and older brother attended. A former surfing instructor, Makaio says she's "still pretty good at it".
In Wrestling[]
- Finishing Moves
- Hawaiian Falls (Sitout scoop slam piledriver)
- Tsunami Warning (Swinging reverse STO bend transitioned into a DDT)
- Signature Moves
- Calf kick
- Corner knee strike
- Headbutt
- Inverted DDT, sometimes onto the ring apron
- Inverted swinging facebuster
- Reverse bulldog
- Samoan driver
- Single-leg dropkick
- Snap suplex
- Somersault senton
- Straightjacket hangman's neckbreaker
- Swinging side slam
- Tornado suplex
- Whiplash, to an opponent draped on the top turnbuckle or the ring apron
- Entrance Themes
- "Whatever U Like" by Nicole Scherzinger feat. T.I. (February 2018 - present)
Championships and Accomplishments[]
- Pacific Wrestling Federation
- PWF Polynesian Championship (2 times)