| Ricki Rivers | |
|---|---|
| |
| Birth name | Vanessa Renee Rivers |
| Born | October 3, 1990 (age 27) Long Beach, California, United States |
| Resides | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Spouse(s) | Eli Matthews (m. 2015) |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Vanessa Ricki Rivers |
| Billed height | 5 ft. 9 in. (1.75 m) |
| Billed weight | 120 lbs. (54 kg) |
| Billed from | Long Beach, California Los Angeles, California |
| Trained by | Jackie Cruz Madam Vega Gemma Vega |
| Debut | 2011 |
Vanessa Renee Matthews (nee Rivers; born October 3, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and former American football player, currently signed to Diamond International Wrestling under the ring name Ricki Rivers. She is also well-known for her tenure on the independent circuit.
Early Life[]
Rivers was raised in the Lakewood Village area of Long Beach. Her mother, Beverly Harrison (nee Denham) is a regional sales manager for Avon, and her father, David Rivers, is a pediatric doctor. She has two younger siblings, fellow wrestler Amber and Cyrus (born 1997), who currently plays basketball at UCLA. Her parents divorced in 2006 and her mother remarried Patrick Harrison, a police sergeant. Rivers has a half-sister named Milan (born 2008) as result of the marriage. Rivers' father married nurse practitioner Melanie Jackson, mother of Aria Jaxon, in 2017. She graduated from Lakewood High School in 2008 and played volleyball at California State University, Long Beach before graduating in 2012 with a degree in sociology.
Football Career[]
Rivers says she was "dared by a friend" to try out for the Los Angeles Temptation of the Legends Football League. She played from 2008 to 2011 as a wide receiver. With the Temptation, she won two Lingerie Bowls in 2010 and 2011. She chose not to return for the 2011-2012 season in order to focus on wrestling training and finishing college.
Professional Wrestling Career[]
Independent Circuit (2010 - present)[]
Rivers began training at Hollywood Fight Club in July 2010. She also spent a number of months traveling to and from Detroit, Michigan to receive additional training at Madam Vega's Wrestling School for Girls. Rivers debuted in So Cal Pro in September 2011 using the name Vanessa, where she acted as Eli Matthews' valet in addition to competing.
Proving Ground Wrestling (2017)[]
Rivers was announced as one of the earliest signees of upstart Proving Ground Wrestling (PGW) in April 2017. The company, however, folded soon thereafter.
Diamond International Wrestling (2017)[]
Rivers signed with the all-women's Diamond International Wrestling (DIW) in May 2017. The company was owned by her one-time trainer, Madam Vega.
Personal Life[]
Rivers resides in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles. She married longtime boyfriend and fellow wrestler Elijah Matthews on May 8, 2015. She gave birth to their first child, Emmett, on August 21, 2016.
Rivers' stepsister is EAW Elitist Aria Jaxon. Through the marriage, Rivers is also a relative of Gia Cervantes and Chantal. She calls NEO wrestler Dani Woods her best friend, and Woods is Emmett's godmother and served as a bridesmaid in Rivers' wedding.
In Wrestling[]
- Finishing Moves
- GSOM -- Golden State of Mind (Electric chair driver)
- Joyride (Pop-up powerbomb)
- Vanity Clutch (Crossface/scissored armbar combination)
- Signature Moves
- Backpack stunner
- Big boot
- Discus elbow smash
- Garvin stomp
- Inverted suplex slam
- Military press stun gun
- Modified Achilles lock
- Multiple suplex variations
- Double underhook
- Northern Lights
- Slingshot
- Vertical
- Wheelbarrow
- Samoan drop
- Sitout wheelbarrow facebuster
- Spinning heel kick
- Spinning spinebuster
- Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker
- Tilt-a-whirl gutbuster
- Tilt-a-whirl mat slam
- Two-handed chokelift
- Wrestlers Managed
- Eli Matthews
- Nicknames
- "The HBIC"
- "The Vindictive Villain"
- Entrance Themes
- "Bonfire" by Childish Gambino (September 2011 - October 2015)
- "Nightcrawler" by Travis Scott (October 2015 - April 2017)
- "HUMBLE." by Kendrick Lamar (April 2017 - present)