| Samantha Garza | |
|---|---|
 Garza in mid-2018. | |
| Birth name | Samantha Ramona Garza |
| Born | March 5, 1987 (age 33) Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States |
| Resides | Marina del Rey, California, United States |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Samantha Samantha Garza |
| Billed height | 5 ft. 8 in. (1.77 m) |
| Billed weight | 131 lbs. (59.4 kg) |
| Billed from | Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Trained by | Raul Garza |
| Debut | 2004 |
Samantha Ramona Castaneda (nee Garza; born March 5, 1987) is a semi-retired American professional wrestler, business executive, professional wrestling trainer, model, and fashion designer currently signed to Omega Wrestling Alliance, where she acts as Head of Talent Relations for the company's Goddesses division.
Garza spent most of her early life backstage at wrestling shows with her father, Raul Garza. He trained her ahead of her in-ring debut in 2004. Performing primarily in the United States and Mexico, she won numerous titles in the years that followed before enduring a three-year hiatus due to a severe neck injury in 2014. Subsequently, she lent her time to being a trainer and became a successful model. She also started D2K (Dressed to Kill), a ring attire design business.
Early Life[]
Garza was raised in the High Desert neighborhood of Albuquerque. She is the oldest child of Raul Garza, former professional and amateur wrestler, and Vera Garza (nee Ortiz), a makeup artist and stylist. Both of her parents immigrated to the United States as children, her father from El Salvador and her mother from Honduras. Garza has three younger brothers, Rico (born 1989), Eliseo (born 1990), and Danilo (born 1993). All of Garza's brothers became wrestlers as well.
Her father attended the University of Texas on a full wrestling scholarship, where he became a two-time NCAA Division I Heavyweight Wrestling Champion. He later competed at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics, winning two silver medals. He subsequently began a professional wrestling career, winning several championships before retiring in 2002 to become a sought-after trainer and road agent.
Garza competed in cross country, lacrosse, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu as a child, and also trained in amateur wrestling with her father. She graduated from Eldorado High School in 2005 and was accepted into the University of New Mexico, though she deferred enrollment in order to pursue her wrestling career. Through online classes and correspondence, Garza eventually earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the university in June 2013.
Professional Wrestling Career[]
Training and Early Appearances (2003 - 2005)[]
Though Garza had long since been trained in various disciplines of mixed martial arts and amateur wrestling from her father, she didn't cross over into receiving professional wrestling training from him until early 2003. She trained for roughly eighteen months before debuting at an independent show in El Paso, Texas in October 2004 under the name Samantha. Early in her career, she omitted the use of her last name, wanting to avoid comparisons to her father or accusations of nepotism. Since she was still in high school when she debuted, her parents were very strict about when and where she could take bookings, saying she "never wrestling outside of the Southwest" prior to her graduation.
Independent Circuit (2005 - 2014)[]
Following her high school graduation in the summer of 2005, Garza branched out, first working for promotions all over the United States before becoming well-traveled in numerous Mexican promotions in the years that followed. She also applied her trade in Canada. Garza completed several tours of Japan from 2009 - 2012, working extensively with Joshi Extreme Takeover (JET). After moving to Los Angeles in 2010, Garza made several appearances for So Cal Pro and San Diego Wrestling. After injuring her neck during the summer of 2014, Garza remarked that she was "taking an indefinite hiatus from in-ring competition".
Trainer (2015 - present)[]
Garza's father opened a wrestling school, The Garza Wrestling Academy, in Albuquerque in May 2015. Since the school opened, Garza herself has made several guest appearances as a trainer. She has additionally made guest training appearances at Hollywood Fight Club, Madam Vega's Wrestling School for Girls, The Dog House Wrestling Academy, and the EAW Performance Center.
Proving Ground Wrestling (2016 - 2017)[]
In August 2016, Garza was announced to have been signed to upstart Proving Ground Wrestling, and was revealed to have been brought in to fulfill the role of the company's on-screen Commissioner. Behind the scenes, she served as a writer, member of the creative team, and road agent. The company folded in April 2017.
Diamond International Wrestling (2017)[]
Garza signed with Diamond International Wrestling (DIW), an all-women's promotion, in May 2017. This would mark her first time competing in the ring in nearly three years.
Omega Wrestling Alliance (2018 - present)[]
Head of Talent Relations (2018 - present)[]
Garza signed with OWA in March 2018. It was later announced that she was brought into the company in a non-wrestling capacity, as she would be in charge of talent relations for the company's women's division.
Odyssey (2019)[]
Garza made her first on-camera appearance on the January 5 episode of Odyssey in a backstage segment with Viola DeMarco.
Modeling Career[]
Shortly after her hiatus began, Garza was approached by an agent about the prospect of beginning a modeling career. After a test shoot, she was signed to Ford Models in September 2014. Since then, she has done fitness, promotional, and print modeling.
Fashion Design[]
As a young girl, Garza was taught how to sew by her stylist mother, who also made her father's wrestling gear for nearly all of his career. For most of her career, Garza designed her own gear. In 2016, she launched Dressed to Kill, which is based in Los Angeles . Since opening the business, Garza and the designers she employs have designed wrestling attire for many popular wrestlers.
Personal Life[]
Garza currently resides in Marina del Rey, California, just outside of Los Angeles. She married Gladiator FC fighter Javier Castaneda in 2010. Together they have one child, Lyle Raul Castaneda (born February 25, 2015).
In Wrestling[]
- Finishing Moves
- Double Jeopardy (Diving cross armbreaker, followed by elbow strikes or kicks to the opponent's head)
- Garza Special (O'Connor roll into a bridging German suplex)
- Mercy Kill (Olympic slam)
- Signature Moves
- Arm-trap elbow strikes
- Double-knee armbreaker
- Double-leg takedown, followed by mounted punches
- Fireman's carry takeover, transitioned into an armbar
- Fujiwara armbar
- Guillotine choke
- Handspring standing moonsault
- Hangman's choke
- Exploder suplex
- Inverted facelock, followed by knee lifts to an opponent's back
- Judo throw
- Kimura lock
- Overhead belly-to-belly suplex
- Rear naked choke
- Running single-leg dropkick
- Rush Hour (Two punches followed by an elbow smash followed by a backfist followed by a Lariat)
- Samoan drop
- Straightjacket choke
- Triangle choke, transitioned into a step-over armbar
- Triangle rana clutch
- Nicknames
- "The Ring General"
- "The Arm Collector"
- "Lady Tapout"
- "Goddesses' Law"
- "Candy-Coated Misery"
- Entrance Themes
- "More Than A Woman" by Aaliyah (2016)
- "Break the Ice" by Britney Spears (January 2019 - present)