"Wrestling gave me everything. It broke me. Built me. Tested me. Somehow still made me fall in love with it again. 2025 wasn't about being showcased. It was about going back to the indies, back to the grind, back to the reason I started -and remembering exactly who the hell I am."
"2026 gets one more year of my body, my heart and my fight. One more year of scars, sweat, pain and pride. One more year of showing up and giving everything I've got - because that's the only way I've ever done this."
"And for one more year... that's exactly what I'm going to do. I trust the universe to meet me where I'm at - like it always has."
Mercedes Martinez announced she will make 2026 her final year as a full-time professional wrestler, choosing to work without contracts, agents or creative control. She said she will rely on 25 years of experience and spend one more year giving everything physically and emotionally. She described 2025 as a return to the indies and to the reason she started, focusing on grind and identity. She said she does not know what comes next beyond wrestling but trusts the universe. Her career began in 2001; she has held championships across independent women's promotions, competed in the Mae Young Classic, currently appears for ROH and AEW, and was inducted into the Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2024 as the first out LGBTQ inductee.
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