Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA), was founded in the spring of 1992, after Antonio Peña broke away from Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Peña, while working at CMLL, wanted to start a mini-estrellas division, interested in pushing talent such as Mascara Sagrada, Octagon, and Konnan, over traditional heavyweights. CMLL’s booker at the time, Juan Herrara wanted to maintain classical booking methods, and convinced CMLL Owner Paco Alonso not to listen to Peña.
Due to this, and a compounding interest in pursuing greener pastures, Peña would leave CMLL, and ultimately create AAA. From the inception, Peña would push the talent that Alonso and CMLL wouldn’t.
In their first event, AAA featured LA Parka, Cien Caras, Fuerza Guerrera, and Mascarita Sagrada. Within its first year, iconic Lucha Libre talent would make AAA home, including Konnan, El Hijo de Santo, Rey Misterio Jr, Fishman, Eddie Guerrero, Tinieblas, Dr Wagner Jr., and Mil Mascaras.
By 1999, Peña would introduce the Reina de Reinas (Queen of Queens) championship, which has become one of the most prestigious championships in women’s wrestling. Lucha Libre, much like the rest of the wrestling world, has always been a male-dominated sport, and Peña wanted to give talented Luchadoras a prominent space in wrestling.
While both the Mexican National Women’s Championship and CMLL World Women’s Championship have much longer histories, the Reina de Reinas championship has consistently proven to be a viable alternative to the wrestling titan that is CMLL. The majority of its champions have worked extremely hard to make the championship mean something, and with Triplemanía 30 right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to rank the best Reina de Reinas champions.
17.) Keyra:
Days as Champion: 48
Number of Reigns: 1
At only 26 years old as of this writing, Keyra is the youngest and least experienced talent on this list – but her age isn’t an indicator of her talent. The luchadora began training at just 13 years old, and would take inspiration for her name from Pirates of the Caribbean actress Keira Knightley.
Keyra has competed at Triplemanía, as well as iconic promotions such as The Crash, Lucha Libre Femenil, Perros del Mal, and IMPACT wrestling. Quickly becoming one of my favorites, her rise saw her go toe to toe with Kylie Rae, Miranda Alize, Tessa Blanchard, Ivelisse, and LuFisto.
By 2019, Keyra would find herself competing at AAA’s Verano De Escandalo (Summer of Scandal), where she would become the new Reina de Reinas champion, beating reigning champion La Hiedra and Chik Tormenta. Unfortunately, her victory would be short lived, as she was forced to vacate the title due to a knee injury.
If her stardom continues, Keyra will absolutely rejoin the Reina de Reinas title scene. It’s hard to articulate how good of a champion she would have been, which is why she must be the last entrant on this list. Having already been an eight time women’s champion, throughout various promotions, it is almost a certainty that AAA, CMLL, or another major promotion can get behind this extremely talented young star.
16.) Esther Moreno
Days as Champion: 207
Number of Reigns: 2
There was a time that the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship typically wasn’t contested under normal match rules.
Since its creation in 1999, the title was awarded to the winner of the Reina de Reinas tournament, being seen as more of a trophy, with rare title defenses thrown in. This would continue up until 2009 when it transitioned into a more natural championship defense system. Esther Moreno would be the first person to win the championship in an actual match, and not a tournament.
Esther was raised in the iconic Moreno family, consisting of her father Alfonso, her sisters Rossy, Alda, Cynthia, her brothers Mini Cibernético, El Oriental, and her nephews Hijo del Dr. Wagner, and Galeno del Mal. Esther would become the first two-time Reina de Reinas champion, winning the tournament in 2002.
Like a lot of sequels that can’t live up to the hype, Esther had a mediocre reign as the second-ever champion and despite all the potential talent she was born into, it didn’t translate into a great career. On my watch-through of Esther’s matches, it seemed as though she phoned in a lot of her performances, and unfortunately, that’s the benefit of being born into a legendary family.
15.) Rossy Moreno
Days as Champion: 363
Number of Reigns: 1
Also from the Moreno family, Rossy is the only Reina de Reinas champion who competed for Stampede wrestling, making her debut in 1982. Rossy initially competed in EMLL, until transitioning to working with AAA in the late 90’s.
Having already been a Mexican National Women’s champion in the 80’s, Rossy looked to continue her championship dreams, winning the Reina de Reinas tournament in 2000, and holding the title until the next year’s tournament.
While Rossy technically was the champion until the next year’s tournament, she actually only held the title for 180 days, retiring as champion in 2001. After five years, she would return to AAA, and compete up until 2019.
While Rossy has the stronger reign between her and her sisters, based on the number of days alone, her run as Reina de Reinas champion was nothing more than average. A huge thing to take into account is that for a lot of the early champions, who’d won the title in a tournament, it was extremely rare that they would defend the title in a match, so a large part of Rossy’s reign being mediocre isn’t exactly her fault.
14.) Mari Apache
Days as Champion: 351
Number of Reigns: 1
The Apache name will long be remembered in the world of Lucha Libre. Starting with the patriarch Gran Apache, this family gave the world his two daughters Mari and Faby, his wife Lady Apache, his son in law Billy Boy, and his granddaughter, STARDOM regular, Natsumi. Gran Apache’s influence has been felt all over the world, with a list of his students including Penta El Zero Miedo, Rey Fenix, Raul Mendoza, Kalisto, Joaquin Wilde, Emi Sakura, and Tajiri.
Mari Apache, known as “La Devoradora del Mundo” had the wind under her sails in her debut in 1997. In 2010, Apache would win her only Reina de Reinas championship, defeating then-champion Sexy Star at AAA’s Verano de Escándalo. Having competed for ARSION, STARDOM, and CMLL, she has proven to be a bonafide talent. At 42 years old, Mari’s career could be far from over, and it’s not out of the question that she captures the title one more time.
13.) Pimpinela Escarlata:
Days as Champion: 138
Number of Reigns: 1
Pimpinela Escarlata is unlike anything most wrestling fans have ever seen. Escarlata was considered an exótico. In its simplest of terms, an exótico is a male presenting person, competing in drag aesthetics. The closest thing to Escarlata that general fans have seen is Adrian Adonis, Rico, Eddy McQueen, and Kidd Bandit. For clarification, not all wrestlers who identify as LGBTQIA+ perform in drag.
Debuting back in 1989, Escarlata has maintained the same gimmick for the entirety of his career, save for a few exceptions, but always carried over the same exótico principles. Fans may be familiar with Escarlata, due to his time on Lucha Underground, acting as enhancement talent.
In 2011, Escarlata would become the first person assigned male at birth to win the Reina de Reinas Championship, defeating then-champion Mari Apache in an eight-person elimination match. Escarlata holding the title for nearly five months was unthinkable in the world of Lucha Libre: with Anti-LGBTQ hate groups on the rise in the US, an increase in LGBTQ-related police brutality, and a record number of violent deaths in 2020, competing as an exotico today can be harrowing. Escarlata has done just that for 33 years in a place that has a less than favorable history with LGBTQIA rights. He defied gender norms, and continuing to have a very active career is a spit in the face to everyone who threw homophobic slurs at him.
12.) Tessa Blanchard
Days as Champion: 43
Number of Reigns: 1
As I’ve mentioned numerous times throughout my reporting of Tessa Blanchard’s time with Women of Wrestling (WOW), she has an immeasurable amount of talent, competing for virtually every major promotion in the world. While getting her massive push at IMPACT, Blanchard would win the Reina de Reinas Championship at Triplemanía XXVII, after Keyra was forced to vacate the championship.
After winning the belt, Blanchard resumed her career in Impact, with seemingly no real feuds in the Reina’s division. Blanchard was able to appear at PCW, REVOLVER, AAA, Warrior Wrestling, IMPACT, and WOW all in the span of a month, but with zero Reina de Reinas title defenses before losing the belt to Taya Valkyrie.
Blanchard became the first person assigned female at birth to hold a major promotions world championship, becoming IMPACT World Champion in the beginning of 2020. Soon after she came under fire for allegations of racism and bullying, of Puerto Rican wrestling regular La Rosa Negra. IMPACT stripped Blanchard of their championship. Following the reports, nearly every major promotion passed on signing Blanchard, proving that her history of entitlement and selfishness were still a vital part of her personality. Tessa Blanchard is a dark smudge on an otherwise incredible championship. Unless things drastically change for soon, her time with WOW, and career could be coming to an end.
11.) Miss Janeth
Days as Champion: 400
Number of Reigns: 1
Largely unknown to even diehard wrestling fans, Miss Janeth debuted for EMLL in 1990. Seeing potential in her, she was placed in the 2006 Reina de Reinas tournament. Unlike the previous tournaments that featured top names from all over the world, this year featured substantially lesser known talent. 400 days later, she would lose the title to Tiffany, at the following year’s event.
Miss Janeth’s career began to wind down in recent years, and aside from winning the Reina de Reinas championship, she’s done nothing of note throughout her career. Due to her pretty average career, she had to be placed at an average spot on this list. She has the most number of days as a single champion, and that’s really the only factor in ranking her so high. Outside influences, such as the Apache family storyline, taking places simultainiously with her career, could be an indicator as to why Miss Janeth had an uninspiring career.
10.) Ayako Hamada
Days as Champion: 33
Number of Reigns: 1
Ayako Hamada is a once in a generation talent. Having competed in ARSION, SHIMMER Women’s Athletes, Impact, and every major promotion throughout Mexico and Japan. There aren’t many things that Hamada hasn’t done in wrestling, competing for around 20 years. Though Hamada has the shortest number of days as Reina de Reinas champion, her accomplishments around the world outweigh the length.
Winning the title in 2017, it immediately accrued significant prestige. Not only is she a legend in Mexico, but a legend in both Japan, and in the States. It’s no surprise that she is so good, having been trained by her father Gran Hamada, as well as Gran Apache, and Joshi icons Aja Kong and Mariko Yoshida. All before winning the Reina de Reinas Championship, Hamada had feuds with Meiko Satomura, Hikaru Shida, Tomoko Nakagawa, Rina Yamashita, Lioness Asuka, and Kana.
The reason she remains so low on the list, doesn’t have to do with her short stint as champion. In fact, it has to do with her legal troubles outside of the ring. In 2018, Ayako Hamada was arrested for possession of meth, and would be sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years. At the time of her arrest, Hamada was the Sendai Girls World champion, while being contracted to Pro Wrestling Wave, as well as making appearances in SEAdLINNNG.
Her arrest evoked memories from when Io Shirai was falsely accused of smuggling drugs into Japan. Though Shirai was innocent, it very nearly ended her career, as Japan does not take drugs and drug charges lightly. Today, Hamada appears to have cleaned up, and still competes to this day, but her arrest is a reminder that an iconic career can be cut short very quickly. I certainly hope that Hamada has been able to stand up to the demons she faces in the same way she stands up to her opponents, fearless and with a hard-hitting style.
9.) Lady Shani
Days as Champion: 313
Number of Reigns: 2
Let me cut to the chase; I love Lady Shani. She has an incredible look, potentially intended to remind us of Jade from Mortal Kombat, and a video game slut like myself eats that right up.
Lady Shani was trained by iconic names such as Dr. Karonte and Silver King, and if you want to be trained in the art of Lucha Libre, there is no better trainer than Silver King. Initially using the name Sexy Lady, with a vastly different mask, she would debut at just 16 years old. With her cousin Ludark Shaitan, the two traveled the promotions of Mexico, ultimately ending up in AAA in 2013.
By 2015, she entered into the next phase of her career, now as Lady Shani. Less than two years later, she etched her name into luchadora history, becoming the Reina de Reinas champion at AAA’s Heroes Inmortales XI, beating out entry number 10, Ayako Hamada. Following her victory, she began a feud with Faby Apache, leading her to Triplemanía XXVI. This feud, like many in Lucha Libre history, culminated in a Lucha de Apuestas match. Shani wagered her mask, while Apache wagered her hair. Putting a nail in the coffin of the feud, Shani walked away victorious, mask intact.
The two would exchange the title, making Shani a two time Reina de Reinas champion, continuing her impressive career. Only 13 years into wrestling, Lady Shani has mountains of opportunities ahead of her. Competing at Triplemanía at just 23 years old is such a massive accomplishment, and with the way her career is going, I would be hard pressed to think that she will never be Reina de Reinas champion again. Hopefully, with time, she can come to the states and show off her untapped skills to a larger audience.
8.) Lady Apache
Days as Champion: 756
Number of Reigns: 2
There is no shortage of competitors using the Lady moniker in wrestling, but there is no one greater than Lady Apache.
Following a moderately successful start to her career, Apache traveled to Japan, where she would compete against Joshi legends Mima Shimoda, Kaoru Maeda, Mariko Yoshida, and Manami Toyota. After her time in Japan, Apache became the Distrito Federal Women’s Championship, holding the title for a record setting 1365 days. After 20 years with CMLL, Apache saw the greener pastures in the newly formed AAA. She proved that she made the right choice to come to AAA, when she won the 2001 tournament, becoming the new Reina de Reinas champion.
Following her win, Apache would travel Mexico for the foreseeable future, competing at every major Lucha Libre promotion, subsequently earning the honor of being one of the very best performers in luchadora history. Having competed against the top stars in the 90’s, the 00’s, the 10’s, and 20’s, becoming what many believe to be the one true Queen of Queens of Lucha Libre.
7: Martha Villalobos
Days as Champion: 300
Number of Reigns: 1
Born in 1962, Martha Villalobos is not your average luchadora. Nicknamed “La Aplanadora”, The Steamroller was 228 pounds, competing in times when mainstream wrestling was still in its relative infancy, especially that of womens wrestling. Martha would debut for EMLL just six days before WWE’s first official live event.
While the Freebirds feuded with the Von Erichs, Villalobos was competing alongside Pantera Surena and La Diabolica. Within a month of joining AAA in 1992, she would take La Panteras La Briosa’s mask. By 1995, she would capture the Mexican National Women’s Championship, setting the record for most number of days in a single reign at 1607. A decade later, Villalobos created the Reyes del Ring, while still competing for AAA and the Perros del Mal promotions.
While Martha Villalobos wasn’t wrestlings greatest luchadora, she held both the Reina de Reinas championship and Mexican National Women’s championship twice, two of the top titles a luchadora can compete for. Creating a tertiary promotion in Mexico allowed even stronger competition, hiring some of Lucha Libres biggest stars. When she retired in 2010, she left behind a somewhat mediocre career, which is perfectly okay. Not every champion is going to be iconic, but her creating an alternative outside of AAA and CMLL is a huge step for future generations of luchadoras.
6.) Sexy Star
Days as Champion: 804
Number of Reigns: 3
There has never been a wrestler who became an overnight success, only to lose it all faster than they earned it. Like many others, my first exposure to Sexy Star was when she competed for Lucha Underground. I was a huge fan, and had she not been reminiscent of Tessa Blanchard, I would have ranked her as number 3 on this list.
Trained by Humberto Garza Jr., Gran Apache, and Abismo Negro, Dulce Poly would debut in 2006, sans iconic mask. In 2007, now masked, she debuted for AAA calling herself Sexy Star, a name that would define her career. For years, she would compete for the Reina de Reinas championship, always coming up unsuccessful. Until 2009, when she would defeat Faby Apache at AAA’s Heroes Inmortales III.
Continuing her inspiring young career, she would be cast in the filming of Lucha Underground (LU), appearing on the first episode. The hybrid wrestling/tv show put a lot of eyes on the art of Lucha Libre, unlike many previous attempts by larger promotions in the past. Despite losing her first match with LU, Star was on her way to doing big things for the world of Mexican wrestling.
Standing just 5’4”, Star was fearless, standing toe to toe with the likes of Big Ryke, Chavo Guerrero, and Pentagon Jr. Quickly a fan favorite, Star would compete for the Gift of the Gods championship, winning it at LU’s Ultima Lucha Dos. Again making history at Aztec Warfare III, Star became the Lucha Underground champion, outlasting Matanza Cuerto, Johnny Mundo, and Rey Mysterio. While Sexy Star was not the Reina de Reinas champion at the time, it is an extremely high honor for a former two-time Reina de Reinas champion to go on and win a male dominated championship.
Upon returning to AAA, Sexy Star won the vacant Reina de Reinas championship, which would become the most infamous championship reign to date.
At Triplemanía XXV, Sexy Star was set to defend the championship against Ayako Hamada, Lady Shani, and IMPACT star, Rosemary. This match could have been incredible, especially with the amount of talent these four women possess. And truthfully, it was really great, until it wasn’t. Lady Shani and Sexy Star had legitimate heat going into the match, according to reports. During the match, to send a warning to Lady Shani, Sexy Star applied a shoot armbar to Rosemary, holding on long after she tapped.
In one match, Star proved to the world that she is nothing more than a bully. Despite winning the match, and retaining the championship, AAA would later rule that Sexy Star was disqualified, and subsequently stripped of the championship. Most major promotions in Mexico, and around the world, would blacklist Sexy Star. To this day, Sexy Star has refused to apologize for her actions, and even though Rosemary walked away largely unharmed, Sexy Star cemented her legacy, but not as one of the most gifted luchadoras in wrestling history.
5.) Tiffany
Days as Champion: 1136
Number of Reigns: 3
Fittingly named “La reina de la rudeza”, Tiffany has built a career unlike many luchadoras before and after her. Similar to others on this list, Tiffany comes from a wrestling family, being the daughter of Jesse Rojas and the original La Diabólica. Debuting in 1996, Tiffany would quickly become a top talent throughout Mexico, feuding with the likes of Estrellita, La Intrusa, and Cynthia Moreno.
Capturing the Mexican National Women’s championship in 2000, Tiffany began an iconic reign, holding it for the second longest amount of days at the time. The iconic reign would quickly be overturned by the next champion, Lady Apache, who held it for over 800 days. This would be the start of a feud between Tiffany, and what many call her arch nemesis. In 2005, Tiffany defeated Apache to win her first Reina de Reinas championship. She would hold the belt twice more during her time in AAA. As legendary as Tiffany was at the peak of her career, she is now 49, yet still an exceptional performer and excelled as champion during her 1,136 total days.
4.) Xóchitl Hamada
Days as Champion: 226
Number of Reigns: 1
Sometimes the first deserves high regard, even though they didn’t have a stellar career. Without Xóchitl Hamada, this list wouldn’t exist. Being the daughter of the legendary Gran Hamada, she would continue her fathers legacy after being trained by Blue Panther and Jackie Sato, debuting in 1989. Making sporadic appearances in UWF, EMLL, and AJW, she would find her first home in CMLL, becoming the second CMLL World Women’s champion in 1993.
On November 9th, Antonio Peña and AAA would make wrestling history by announcing the AAA Reina de Reinas championship. At the appropriately named Reina de Reinas event in Puebla, Mexico, Hamada would win the tournament to become the promotion’s first official women’s champion. The burgeoning feud between Hamada and the Moreno family would continue, culminating in Rossy Moreno dethroning the inaugural champion in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The feud between these two families would continue for decades, crossing multiple promotions, until 2009, when Xóchitl Hamada.
She would leave behind a relatively short, but impactful career. During her debut in 1986, wrestling was a vastly different world. It was the year of WrestleMania 2, which featured a single women’s match that lasted 1:25. For Xóchitl Hamada, winning a women’s championship during a time when women were given less than 2 minutes on the grandest stage was a massive feat. Hamada knew the struggle that stood before her, and took it all in stride.
Not only was she the first champion, but she was the first in a long line of multi-generational talent to pursue something other than the Mexican National Women’s Championship. She was the exclamation point in a promotion that proved to be a viable alternative. While her reign may have been lackluster, there is a reason she was chosen as the first and that achievement can’t be taken away. Though not as talented and memorable as her sister Ayako, she defined an era of women’s wrestling in Mexico that may not have existed if Antonio Peña didn’t see a vision in pushing underutilized performers.
3.) Taya Valkyrie
Days as Champion: 1596+
Number of Reigns: 4
There is no question in anyone’s mind that Taya Valkyrie is the most decorated Reina de Reinas champion in professional wrestling history. At just 38 years old, she has proven to be one of the hardest working wrestlers today. Debuting for Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling in 2011 and trained by Lance Storm, it wasn’t long before Valkyrie traveled Canada to Mexico, where she would debut for the Perros del Mal promotion. Falling in love with an entirely different world of wrestling, she remained in Mexico for several years.
While competing for the Perros del Mal promotion, she would meet her most frequent opponent, Faby Apache, and the two would have a lengthy feud when Valkyrie joined AAA. This feud would lead to Triplemanía XXII, where the two would face off for the Reina de Reinas championship. Putting a temporary end in their feud, Valkyrie would walk away victorious. As champion, Valkyrie would appear in Lucha Underground, as well as Stardom, but without the belt.
After winning the championship for a second time, Valkyrie competed for DEFY, WrestleCircus, and Superstars of Wrestling, until she was given her biggest opportunity yet. Valkyrie appeared at an IMPACT (then known as Global Force Wrestling) house show, where she would challenge then champion Sienna for the Knockouts Championship. Following her brief stint at IMPACT, she would continue performing for RISE, WrestleCade, BlackCraft Wrestling, and MLW, ultimately defeating Tessa Blanchard for the IMPACTS Knockouts title in 2019.
Even Though Valkyrie was the reigning Reina de Reinas champion at the time of her winning the Knockouts title, she would not bring the title to Impact. Impact Wrestling and AAA have a long history of exchanging talent, and for them to not show off Valkyrie with the championship was an odd choice in an otherwise successful venture for the two promotions. Eventually, Tessa Blanchard would become the Impact World champion, and the reigning Reina de Reina’s champion was Tessa’s only defense.
Yet again, Valkyrie was not seen with the title at IMPACT, and no mention of her being champion was made by the commentary team.
Valkyries third Reina de Reinas championship reign would come to an anticlimactic end when she signed with WWE in 2021. It wasn’t long before Valkyrie returned to her true wrestling home in Mexico, earning a shot at the Reina de Reinas championship and defeating champion Deonna Purrazzo at IMPACT Wrestling’s Rebellion.
Today, Valkyrie holds the most cumulative days as Reina de Reinas champion, as well as tied for most reigns. There is no doubt in my mind that Valkyrie’s stranglehold on the Reina de Reinas championship will continue, and I could absolutely see her becoming the first five time champion. With Triplemanía just days away, it is entirely possible that we could see Taya Valkyrie put her championship on the line against any number of today’s young, talented luchadoras.
2.) Faby Apache
Days as Champion: 1419
Number of Reigns: 4
Born into the iconic Apache wrestling family, there is something that sets Faby apart from everyone else in her family. Having been trained by Aja Kong and Mariko Yoshida, Apache debuted for the ARSION promotion in Japan. For the first two years of her career, she saw ARSION as her own, but would make a few appearances for AAA in 1999. After capturing the Sky High of ARSION championship, her time with the promotion would come to an end in 2003, when the company closed.
Wanting to continue her family’s roots, Apache would return to Mexico and the rising AAA promotion, where she would be put into storylines with her father, and her step mother (Lady Apache), with the bookers hoping to make her a top star by association. But Faby Apache didn’t need to be associated with any family to prove her talent. By 2008 she captured the Reina de Reinas championship, holding it for 486 days before losing it to promising upstart Sexy Star in a Bull Terrier (strap) match. At the time, this would be the longest singular reign in the Reina de Reinas history.
Faby Apache and Sexy Star would continue feuding over the title, leading to a Lucha de Apuestas match in 2009, where Apache would wager her title, while Star would wager her mask. Sexy Star walked away with her mask, and the gold. Throughout her career, Apache would win the Reina de Reinas championship three more times, adding another 933 days to her total number. She would become the first luchadora to hold the title four times, and holds the second most number of days as champion at 1419 days.
Now, the question is: why do I rank Faby Apache so highly over champions like Taya Valkyrie, Sexy Star, and the inaugural champion Xóchitl Hamada? The answer is simple: dedication. Aside from her tenure in ARSION, Apache was steadfast in remaining in AAA throughout her career. Unlike every other entrant on this list, when Apache decided to make AAA her home, she remained content, and never waivered. While Apache has made appearances at smaller Mexican promotions like The Clash, Los Perros del Mal and one appearance for CMLL, she never joined the competition when she decided on AAA.
To me, she reminds me a lot of The Miz being regarded as the best Intercontinental champions in WWE history. The Miz set his sights on being the very best within a WWE ring, and I truly believe he will remain loyal to the promotion until he retires for good. There is nothing wrong with loyalty in wrestling, and it has a history of paying off for the better. Look at all the accomplishments of the Anoa’i family in WWE, or Hiroshi Tanahashi in NJPW. Loyalty is a huge component in being seen as a draw, and this too has had a positive outcome for Faby Apache.
On top of her Reina de Reinas titles, she’s also been a World Trios Champion and a four time World Mixed Tag Team champion. She has had iconic matches with every major star of Lucha Libre and Joshi, while also being shown off to a wider audience during her appearances with IMPACT Wrestling. She is consistently regarded as one of the very best luchadoras to ever live, and I firmly believe that none of this would be different if her last name wasn’t Apache. She is an incredible talent, who still puts on bangers to this day. In my humble opinion Faby Apache is the singular greatest luchadora to ever exist and has opened the door for generations to make as big of a mark on Lucha Libre as she has.
Deonna Purrazzo:
Days as Champion: 252
Number of Reigns: 1
The self proclaimed Virtuosa started her career in 2013, after being trained by Rip Rogers. Within her first six months of starting her in-ring career Purrazzo would compete in her fifth match at TNA’s One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown event, losing to Brooke Tessmacher. In 2014, she would be noticed by WWE and be brought in to appear in Rosebud segments with Adam Rose.
She made her WWE debut in 2015, losing to Nia Jax on NXT, befgore making sporadic appearances in NXT and Smackdownand was eventually offered a WWE contract backstage at a SHIMMER event. Despite being contracted with Ring of Honor, Purrazzo agreed, effectively pulling out of the All-In event, which was to be held that summer. Purrazzo was immediately set to compete at the second Mae Young Classic, but would lose to Io Shirai.
After only 24 televised matches, with only two wins, she, and two dozen others would be out of work, released by WWE due to Covid-19 budget cuts. Less than two months later, Purrazzo would return to IMPACT, asserting herself as one of the promotion’s top heels. A month after her arrival, Purrazzo began her reign as the Knockouts Champion, defeating Jordynne Grace at Slammiversary. Continuing to prove that she would be a dominant female star, Purrazzo had high profile matches against Su Yang, Rosemary, Ivelisse, Rok-C, Thunder Rosa, and Jazz.
At AAA’s 2021 Rey de Reyes, Deonna Purrazzo would make her Mexican wrestling debut by attacking Reina de Reinas Champion Faby Apache. This led to a title vs title match at Triplemanía XXIX. Purrazzo became the new Reina de Reinas champion, solidifying her legacy as one of today’s top female star. This is exactly where Purrazzo became the single best Reina de Reinas champion.
No previous champion would get mainstream eyes on the championship quite like Purrazzo. She faithfully carried both of her belts to every match she competed in, including an appearance by “Champ Champ” at the inaugural NWA: EmPowerrr event, successfully defeating Melina. In January of 2022, IMPACT Wrestling would do something that hasn’t been seen much in wrestling. Deonna Purrazzo would defend the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship against Rok-C, who was putting her Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship on the line. It’s not often that multiple promotions are featured in a match, especially with their championships at stake.
Purrazzo would become “Champ Champ” once again, and hold the honor of the only woman to hold the Knockouts, Ring of Honor, and Reina de Reinas championship in the span of two months. Continuing a common trend for her, Purrazzo would defend these titles in IMPACT, GCW, RPW, The Wrestling Revolver and AAA. She would once again make history on the May 5th episode of AEW Dynamite, where she defended the ROH Women’s World Championship against reigning interim champion, Mercedes Martinez. This would again be the first time that the Reina de Reinas champion appeared in AEW, though she did not carry the title to the ring.
In the span of three days, Purrazzo would lose both of these titles, but her impact had been felt. This would be the first time Purrazzo was without a championship since October of 2020. Many would think that Taya Valkyrie is a no-brainer as the best Reina de Reinas champion, but Purrazzo did something all other champions couldn’t: give the championship credibility to a fanbase largely unfamiliar with the Reina de Reinas history. “The Virtuosa” wasn’t just a champion on screen, but in real life, firmly believing that “the champion makes the championship.”
Deonna once claimed that AAA needed her as champion, and I have to agree with her. She did so much for the Reina de Reinas championship, and brought a lot of casual eyes to an entire division that they never knew existed. Deonna Purrazzo is the single greatest Reina de Reinas champion, not because number of days, or how many victories she accrued, but because she turned your passing glance at some random Lucha Libre promotion, into a focused stare at AAA. She desperately cares about women’s wrestling, and forced you to like it, with great match after great match. Long may she reign.
Conclusion
Lucha Libre and women’s wrestling are two niches that don’t get enough love in the wrestling world. The Reina de Reinas championship is the perfect intersection of these two categories. Still early in its lifespan, there is a multitude of talent who could continue its rich legacy. At Triplemanía XXX: Monterrey, Tay Conti and Sammy Guevara won the AAA Mixed Tag Team Championship. Due to their partnership with AEW, there is no doubt in my mind that we could see some of the front runners for the AEW women’s division also appear in the Reina de Reinas title fold. With the current champion Taya Valkyrie effectively calling out Thunder Rosa during Triplemanía XXX: Tijuana, it is an almost forgone conclusion that the two will meet up for the championship at TripleManía XXX: Mexico City. Imagine Thunder Rosa showing up on Dynamite with the championship.
The luchadora scene is filled with a veritable treasure trove of talent, who could be great champions, including La Hiedra, the freshly unmasked Chik Tormenta, Mystique, and Lady Flammer. With promotions slowly learning to walk alongside each other, we could also see talents like Miranda Alize, Starlight Kid, and La Rosa Negra step into contention for the title. With Marisela Peña Roldan seemingly at the helm of the creative decisions within AAA, there is a massive hope that she can continue pushing women’s wrestling further than it’s ever been pushed in Lucha Libre before.
