COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Interview with Florida Indie Star Salina de la Renta

For many young wrestlers in WWE or on the independent scene, becoming a pro wrestler was a lifelong dream. But for Florida wrestling standout and American Combat Wrestling (ACW) Women’s Champion Salina de la Renta, the path to the ring was a little bit different.

The self-proclaimed “Booty Monster” became a fan of wrestling at age 19 after watching Total Divas and “seeing women do what men can do in a very stylish way,” she said.

“At first I just wanted to try out something different, but after training at Team Vision Dojo and understanding how everything works and after taking my first bump, I knew that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life,” de la Renta recalled.

De la Renta has primarily competed for a variety of Florida independent promotions, but recently began branching out and competing for promotions in other states. Most recently she was seen at the Viva la Raza event in Robstown, Texas.

“I definitely want to get to wrestle out of state more often and travel a lot,” de la Renta said of her plans for 2018.

Fans outside of Florida may recognize de la Renta for her appearances on two recent Major League Wrestling (MLW) shows. At MLW Never Say Never in December, de la Renta was in the corner of Sammy Guevara as he defeated Jason Cade. More recently, at MLW Zero Hour in January, she accompanied both Guevara and Penta el Zero M to the ring for their matches.

“I enjoy both (wrestling and managing) equally,” de la Renta said. “MLW allows me the opportunity to work with talent from all over the world and it’s a great experience every time. It’s two different things, but I love every minute of both.”

In the two years she’s been training at Team Vision Dojo and wrestling, de la Renta has amassed quite a following, including 47,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 15,000 followers on Twitter (she’s @salinadelarenta on both). She interacts with fans online, allowing them to direct message her with requests for merchandise such as 8×10 photos, shirts, posters, lip balms and more. Like many other independent wrestlers, de la Renta also sells ring-worn gear directly to fans.

But de la Renta’s top seller is a calendar with friend and frequent tag team partner Aria Blake. Known together as the Spoiled Brats, the two proclaim themselves “your daddy’s favorite wrestlers.”

“I’ve known Aria for about a year and six months,” de la Renta said. “We were out together once and the characters just came out without planning it. People loved it and we knew we had to stay together.”

To develop new ideas for photos, shirts and more, de la Renta and Blake work together with Fully Gimmicked, a company that specializes in helping indie wrestlers with their merchandise.

“Fully Gimmicked is a great help,” de la Renta said. “We have a group chat and we brainstorm together. Most Spoiled Brat ideas are by Aria, and I make it happen.”

Mister Saint Laurent, one of de la Renta’s trainers at Team Vision Dojo, noted that he’s “never met somebody so determined at such a young age to become a serious power broker in this sport.

“A lot of people underestimate Salina because she’s so easy on the eyes, but it’s Salina’s intellect that is going to make her dangerous.”

NOW CHECK OUT THE PRIOR COLUMN: COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: Where to Find Items of Ricochet, War Machine, and Other New WWE Talent