TRANSGENDER WRESTLING STAR GABBI TUFT OFFICIALLY RETURNING TO THE RING... AS FORMER WWE STANDOUT TYLER REKS REVIVES CAREER WITH WEST COAST WRESTLING
After several months of in-ring training and social-media teases that 'Mother is coming', transgender professional wrestling star Gabbi Tuft will officially have her squared-circle revival on Tuesday.
Tuft will step back between the ropes in a sanctioned match for West Coast Pro Wrestling, which is running a show in Irvine, California.
Tuft's opponent has not been announced for her first official match in 11 years. She did post a photo to social media of herself on a plane with the caption 'Hello Irvine... we’re here'.
The now-45-year-old Tuft was known as Tyler Reks during her first four-year run with WWE, was released from the company in 2012.
Her road back to professional wrestling is unique in a few ways. Should Tuft sign with All Elite Wrestling or World Wrestling Entertainment, Tuft would become the first person to compete before and after beginning a gender transition for a major North American promotion.
Since stepping back into a ring for the first time in over a decade last year, Tuft's life has completely changed.
She's trained with AEW veteran Dustin Rhodes, better known to WWE fans as Goldust.
Tuft has also run the ropes at 'The Dungeon 2.0' ran by WWE superstar Natalya and her husband TJ Wilson, who was known in WWE as Tyson Kidd before retiring in 2017 due to injury.
Since reigniting her passion for professional wrestling, Tuft has rubbed elbows with plenty of other notable squared-circle stars such as Adam 'Edge' Copeland, Saraya, and Carlito.
'It's just a feeling, knowing where your path is, and knowing that my story is not complete, just like Cody (Rhodes) is finishing his story right now, my story feels like it's not complete until I do this,' Tuft said in an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com in April.
'I didn't transition to come back to wrestling and go dominate a women's division. That's not why I'm doing it,' Tuft added. 'I'm doing this because I'm something totally different.
Tuft has dropped about 100 pounds from when she performed as Reks by changing her diet and fitness routine. Reks was billed at 6-foot-2 and around 250 pounds for her entire WWE run.
Tuft has previously said that when she's back in official matches, she could be wrestling men, women, or both.
West Coast Wrestling's event 'Killin' Them Softly' has a card listed online that includes former AEW wrestlers Alan Angels and Aaron Solo.
Read more 2024-06-24T16:11:01Z