Sports
Who is Johnnie Robbie? Meet West Coast Pro’s women’s champion and rising star on the indie scene
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
LAS VEGAS – Johnnie Robbie will enter WrestleMania week as a relative unknown and rising pro wrestling star, but when the dust settles in Las Vegas this week, fans will certainly know who she is.
Robbie is a California native who has trained at New Japan Pro-Wrestling and has made brief appearances at Ring of Honor and All Elite Wrestling. She will enter the week as West Coast Pro wrestling’s women’s champion. She will have about a half-dozen matches over the course of the week, headlining the company’s show and competing in several others.
She opened up to Fox News Digital about her background and how she got started.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Johnnie Robbie hits Persephone with a crossbody from the top rope. (Courtesy Marc Blair)
“I watched it a bit as a kid,” Robbie said of getting started in pro wrestling. “Kinda fell off of it. Then, my best friend got me into it and then I started rewatching it again. And then I just thought I rather do it than watch it. A little bit about Johnnie Robbie – she’s just kinda doesn’t take anything from anybody.
“I come from Chicano roots – the way I was praised pretty much. From the sneakers that I wear to the way that I’m dressed, you can see that it’s streetstyle and some people may be reminded of home it.”
Robbie said she initially started training as a referee before she was able to receive more bookings.
“My best friend, like I said, he was like, ‘Oh, figure out how to become a wrestler because you’re always saying you want to be something new every day,’ and this was something I dug for and tried to find a school because it is kinda hard to find a school, especially here in LA because there just a handful of them,” she said. “I started training and then I wasn’t picking up as much as everyone else and my trainers at the time, they suggested I become a ref until I’m ready for my main debut. I believe that’s how they did it – they school they came from, they would do that. I took the idea from there.”
JAPANESE PRO WRESTLING STAR MIYU YAMASHITA GEARS UP FOR LAS VEGAS RETURN AT SLAM FEST
Robbie told Fox News Digital she is trying to amplify her roots when she comes to the ring.
She said the gear she wears from head-to-toe all have something to do with where she’s been and her background.
“I’m here for a good time and so I’m irked or I’m p—ed off and I tend to get p—ed off very easily. I think I tend to show that in-ring. I have a quick temper and if I’m on top, I kinda get, I don’t want to say cocky, but I get real comfortable,” she said. “I think mostly what you see is someone not as big as everyone else or just be able to take hits and just the way that I move in the ring,
“I think that comes across well in terms of … One of my best friends, Alan Breeze, I go, ‘I don’t know what my style is,’ and he’s like, ‘You’re a little pitbull, you’re a little dog, you’re just like messy.’ You’re style is, I think he said, ‘Scrappy.’ I think that comes into play when I’m wrestling. You can see that. Like I said, I pull from the way I was raised by a bunch of, ‘Cholos.’ Just like I said, the Chicano lifestyle. I think you see a lot of that when I’m in the ring.”
Johnnie Robbie feels the wrath of Persephone in the ring. (Courtesy Marc Blair)
Robbie stressed that being able to share her background with the people that come to her shows is important to her and how much of a difference it makes.
SLAM FEST TO BRING PRO WRESTLING FESTIVAL TO PALMS CASINO RESORT IN LAS VEGAS
“I personally love it because are sometimes people are like, ‘Oh, you’re just kinda cool,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah, no, you just don’t get it because you never seen it before.’ As opposed to when I’m here in LA or up north in San Francisco with West Coast, I have the little girls that look like me or I have fans that are older and they’re like, ‘Oh my God you remind me of my sister, you remind me of my tia,’” Robbie said. “Little girls see themselves in me or they see their bigger sister in me.
“So, I think it’s whether you not recognizing where I come from or it’s the little kids seeing it or it’s the people who grew up like me seeing it, that just makes a difference. I’m just happy to be that person you’re reminded of somewhere because even if you’re not familiar with the way I was raised opposed to a little girl out here in LA, you’re still now being introduced to it. So, I enjoy the fact that, ‘Oh, this is what they mean by that.’”
Robbie said she will be in six matches during the week, but it wasn’t her initial play.
She said she had hoped to do at least three matches and put on quality shows, until more people started to call her to wrestle at their shows. The hustle mentality is a driving force for Robbie.
“I think we’re all hustling … But I was look at, some fan made a list of everybody who had matches, and I remember thinking coming in, like, ‘Oh, I only want maybe three matches this year,’ because last year I think I had just as many. I want quality over quantity,” Robbie said. “I didn’t want to be over or under booked. And then, I just getting these opportunities, big names or people I’ve always been wanting to wrestle. I was like, ‘Oh, well, OK, I guess, I’m free, so. …’ It’s ‘Mania week and I’ve just, I don’t even know how to explain it. You want as many matches as you can possibly have because even if you’re not trying to, you just keep getting these opportunities because everyone from all over the world is here.
“If you’re not out there having many (matches), or if you’re just not out there at all, I would hope you would like to get out there. I know its difficult – it’s a whole week off. Hustling in general for me, that hustle mentality, are you giving it your all in terms of what you can do? If I could do was three matches and I did everything I could do is have those three matches and get to WrestleMania week that is good enough. … It’s OK to miss it as well because the hustle is still going on on the other side. What can you do if you’re not showing up for that week? To me, I use every moment and every opportunity to chase after whatever it is while also understanding that there’s limitations. As long as you’re doing it and not whining and not doing it, to me, you’re hustling.”
Johnnie Robbie appears in a Ring of Honor match against Persephone. (Courtesy Marc Blair)
Robbie will be among the dozens of wrestlers who will be involved in matches over the course of the week.
She will start her week with two matches on Wednesday — one at Pandemonium Pro Wrestling and another with Unapologetic Pro.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Thursday night, Robbie will defend the West Coast Pro Women’s Championship at their event and then continue on to a Marvelous event. Then, she will be looking for another belt at PrideStyle Pro as well, going up against Chris Nastyy for the PrideStyle World Championship on Friday night. It will be her first of two matches there.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
BARCELONA:
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski said Saturday he is leaving the club this summer at the end of his contract.
The veteran Polish forward, 37, scored 119 goals for Barcelona in 191 games across all competitions since joining from Bayern Munich in 2022.
Lewandowski helped Barca to three La Liga titles, including this season’s trophy, and the Copa del Rey in 2025.
“After four years full of challenges and hard work, it’s time to move on,” said Lewandowski in a post on Instagram.
“I leave with the feeling that the mission is complete. Four seasons, three championships.”
The forward joined with Barca at a low ebb and struggling financially, helping restore them to the Spanish throne and also compete for the Champions League.
“Barca is back where it belongs,” continued Lewandowski.
“I will never forget the love I received from the fans from my very first days. Catalonia is my place on earth.”
Lewandowski will play for the last time at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium on Sunday against Real Betis, with coach Hansi Flick confirming he will start.
“He spoke with the team, said goodbye, and that it was a great time for him here in Barcelona,” said Flick, who also coached Lewandowski at Bayern Munich.
“I’ve worked with Robert now for years, and we won together nine (trophies), all the titles I’ve won were with him.
“For me it’s a privilege to work with him. He’s a professional player… every day he gave the best with his body to be at the highest level.
“He’s a perfect role model for young players… this is why he’s still playing at this level.”
Flick said Lewandowski was a “fantastic human, but also a world-class player”.
“Thank you, Robert Lewandowski, for every goal, every (bit of) fight, and every magical moment wearing these colours,” said Barcelona on social media. “He arrived as a star, he leaves as a legend.”
Lewandowski is one of the most prolific strikers of his generation and finished as La Liga’s top scorer in his debut campaign under Xavi Hernandez.
This season Flick rotated him up front with Spain international Ferran Torres, with Lewandowski scoring 18 goals in 44 games.
The striker did not confirm his next destination but has been linked with clubs in Saudi Arabia and the United States
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Napoleon Solo took home the 2026 Preakness Stakes on Saturday, the 151st running of the race.
The favorite in Taj Mahal, the 1 horse, was in the lead from the start until the final turn until Napoleon Solo made his move on the outside and took the lead at the top of the stretch. As Taj Mahal fell off, Iron Honor, the 9 horse, snuck up, but the effort ultimately was not enough.
Napoleon Solo opened at 8-1 and closed at 7-1. Iron Honor, at 8-1, finished second, with Chip Honcho fishing third after closing at 11-1. Ocelli, one of just three horses to run both the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago and Saturday’s Preakness, finished fourth at 8-1.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
A Preakness branded starting gate is seen on track prior to the 151st Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park on May 16, 2026 in Laurel, Maryland. For the first and only time, Laurel Park is hosting the Preakness Stakes which is the second race of the Triple Crown jewel due to the traditional home of the race of the Pimlico Race Course undergoing complete renovations. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
A $1 exacta paid out $53.60, while a $1 trifecta brought in $597.10. But someone out there is very lucky, as a $1 superhighfive – picking the top-five finishers in order – paid out $12,015.70.
Even moreso, a 20-cent Pick 6 – picking the winners of the six consecutive races, with the final being the Preakness, paid out $33,842.34.
The race was run without the Kentucky Derby winner for the second year in a row. After Sovereignty did not run the Preakness last year – and wound up winning the Belmont Stakes – the training team of Golden Tempo opted to skip the Maryland race.
From 1960 to 2018, only three Derby winners did not run in the Preakness. Three Derby winners have skipped the Preakness in the last five years, and for the sixth time in eight years, for various reasons, the Triple Crown had already been impossible to accomplish by the time the Preakness even rolled around.
“I understand that fans of the sport or fans of the Triple Crown are disappointed, but the horse is not a machine,” Golden Tempo’s trainer, Cherie DeVaux, told Fox News Digital earlier this week.
Paco Lopez, right, atop Napoleon Solo, edges out Iron Honor, ridden by Flavien Prat, to win the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
CHERIE DEVAUX REFLECTS ON MAKING KENTUCKY DERBY HISTORY AS FIRST FEMALE TRAINER TO WIN THE RACE
Only three horses from two weeks ago – Ocelli, Robusta, and Incredibolt, were back at the Preakness. Corona de Oro, the 11 horse on Saturday, was scratched well ahead of the Derby, and Great White, who reared up and fell on his back after becoming startled shortly before entering the Derby gate, took the 13 post on Saturday.
The Preakness went off roughly 24 hours after a horse died following the completion of his very first race.
Hit Zero, trained by Brittany Russell, came into the race as the favorite. However, he finished last in the race, which was won by another one of Russell’s horses, Bold Fact — and upon crossing the finish line, Hit Zero reportedly began coughing, dropped to his knees, then put his head down and died.
The Preakness took place at Laurel Park as Pimlico undergoes renovations. It was the first time ever that Pimlico did not host the race, moving roughly 20 miles south.
Paco Lopez, atop Napoleon Solo, wins the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes horse race, Friday, May 15, 2026, at Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race, will take place on June 6. The race will return to Saratoga for a third year in a row as Belmont Park continues to be renovated.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sports
Athena goes above and beyond to retain title at Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor, eyes legendary reign
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Athena has been one of the most dominant champions across pro wrestling and that dominance continued on Friday night at Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor.
The Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship was up for grabs in a Survival of the Fittest six-way match. Athena had to outlast Billie Starkz, Maya World, Trish Adora, Yuka Sakazaki and Zayda Steel. Chairs, ladders and other foreign objects would enter the match through the night.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
Athena enters the ring during the women’s pro-wrestling event Stardom at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
While Athena eliminated Steel early, putting down the rest of her opponents was not an easy task. Athena found herself in a precarious position. Competitors stacked chairs on top of each other and Adora made use of them. She chokeslammed Athena through them during the match.
Sakazaki even tried her best to keep Athena down.
Athena was laid out on a table. Instead of going to the top turnbuckle to hit a splash, Sakazaki springboarded herself off the top rope in the middle of the ring and hit the Magical Girl Splash onto Athena and through the table.
Still, Athena was undeterred.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Athena needed to go nearly 10-feet up onto a ladder. She flipped off it and hit World with the O-Face. She then pinned World, completing the final elimination.
Athena has now eclipsed 1,253 days as the Ring of Honor women’s world champion.
She told Fightful earlier in the week that her goal was to surpass Bruno Sammartino’s reign as champion. The legendary pro wrestler held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship for 2,803 days at the height of his career.
“Hey man, when we get to Supercard of Honor this week and I beat the epic Roman Reigns’ last championship run, I just want you to know that I’m gonna be so petty,” she said. “I want everyone to know that we are gonna have the pettiest celebration ever. We’re gonna have kittens, green apple skittles, whiskey, tequila, you name it. … But we are just gonna have a big smorgasbord of a party. We’re gonna have a cookout. It’s gonna be amazing.
“But like I said before, my goal is Bruno Sammartino. Seven years, baby, seven years. But you know what, when you’re ‘forever champion,’ what’s years? What’s years? A lot of people think that might be getting ahead of myself. But at the end of the day, I’ve been champion for over—what is it 1,250 days or something like that? I don’t see this anytime soon.
Athena enters the ring during the women’s pro-wrestling event Stardom at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Jan. 13, 2025. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Hell, all these girls that are in this match think that they’ve learned something by experiencing Athena, but I’m ever changing, ever evolving. That’s just the way I’ve always been and there’s not gonna be a harder worker than me. As I’ve said before and I’ll say it again, no man can touch my reign, no woman can live up to my legacy. I am the forever Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion. It’s about time y’all get over it.”
It’s clear that the “Forever Champion” is focused on being just that.
Supercard of Honor results
Bandido and Ryusuke Taguchi compete in a bout during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling ‘Best of Super Jr.’ at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on May 24, 2019. (Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)
- Sammy Guevara def. Action Andretti.
- Rush def. LSG.
- Mina Shirakawa and Queen Aminata def. Janai Kai and Lacey Lane.
- Dezmond Xaver and Myron Reed def. Ariya Daivari and Tony Nese.
- Nigel McGuiness def. Josh Woods.
- Red Velvet def. Viva Van to retain the Ring of Honor Women’s World TV Championship.
- AR Fox def. Lio Rush to retain the Ring of Honor World TV Championship.
- Deonna Purrazzo def. Diamante to retain the Ring of Honor Women’s Pure Championship.
- Lee Moriarty def. Ace Austin to retain the Ring of Honor Pure Championship.
- Dalton Castle, Truth Magnum, Turbo Floyd def. Carlie Bravo, Shane Taylor and Shawn Dean to win the Ring of Honor Six Man Tag Team Championship.
- Mark Davis def. Xelhua to retain the AEW National Championship.
- Bandido def. Blake Christian to retain the Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Championship.
“Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper announces pregnancy with 1st child
Shania Twain wants to sing at Harry Styles, Zoe Kravitz wedding
Weather & then war lead to tears in India’s onion basket
-
Entertainment5 days agoConan O’Brien hat tricks as Oscar host
-
Tech1 week agoCould Contact-Tracing Apps Help With the Hantavirus? Not Really
-
Tech1 week agoI Tried the Best Captioning Smart Glasses, and Only One Leads the Pack
-
Fashion4 days agoItaly’s Zegna Group’s Q1 growth boosted by strong organic performance
-
Sports1 week agoBobby Cox, legendary Atlanta Braves manager who led 1995 World Series champions, dead at 84
-
Entertainment1 week agoMartin Short: Facing tragedy with joy
-
Entertainment7 days agoTom Brady gets back at Kevin Hart during Netflix roast
-
Entertainment1 week agoMartha Stewart: How to make an omelet