She is unhappy in the ring, even a little angry, but funny. She is tough and relentless against her rivals, but noble in combat. She is, above all, a strong and persevering woman who is proud of her Latin identity. It is not an exaggeration to say that Johnnie Robbie is a fighter like no other.
“You’re going to have to beat me up to make me give up,” warns Johnnie Robbie of Los Angeles. “AND I’m going to have fun and laugh at you while you do it, even if you are hurting me.”
This is the biggest week of the year in the world of wrestling. WrestleMania 42 takes place in Las Vegas. And Johnnie Robbie is in town as an independent wrestler, giving everything in the ring to pursue her dreams and, why not, try to one day reach the so-called “Clear Bowl” of wrestling.
Only for her everything has been more difficult in life and in the complicated business of wrestlingespecially for their humble origins and the obstacles he has had to overcome, such as destitution and most recently a dangerous neck injury. “They told me that basically I should not fight again,” admits the gladiator.
Johnnie Robbie decided one day not only to watch, but to practice wrestling
When she was very little, Johnnie Robbie watched the fights with her brothers. One day, when she was older, a friend of hers brought her to the ring. “I was watching wrestling and I thought that instead of just watching it, I could practice it.”because I had already done other sports when I was little and this could be a new option.”
His interest in wrestling began to grow as he began to understand, with his very observant eye, the discipline and everything that surrounds it.
Stephanie Vaquer, Liv Morgan, AJ Lee, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Aptitude are some of the star wrestlers who will be part of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this Saturday and Sunday. Several of them inspired Johnnie Robbie during his career in the pankration.
While those gladiators will be performing before 60,000 spectators in the Raiders stadium and millions around the world through screens, Johnnie Robbie will be very active in independent events in Las Vegas scheduled around WrestleMania.
On Wednesday there was an event from the company Pandemonium Pro Wrestling and another from Unapologetic Pro. On Thursday, The woman from the San Gabriel Valley will be on a billboard for the West Hover Pro company (7 pm) and later on another for Marvelous (10 pm). And it will close with participation in PrideStyle exhibits on Saturday (9 pm) and Sunday (8 pm).
“We who are independent definitely depend on the followers,” explains Robbie about the companies he usually works for, noting that the economy has put many of them out of business. There isn’t the glitz and glamor of giants like WWE or AEW, although she has appeared in the latter.
Your magical moment at Enviornment México
Johnnie Robbie’s orbit is above all in companies such as NJPW (his home), Ring of Honor, Stardom, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Marvelous, Sendai Ladies and the legendary Mexican World Wrestling Council (CMLL), where he has left very good performances.
In fact, she considers fighting in front of 20,000 spectators at Enviornment México as part of the CMLL to be one of her best moments in the pankration. “I was shocked, amazed,” she remembers.
Then came the neck injury and the uphill climb both physically and mentally.
“I had to work really hard to come back.. Going to Japan and having my first duel is when I realized that something I had worked so hard for had come true.” There, says Johnnie Robbie, is when he realized that wrestling was his thing, and more importantly, “that everything was going to be okay.”
Scare due to neck injury and an exemplary return to the ring
After a very promising start to his wrestling career after learning the discipline in the Contemporary Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) ‘dojo’, Johnnie Robbie emerged as a future pankration star, especially on the west coast. His style in the ring, with courage, and also his “Chicano” attitudeas she mentions, helped her earn a place in the world of wrestling.
But Johnnie Robbie injured her neck in 2023. She says the injury occurred during training and that it felt like she broke it. The medical diagnosis was a serious ligament tear. She was forced to rest with the uncertainty of whether she would return to the ring. It was more than a year of inactivity, during which time the Los Angeles woman limited herself to roller skating. Of course, at no time did he give up wrestling.
“Johnnie’s story is truly inspiring,” says wrestler Rocky Romerowho works with the companies NJPW and AEW. “After overcoming a difficult injury that could have ended her career, she fought her way back and has been able to fight around the world.”
The trainer and promoter has also witnessed the hard work of Johnnie Robbie, as the Los Angeles fighter has trained under his guidance in Los Angeles. Romero believes she will become a star.
“Her work ethic, perseverance and talent make her someone with all the tools to become a big star.” in the wrestling business. “She continues to lead by example at the NJPW Academy and is more than ready for the next level.”
Robbie, describing herself as a fighter, says: “They They will see someone who is not the tallest, who is not the strongest, but who is not willing to back down.. That’s the way of people with our roots: they teach us to keep pushing no matter the obstacles, whether you were born here or not. That’s what we Latinos do.”
The challenge of a traditional job and always being ready to fight
Like many others in wrestling, Johnnie Robbie is starting to get very busy on the weekends, but she still needs to have a traditional job.. It is not an easy balance to maintain in your field and many times it involves few hours of sleep.
The fighter says she was recently in San Francisco on a Sunday around 7 pm after an exhibit and returned home to Los Angeles at 2 am on Monday. She had to get up at 5:30 am to be ready and report to her job, which is in an administrative area.
“That gives an idea of what sleeping schedules are like and a clue of what it’s like to travel in this job,” says Johnnie Robbie, who points out that during the week he also has to take time to train. She says she tries to do it five or six times a week. But training is more complicated if you are in the middle of traveling for functions.
Then there is the feeding part, which is not easy either. “A lot of wrestlers struggle because, again, we’re constantly on tour. Traveling makes it difficult to prepare food and a lot of us have nine-to-five jobs if we haven’t signed that big contract yet,” he explains, admitting that Sometimes the easiest thing is to stop in the middle of the road to eat tacos.
The goal is the big contract, but enjoying the journey
Johnnie Robbie’s goal is, obviously, to succeed in wrestling, for people to recognize her and to be able to travel more to perform at functions in other countries, especially Japan, where she has had enriching stays. But she, with humility, explains that The journey to reach that goal – and not just the desired contract – is part of the charm.
“Obviously the biggest goal would be to have that big contract, but I’m very happy building my name if that’s what I need to do… Latinos, Latinas, we always go to the front. So I’m going to continue doing it until I have to stop,” she says.
The simple fact of being in this position is already an achievement for someone who at some point had to deal with homelessness. Being homeless is something that has made Johnnie Robbie stronger mentally and with greater perspective.
“I grew up with parents trying to survive in California, trying to be able to live in the United States like everyone else.”share. “But they’re just trying to make ends meet. I’m the product of that. I’m the product of parents who come from parents who had nothing.”
If the poverty of other times did not stop her, if a dangerous neck injury did not stop her and she continues to jump from the top rope to satisfy her followers, then possibly nothing will stop Johnnie Robbie in his fight to reach the goal. His hunger is unlimited.
“Excuse my language, but to hell with everything”he says about the risks in his profession. “I would rather do this than anything else in the world.”
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