Who is Tyra Mae Steel? Olympic Medalist who debuted on WWE NXT

Tyra is the first black woman to win gold in women’s freestyle wrestling!

Amid the major shuffling of the WWE roster, there have been additions to the WWE NXT roster. Among the new talents that were brought in, some have created waves with their debuts. Former AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May made her surprising debut amid much fanfare on the June 3 episode of NXT.

However, on the same show, an Olympic Gold Medalist also made her debut on the already stacked women’s roster, which is considered among the best in pro wrestling right now. Tyra Mae Steele made her debut on the June 3 episode and also competed in her first match with the promotion.

Who is Tyra Mae Steele?

Tamyra Mariama Mensah-Stock, known by her WWE ring name Tyra Mae Steele, is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler, currently signed to WWE, where she performs under the NXT brand.

Steele previously competed in women’s freestyle wrestling and won the gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. With the medal, she became the first black woman to win gold in women’s freestyle wrestling. Furthermore, Steele has captured multiple gold medals in the Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin as well as in the Pan American Championships.

Steele has also won two gold and two bronze medals in the World Wrestling Championships. She transitioned into professional wrestling in 2023 and became the third Olympic wrestling gold medalist after Kurt Angle and Gable Steveson to sign with the Stamford-based promotion. She is also the first female Olympic wrestling gold medalist to sign with WWE.

Tyra Mae Steele’s WWE career

During the taping of the July 5, 2024, episode of WWE NXT Level Up, she made her in-ring debut as Tyra Mae Steele. In February 2025, Steele joined the inaugural season of WWE LFG (Legends & Future Greats), a reality series where up-and-coming talents competed for a WWE NXT contract. Under the mentorship of The Undertaker, she went on to become the first season winner.

Steele made her debut on as mentioned on the June 3 episode of WWE NXT, which emanated from the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida. Tyra took on Arianna Grace in a singles match, registering a win in her debut.

The promotion is looking to push Steele following her debut. With her background, strength, and charisma, she’s quickly emerging as a potential future NXT Women’s Champion. If her performance continues to impress, a call-up to the main roster could be on the horizon for the Olympic medalist.

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