One of the cardinal rules of professional wrestling is that not everything is as it seems. Kylie Rae, one of the featured talents in All Elite Wrestling’s women’s division, is a prime example of this statement. On the surface, she’s cheerful and bubbly, able to light up a room with her overall pleasant demeanor. It would be difficult for the average wrestling fan not to cheer for her. In the ring, though, it quickly becomes apparent that she is more than capable of holding her own.

This week’s AEW talent preview will take an in-depth look at the Chicago native, Kylie Rae, from her earliest days in the business to her current status as a top performer in a promotion with considerable buzz behind it.

Rae began her wrestling training in the mid-2010s, training under six-time world champion and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. This level of training eventually led to Rae wrestling for the legendary wrestler’s promotion, Reality of Wrestling, based out of Houston, Texas. She wrestled her first match for ROW in March of 2016, defeating Ivory Robyn for the promotion’s Diamonds Championship. This immediately cemented her as a solid force in the promotion. She successfully defended the title up until November, where she lost it in a three-way match against Jada Keys, which also featured Miranda Alize. Before the year was out, though, Rae regained the Diamonds Championship from Keys in December at Christmas Chaos XI.

Kylie Rae

In 2017, Rae successfully defended the ROW Diamonds Championship until May, when she lost it to Kayla Lynn. In November, she made her way to AAW, based out of Berwyn, Illinois. Rae debuted for the promotion at Hell Hath No Fury, where she defeated Su Yung in the first round tournament match for the AAW Women’s Championship. The night after, she lost her semifinal match against Rachael Ellering. It was also during this month that Rae started working for RISE Wrestling, based out of Naperville.

In her first match for the promotion, at RISE 5, she was defeated by Nicole Savoy. In Freelance Underground, based out of Chicago, Rae teamed with GPA to form the tag team Awkward Team, Hunger Force. Together, at Baderbrawl 3, they defeated Tony Nas and Roy Gordon, collectively known as Superiority Complex for the FU Tag Team Championship. In December, at ROW Christmas Chaos XII, Rae defeated Robyn to become the first – and so far, only – three-time ROW Diamonds Champion.

Raven Black Memorial Tournament

On January 27th, 2018, Rae participated in Capital Wrestling Alliance’s first Raven Black Memorial Tournament. Rae defeated Lacey Lane and Thunder Rosa in the three-way first-round match, Solo Darling in the semifinal, and finally, Santana Garrett in the finals. The latter victory resulted in Rae becoming the first CWA Champion. In February, Rae dropped the ROW Diamonds Championship to Hyan. On May 12th, Rae took part in another tournament: The Making Towns Classic at Making Towns Wrestling, based out of Nashville, Tennessee.

Rae defeated Veda Scott in the first round, Yung in the semifinals, and came out successful in the four-way final to win the tournament. In October, at FU Halloween Hijinx, Awkward Team Hunger Force dropped the FU Tag Team Championship to Marshe Rockett and Acid Jaz. Rae’s luck would quickly turn around in November, at AAW Unstoppable, where she defeated Kimber Lee for the promotion’s Women’s Championship. She would successfully defend it twice in December to close out the year.

Zelo Pro Women’s Championship

Rae made the most of 2019 early on, winning the Zelo Pro Women’s Championship in January, in addition to the FW and BCW Ladies Championships the month after. However, Rae’s success during this year wasn’t entirely focused on title victories. During the same month, All Elite Wrestling held its Double or Nothing ticket announcement party, and to say that news was plentiful would be an understatement. Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes took to the podium and welcomed one of the latest signees to the AEW women’s division.

Rae made her way to the podium, expressing her gratitude and a sense of optimism about the opportunity she was given. Nyla Rose, another AEW signee, made her way to the podium to confront Rae. The event became so tense that personnel was forced to separate them. Later, it was announced that Rae, Rose, and Britt Baker would face off at Double or Nothing. This is set to take place on May 25th, in a triple threat match.

Kylie Rae:

Independent Wrestling Scene

Following this announcement, Kylie Rae continued to compete on the independent scene. In March, at RISE 13: Legendary, she defeated Mercedes Martinez to win her first Phoenix of RISE Championship. However, in the match that followed, an exhausted Rae dropped said title to Zoe Lucas. At Double or Nothing, she wrestled not only Rose and Baker, but Awesome Kong. Kong became a surprise competitor courtesy of Rhodes. This resulted in the scheduled triple threat becoming a four-way. Despite a valiant effort by Rae, including a suicide dive onto the imposing Kong, Baker came away victorious.

Despite the aforementioned loss, Kylie Rae remains steadfast. One of the characteristics that endeared her to fans is her plucky demeanor. Though she may fall, she’s not one to stay down for long. Especially now as challenges in AEW continue to develop. Rae may not have been the victor in Vegas. But the fact that she competed in one of the first women’s matches in AEW cannot be understated. She is determined to become successful in the upstart promotion, putting smiles on fans’ faces in the process.

Previous AEW Talent Previews are accessible here.