Taya Valkyrie

Biography

Kira Renée Magnin-Forster (born October 22, 1983), better known by her ring name Taya Valkyrie, is a Canadian professional wrestler, fitness competitor, and model. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a member of MxM TV. She also wrestles in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). Valkyrie is best known for her time in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where she is a record-tying 4-time AAA Reina de Reinas Champion, and Impact Wrestling, where she is a former one-time and longest-reigning Impact Knockouts Champion and a two-time Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion. She briefly wrestled for WWE under the ring name Franky Monet.

== Early life == Forster is a classically trained ballerina. She had trained in gymnastics and studied dance since age four and went on to study at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. In 2005 she began competing in fitness competitions and doing fitness modelling, placing 1st in CBBF Canadian Championships 2010, and 2nd in the Arnold Amateur in 2011. She featured in several fitness magazines and calendars over her fitness career.

== Professional wrestling career ==

=== Training and early career (2010–2011) === In 2010, Forster began training with Lance Storm at Storm Wrestling Academy and graduated from it in September 2010. She was a part of Lance's Canadian reality series World of Hurt and also season two of the show with Roddy Piper. From there, Forster would then go on to compete at various Canadian promotions under the ring name Taya Valkyrie, most notably Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW).

=== Mexican independent circuit === Forster moved to Mexico and began wrestling for various promotions within the country early in her career. She was originally supposed to stay in the country only for six weeks, but was convinced to stay by El Hijo del Perro Aguayo, who offered her a spot in his Los Perros del Mal stable. On April 1, 2012, Forster debuted in Perros del Mal. She wrestled for PDM for most of the year before moving on to work for other promotions including Legend Promociones, Universal Wrestling Entertainment, Invasion RCH and International Wrestling League.

=== Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (2012–2017) === Forster made her in ring debut for the Mexican promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide under the ring name Taya Valkyrie on November 3, 2012, competing in a six–person mixed tag team match, teaming with Gran Apache and Mari Apache in a winning effort against Cuervo, Faby Apache and Lolita. Throughout 2012 and the beginning of 2013, Valkyrie competed in several tag team matches ending up in both winning and losing sides. On March 3, 2013, Valkyrie defeated Jennifer Blake to advance to the final of a tournament for the vacant AAA Reina de Reinas Championship. Two weeks later, on March 17, at Rey de Reyes, Valkyrie competed in a four-way elimination match against Faby Apache, LuFisto and Mari Apache but was unsuccessful in winning the vacant Reina de Reinas Championship. On June 4, 2014, Valkyrie defeated Cynthia Moreno, La Jarochita, La Magnifica, Mari Apache, Sexy Lady and Sexy Star in a seven–woman elimination match to become the number one contender to Faby Apache's Reina de Reinas Championship. Two months later, on August 17, at Triplemanía XXII, Valkyrie defeated Faby Apache to win the Reina de Reinas Championship, winning her first championship. On September 12, in her first title defense, at an Independent Total event, Taya defeated Cachorra Flores, Faby Apache, Karina Duval, Muneca Sarcasmo and Princesa Metallica in a six-way elimination match. In her first televised title defense, at the Héroes Inmortales IX event, Forster, now billed as simply Taya, defeated Goya Kong, Lady Shani, La Hiedra and Maravilla (whom she pinned) in a five-way match. She lost the title to Ayako Hamada on March 19, 2017, ending her reign at 945 days, the longest in the title's history (until the record was broken by Lady Flammer in 2026). In a rematch between the two, contested in a no disqualification match, Taya defeated Hamada on April 21 to win the Reina de Reinas Championship for a second time. On July 1, AAA's Director of Talent Vampiro declared the Reina de Reinas Championship vacant. On July 16, after Sexy Star returned to AAA to win the vacant title, Forster claimed on Twitter that she had been backstabbed by AAA and publicly quit the company. According to the Wrestling Observer, AAA asked Johnny Mundo, Forster's fiancé, to turn in the Reina de Reinas Championship belt for a photo shoot and when he did, they declared the title vacant. Vampiro initially said that Forster was stripped of the title for using an illegal chokehold in her April 21 match with Hamada, despite it being a no disqualification match; he later claimed at a TV taping that Forster had no-showed the event, even though she was never scheduled to appear.

=== Lucha Underground (2016–2018) === Taya debuted in Lucha Underground on the February 24, 2016, episode, as the partner of Johnny Mundo. She made her in-ring debut on the March 9 episode, losing to Cage in a no disqualification match. Taya competed in Aztec Warfare II, on the April 12, 2016, Episode, her first Title match at Lucha Underground. She Entered at Number 9, and eliminated Cage, but was later pinned and eliminated by Fénix.

=== Impact Wrestling ===