Daniella Cartier

T
he greatest champion in ACW history, Daniella Cartier has faced competition from around the world. She held the ACW champion longer than any other competitor and is back in the title mix. With the size and strength to outmatch most of her opponents, she developed a mental approach which allowed her to overcome injuries and other obstacles over time. Her matches against Diane Hunter, 00Heaven and Alex Del Monacco are considered all time classics.

““My focus has been on bringing the total package to the sport of catfighting. Beauty, intelligence, talent and class have helped to build my legacy. – Daniella Cartier”

A pampered girl from wealthy means, Cartier did not match up with the rough and tumble catfighting aspirant that typified the industry for years. Her background, however, put her in the crosshairs for other competitors, intent on teaching her a lesson. She persevered, however,working hard in her training and taking on as many matches as possible on her way up.

Hair : Blonde
Height : 5′ 10″
Weight : 135 lbs.
Ethnicity : African-American
Titles Held : ACW World Champion, ACW Inter-Condominium Championship

Three months into her career, made a big impression defeating ACW veteran Carmella D’Anesto. Carmella had previously held the fabled European champion and had been dominant within the promotion. Victories over Tanya Simpkins and Malaysia put her in the spotlight both inside and outside of ACW and she soon found herself gaining enormous attention from the mass media.  She was interviewed by nightly tabloid television shows and appeared on the cover of Apartment Wrestling Weekly magazine.

As she began her climb in catfighting, she set her sights on the title belt and champion 00Heaven. 00Heaven was none too happy about having to share the spotlight with a rising star, and she refused to grant Cartier a title match. Eventually, though, she faced criticism from the public as well as catfight industry critics. Even more significant was the massive payday that their match would bring. As such, the two matched up six months later in a tremendous technical battles, but 00Heaven prevailed after a well-placed stomp to the foot which led to a roll-up pinfall. This led to an even bigger match-up for the sequel and Daniella upped her game from the start, totally dominating the champion, causing her to tap out. It was one of the biggest moments in apartment wrestling history and one of the defining moments in her career. Now the champion, Cartier looked to shoulder the burden of being the biggest star in the business.

Her first year as the champion saw a prolific run of victories. Daniella engaged in 62 matches, an incredible volume of title defenses, and she appeared to be a woman among girls, winning with ease and setting new standards and a new approach to catfighting. One person, however, was prepared to stand in her way… Veteran Diane Hunter. after years of being bypassed and surpassed for a title shot, Hunter put everything on the line, fighting weekly and demanding a title shot. The two then engaged in a  brutal and very personal war. Cartier won three major battles in a row before Hunter promised to retire from the sport if she couldn’t secure a victory. Sure enough, she shocked the champion with a dramatic and unexpected pinfall. Hunter, bitter over the years of being denied opportunities, refused to give Cartier a rematch until forced to by the promotion. Cartier, chastened by her months without the belt was focused on her opponent and easily regained the title belt.

For the next three years she held on to her title, defeating Taylor Wilson, Tiffani Jones and Hunter. However, there was a new group of challengers on the horizon, including a blonde bombshell by the name of Alex Del Monacco. Del Monacco was a highly skilled wrestling technician, and used her skills to wear down the champion, forcing Cartier to tap out to a painful arm hold. Cartier, pondered retirement, devastated by the loss. For almost a year she stayed out of the spotlight with many thinking that she had abandoned the sport, but eventually she got back to training. After more than six month of intense preparation, she faced Del Monacco in a wild and wooly matchup that ended with Daniella pinning Alex in the middle of the floor.

Becoming the first two-time champion in ACW history could have been seen as the high point of her career, but Cartier wasn’t ready to walk away from the sport yet and continued to dominate the promotion for another two years. As happens to all great champions, the years and the miles begin to catch up to them and in her case, so did a younger competitor, as Megan Jones was able to pin her for the ACW title. After months of consideration, Daniella Cartier retired from active catfighting the following year. She worked for a while as a trainer at the ACW dojo, but was enticed by ACW founder Tanako X to play a more central part within ACW management. She has gained an ownership stake within the promotion and is considered by many as the person who is currently in charge of the promotion today.

Profile : apartmentwrestlers.com.wrestlers/daniella-cartier/
DVDs : apartmentwrestlers.com/dvd/
Photosets : apartmentwrestlers.com/photosets/
Clips : clips4sale.com/store/12000/

Daniella Cartier’s contribution to Apartment Championship Wrestling and the world of catfighting overall has been immense and her legacy as a trailblazer grows every day.