In a dimly lit gym, over the smell of sweat and ambition, Franki Carissa Strefling—better known to us mortals as Izzi Dame—carved her starting line. Born July 13, 1999 in Buchanan, Michigan, this 5’10” storm of talent first sharpened her athletic edges not in the squared circle, but on a volleyball court with Eastern Michigan University. She left behind spikes and serves for strikes and submissions, trading the crimson of court lines for the glare of NXT’s neon.
Like Charles Bukowski tapping whiskey at 2 AM and spitting poetry, Izzi stumbles into NXT with a confidence that seems born from bigger bruises. She wasn’t some trophy case recruit — she was the scrapper who laughed when thrown into the deep end. Officially signed on November 10, 2022, as part of WWE’s Fall Performance Center class, Izzi’s shift from collegiate athlete to gladiator felt less transition and more reveal of something wild beneath a calm surface.
Chapter One: Debut & Breakout
Her initial footsteps on the NXT live event stage—losing to Lola Vice on May 19, 2023—were far from triumphant. But in the world of wrestling, losing isn’t always the villain. Making her televised debut on July 21’s NXT Level Up, she fell to Dani Palmer. You could see the motor in her skull still humming, the steel in her back whispering, “Next time.”
She entered the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament in September, a ring for ravenous hearts. Defeat came in the first round to Kelani Jordan on October 3, but loss sharpened her like acid on chains, etching character into her clay. She wasn’t just another direction-following rookie. She was a question mark loaded with promise.
Chapter Two: Heel Turn & The Culling
By November 28, the chessboard shifted. At NXT Deadline, Izzi shoved the heroic Roxanne Perez to defend her partner, Kiana James—her move wasn’t just physical; it was symbolic. The world she stepped into wasn’t interested in perpetual sunshine. It thrived on shades of gray.
Iron sharpened iron in February 2024. Her first televised singles win—against Gigi Dolin—wasn’t earned clean. It came with Kiana James’s shadow at her elbow, a reminder that bond often masks betrayal. Izzi and James teamed to dismantle Thea Hail and Fallon Henley in March, before meeting defeat in the Stand & Deliver six-woman tag. Even in loss, their synergy oozed malevolence—like dark wine in crystal glasses.
Then came the betrayal: the 2024 Draft struck Kiana for Raw, leaving Izzi marooned on NXT. And this wasn’t sorrowful departure—it was rebirth. A stable swapped alliance for independence. In early 2025, she nearly merged into Tony D’Angelo’s crime-linked family, stalking sidelines with shadows until Shawn Spears threw a different collar around her neck. On the February 11 episode of NXT, Izzi helped Spears dismantle Tony’s steel cage defense. The shift wasn’t theft—it was reclamation. Izzi Dame, Gothic rose on a bed of broken concrete, turned and walked into Spears’s arms.
Chapter Three: Outside Air
Izzi crossed brands—stepping into TNA on July 11, 2024—leaving an echo on Impact! by challenging Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace. The loss didn’t sting; it carved her name onto different walls. She wasn’t just a wrestler; she was a tornado that brews beyond the origin storm.
Chapter Four: The Person Behind the Mask
Away from the glare of arena lights, Izzi is Franki Strefling—an Eastern Michigan University grad in business, anchored by a love affair with Bron Breakker (Bronson Rechsteiner). The spanking chords of National Championship Wrestling legends echo through their home. He’s the progeny of Steiner High Voltage. She’s the crown jewel in NXT’s Heel Dynasty. Two wrestlers, one future. They leap from ring to ring, building a union of mileage burns and high fives backstage.
The Bukowski in the Battle
In the great mirror where athletes limn themselves, Izzi Dame is that reflection that doesn’t need flattering. She’s the barfly that battles for her last drink—raw, unfiltered, unapologetic. While some rookies get polished like trophies, Izzi applied pressure like coal—transformed into “anything that can burn.”
She wears her heel-turn like an expensive scar. She jokes when shoved—because burning doesn’t end you, sometimes it refines you. She doesn’t tumble, she travels curves at 180°, knowing the steep edge might be her finest moment. Inside that ring, she isn’t just wrestling opponents—she’s sparring with expectation and chewing up destiny’s script.
Stats on the Edge
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Trained at: WWE Performance Center, Fall 2022 Class
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Ring Debut: May 19, 2023 (LVA Event – lost)
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First Televised Match: July 21, 2023 vs. Dani Palmer (Level Up – lost)
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Breakout Entry: September 2023 – lost to Kelani Jordan
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Heel Turn: November 28, 2023 (NXT Deadline)
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First Televised Singles Win: Feb. 16, 2024 vs. Gigi Dolin
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Alliance Break: Feb. 20, 2025 – aligned with Shawn Spears
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Cross-Promo Debut: July 11, 2024 – TNA/Impact (loss)
Where She’s Headed
Izzi Dame is carving a pipeline through NXT’s asphalt. Heel or face, stable or loner, she’s a vessel for unpredictability. She’s not asking ringside fans to cheer or boo—she’s asking them to notice. And that, in this culture of manufactured echoes, is her most potent weapon.
Like a poem slurred into an empty glass at 4 a.m., Izzi doesn’t make you comfortable. But when the bottle empties and the world yawns awake, you remember her. That’s power. That’s flame.
In a world full of clones reading scripts, Izzi Dame is scribbling her own. Not because she thinks she’s special, but because she knows survival isn’t built by sheep—it’s built by wolves that howl at midnight for no reason but to remind everyone else they’re still alive. And so, the Dame prowls. The ring radiates heat. And we, the audience, lean forward—because some stories are better written in fire.