There’s tough, and then there’s “escaped-a-war-zone, broke bones in karate tournaments, and took a bump from Jordynne Grace” tough. That second kind? That’s Karmen Petrovic.
Born Monika Klisara on October 29, 1995, in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, she was still in diapers when her family fled the Bosnian War for the icy sanity of Toronto. It’s the kind of origin story you’d expect from a Marvel comic or a John Wick prequel—except she’s real, she’s legit, and she hits harder than your dad’s old belt.
Before the ropes and the ring gear, Klisara was Canada’s answer to Enter the Dragon. A karate phenom, she racked up gold medals like they were Tic Tacs. Fonseca Cup? Gold. Ontario Summer Olympic Games? Gold. Kubota World Cup? More gold. She was so decorated, you’d think she rolled out of a trophy case. Cornette would say, “She could’ve won a karate match on ice skates, blindfolded, and still had time to insult your mother’s cooking.”
She wasn’t just talented—she was a stone-cold killer in a gi.
But apparently, breaking boards got boring. So she traded kata for kayfabe, and in late 2022, WWE snatched her up like Vince used to grab bodybuilders at airport gyms. She was announced as part of the WWE Performance Center Fall Rookie Class, which sounds like a friendly dorm group—until you realize it’s actually a Thunderdome with yoga mats.
She made her in-ring debut in March 2023, teaming with Zoey Stark in a losing effort. Hey, everybody’s got to take that first L. Ask The Rock. Ask Cena. Heck, ask your dad when he tried to assemble IKEA furniture without the manual. Petrovic took the loss, dusted herself off, and kept swinging.
By July 28, she was on NXT Level Up, and if there’s a more literal name for a show meant to test rookies, we haven’t heard it. She lost to Ivy Nile, which is like trying to pass your driving test against Mad Max. But the thing about Karmen? You can’t knock her down without her getting up smiling and checking your dental work with a roundhouse.
She got her first televised singles victory during the 2023 NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament, eliminating Jaida Parker. Momentum was building. Then she got chopped down by Lola Vice in the semifinals—a woman who dances salsa and then slaps you into next Tuesday.
But NXT knew they had something. So did the writers.
Cue the soap opera.
In July 2024, she teamed up with fellow Canadian Arianna Grace against Jazmyn Nyx and Jacy Jayne. The Canadians got the win, and just like every tag team since the dawn of time, they immediately turned into frenemies arguing over who did more. NXT GM Ava, never one to waste a good catfight, booked them in a match against each other faster than Bobby Heenan could insult a fat guy in the front row.
And just when you thought things were cooling off, NXT gave us the hottest mess since Zack Ryder and Eve Torres—Karmen Petrovic entered a romance storyline with Ashante “Thee” Adonis. You remember him. Smooth talker. Flashy dresser. More charisma than logic. The man probably thinks “long-term planning” is putting his laundry in the dryer before it stinks.
At first, it worked. They looked good together—like a TikTok couple that actually lifts weights. They even scored a mixed tag team win on NXT in November 2024. By January, they were an official on-screen couple, which in wrestling is basically a countdown clock to betrayal.
Sure enough, the cracks showed. Ashante booked her in a title match she wasn’t ready for—because what’s love if not dragging your girlfriend into combat she didn’t sign up for? She lost, he berated her, and Karmen responded like any former karate champion would: she kicked that chump to the curb with a side of dignity and a closed fist.
Breakup confirmed. Fan sympathy? Skyrocketed. And for the first time in NXT, Karmen wasn’t just “the girl who used to do karate.” She was the woman you didn’t want to cross. Cornette would’ve said, “She’s got more fire than a dumpster behind a fireworks factory, and she just dumped 200 pounds of deadweight.”
From there, she set her sights on gold again. On February 18, 2025, she won a triple threat match to earn another shot at the NXT Women’s North American Championship. But Stephanie Vaquer was waiting. A buzzsaw in boots. Petrovic gave it hell, but walked away empty-handed.
Still, she wasn’t done chasing belts. On April 29, she was tossed into another title match against Sol Ruca—thanks to Adonis trying to get back in her good graces with the “gift” of an impromptu title opportunity. It backfired. She lost. He mocked her. She turned around and whooped his behind on national television.
By July 2025, Petrovic was squaring off against Evolve Women’s Champion Kali Armstrong. She didn’t win—thanks to interference from Jordynne Grace—but the message was loud and clear: Petrovic wasn’t a rookie anymore. She was a contender, and she didn’t need roses or romance to prove it.
TNA came calling too. On September 5, 2024, she answered Jordynne Grace’s open challenge for the Knockouts World Championship. Grace won, of course, because she’s built like a vending machine full of dynamite, but Petrovic held her own.
Then came GCW’s Bloodsport XII. No ropes. No rules. Just pure, uncut violence. She beat Sumie Sakai by referee stoppage in a match that probably made Joe Rogan raise an eyebrow and call for a slow-mo replay. Bobby Heenan would’ve said, “She beat a legend in a pit fight and still had enough energy left to do a TikTok dance. That’s a star, baby.”
Off-screen, she’s linked to Brazilian basketball player Bruno Caboclo. Apparently, the woman doesn’t just take down opponents—she dunks on them too. Relationships come and go in this business, but being the first Bosnian ever signed to WWE? That’s forever.
Karmen Petrovic isn’t just another pretty face in a crowded NXT women’s division. She’s the real deal—martial arts pedigree, international ambition, and the kind of resilience you can’t teach at the Performance Center. She doesn’t need to shout into a microphone to get your attention. All she needs is one clean roundhouse to the temple—and suddenly, everyone remembers her name.
So next time you tune into NXT and hear that haunting entrance music, remember: that’s not just another rookie walking down the ramp.
That’s a karate assassin with a heart of gold and fists of fury.
And she didn’t come to play.
She came to finish what she started.
