There’s a fire burning in the middle of the ring. It’s not the spotlights or the pyrotechnics. It’s not even the roars of the crowd bouncing off the ropes like shotgun blasts. It’s Red Velvet—fists flying, feet dancing, a Colombian-American cyclone wrapped in 5-foot-1 of fury, rhythm, and steel.
Stephanie M. Cardona, born June 3, 1992, in Miami, Florida, didn’t come into pro wrestling to play second fiddle, and she sure as hell wasn’t looking to be dessert. The name “Red Velvet” might suggest sweetness, but there’s nothing soft about her. She’s a second-generation fighter by blood, a first-generation brawler by willpower, and now, the reigning ROH Women’s World Television Champion.
The bloodline reads like a boxing encyclopedia—her father Prudencio Cardona was a world flyweight champion. Her uncle Ricardo Cardona held the world super bantamweight crown. The fists in her family hit hard and carried history. But Stephanie didn’t lace up gloves—she laced up boots. And in an industry more interested in casting pretty dancers as arm candy, she made herself undeniable in the most brutal way: by outworking everyone.
She began training at Fighting Evolution Wrestling in 2015 under JB Cool, grinding out matches in Florida gyms where the crowd sometimes outnumbered the ring ropes. Her debut came on March 24, 2016, against Rebel. She lost. And then she came back. Again and again. In the indies, she sharpened her style—agile, aggressive, and always with a little attitude. A flurry of dropkicks and moonwalks. A mix of salsa and suplexes.
In 2020, she broke through on the national scene when All Elite Wrestling came calling. Her first few matches were rough—a loss to Allie and Brandi Rhodes on AEW Dark, another against Hikaru Shida on Dynamite. But that was the plan. Pay your dues. Take your bumps. Smile through the pain. Then come back with better footwork and sharper elbows.
October 13, 2020, was the turning point. She picked up her first AEW win against Elayna Black, and the spark caught fire. Then came the match that made headlines—a mixed tag team bout on March 3, 2021, where Velvet tagged with Cody Rhodes to take on Shaquille O’Neal and Jade Cargill. Yes, that Shaq. It wasn’t just a celebrity circus. It was a crucible. Velvet held her own and came out with more heat than ever, even in defeat.
Weeks later, she signed her full-time contract with AEW.
Red Velvet wasn’t just a utility player anymore. She was part of the meal plan.
She took on Serena Deeb for the NWA World Women’s Championship. She went toe-to-toe with Britt Baker for the AEW Women’s World Title in the main event of Rampage’s debut. No, she didn’t win. But the company had made it clear: Red Velvet was no longer just a side dish.
Then came the drama, the swerve, the glow-up. On April 13, 2022, she joined The Baddies—a stable of heat-seeking glamazons led by Jade Cargill and flanked by Kiera Hogan. Heel turn? Maybe. Level-up? Definitely. Red Velvet leaned into the arrogance, played the mean-girl card with purpose, and still backed it up in the ring. She took part in the Owen Hart Cup, battled Kris Statlander, got sidelined with an injury, and returned like a woman who didn’t come back just to get warm. She came back to eat.
She made her mark in ROH, the sister promotion of AEW, with a vengeance. Between 2023 and early 2024, she took her talents to Ring of Honor’s gritty battlegrounds—where the lighting is darker, the matches are stiffer, and the audience hungrier. And she thrived. In February 2024, she entered the tournament for the inaugural ROH Women’s World Television Championship. She beat Sandra Moone. She beat Leyla Hirsch. She lost in the semifinals to Queen Aminata—but the loss only poured gas on the fire.
April 2024 brought another shot—this time at the ROH Women’s World Championship against Athena. She didn’t walk away with the belt, but she walked away with momentum. When July 26, 2024, rolled around—Death Before Dishonor—Red Velvet walked in with scars and walked out a champion, pinning Billie Starkz and claiming the ROH Women’s World Television Title.
It wasn’t just validation. It was a reckoning.
Red Velvet has always carried herself like she belonged at the top—even when the booking didn’t say so. She’s a product of the indie hustle, the AEW gamble, and the ROH grind. She’s been a babyface with a heart and a heel with a high heel to the throat. She’s danced for the crowd and scraped herself off the mat. That’s the kind of range no gimmick can fake.
At 33, she’s in her prime. She’s not chasing anyone’s approval. She’s not here to fill a spot. She’s here to make you pay attention, whether it’s in a 10-minute TV title defense or stealing a Dynamite segment with just a scowl and a step. The footwork’s still there—from her dancer’s past. But the hits land like her father’s left hook.
There’s no question where she goes from here—back to AEW main cards, back into contention for the big titles, and maybe, finally, the kind of reign that makes the world take notice. Not because she’s a legacy act. But because she built it herself—one bump, one promo, one loss turned into fuel.
You can call her sweet. You can call her stylish.
Just don’t call her soft.
Red Velvet isn’t just part of the show anymore. She’s the one stealing it.