Veteran professional wrestler Mercedes Martinez has officially announced that 2026 will mark her final year as a full-time active competitor. The 45-year-old, whose storied career spans nearly 25 years, took to social media to declare her “one final run. Martinez noted that this final chapter will be conducted on her own terms, free from the constraints of contracts or creative teams.
“2026. Different mindset. Different fire. This is my last year as a full-time ACTIVE professional wrestler,” Martinez wrote. “No contracts. No agents. No creative. Just me – and everything I’ve earned over 25 damn years in this business. Wrestling gave me everything. It broke me. Built me. Tested me. Somehow, [it] still made me fall in love with it again. 2025 wasn’t about being showcased. It was about going back to the indies, back to the grind, back to the reason I started -and remembering exactly who the hell I am.”
Martinez’s career began in the early 2000s, with her first recorded match taking place in 2001. Over the decades, she worked for major promotions including WWE, AEW, and Ring of Honor, while maintaining a strong presence on the independent scene. In her statement, Martinez shared a desire to dedicate her final full-time year to mentoring the next generation of talent, viewing it as a way to repay the industry that shaped her.
“Giving back. Teaching. Helping the next generation. Passing on what was given to me the hard way. That part means everything,” she continued. “So 20z6 gets one more year of my body, my heart, and my fight. One more year of scars, sweat, pain, and pride. One more year of showing up and giving everything I’ve got because that’s the only way I’ve ever done this. The last few years flew by. I don’t know what’s next. All I’ve ever known is wrestling, grinding, and hustling. And for one more year…that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I trust the universe to meet me where I’m at – like it always has. Goodbye 2025. One last run.”
As Martinez prepares for this farewell tour, she enters 2026 with momentum from the independent circuit. Her most recent bout took place on November 29, 2025, at the NHPW Final Chapter 16 event, where she secured a victory over Rachael Ellering. While Martinez has declared she is operating without contracts, she remains listed on the official AEW roster page as of January 2026, though she has not appeared on AEW television since late 2023.
Goodbye 2025.
One last run. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/2PYWIbGQsd— Mercedes Martinez 🏳️🌈🇵🇷 (@RealMMartinez) January 1, 2026
