Yelena Gorgo (born 11 April 1999) is a Moldovan professional wrestler, philanthropist, and a former judoka. She is currently signed to UPRISING and Pro Wrestling Valor. Prior to joining UPRISING, she was the first Moldovan to win an Olympic medal in judo by winning gold in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

She is the CEO and Chairperson of the Niels Gram Foundation, a private non-profit philanthropic foundation. As of Q4 2023, it holds over $611 million in assets. In December of 2023, the Niels Gram Foundation launched VALKYRIE, a for-profit venture capitalist firm. Through the foundation she is also the primary investor in the health and fitness company VilaroFit, for which she also is a spokesperson for their first line of fitness wearables, the MOTIV by VilaroFit fitness band.

Yelena Gorgo was born on 11 April 1999 in Chișinău, Moldova. Her mother, Grettel Poliudova Gorgo, was a world-renowned ballet dancer who toured with the Mariinsky Ballet company throughout the 80s and early 90s. Grettel still lives in Chișinău, where she is the director of the Maria Bieșu National Opera and Ballet Theatre. In interviews, Gorgo has said that while she is close to her mother, their relationship has been affected by her decision to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a professional wrestler.

Her father was Niels Gram, a professional wrestler who performed under the name Spiral. For most of her life, her identity as his daughter was kept from the public to shield her from the controversies of his own life, until she revealed it in an interview 29 October 2022 on Outside the Ropes with UPRISING’s Gretchen Devereaux. She described their relationship as “sporadic and always clouded in secret, as he was worried about what it would be like for me if the world knew.” However, she also mentioned spending summers with him, seeing him for the holidays, and that he taught her “how to fight and survive.”

Niels Gram and Yelena Gorgo
Amsterdam 2010

Gorgo began judo under the direction of her father at the age of 7. Initially she trained solely with her father, but at age 9 she and her mother relocated to Copenhagen to allow her to train with Anton Geesink, the famed Dutch 10th dan judoka. The move also allowed her father to see her more often and more discreetly, as he living in the nearby Hellerup. For two years she attended N. Zahles Gymnasieskole, a private school in Copenhagen. Though her primary focus was judo, she participated in a local wrestling club. For two years she went undefeated and there was pressure from the Moldovan National Olympic and Sports Committee to abandon judo in favor of wrestling because the relatively young sport of women's olympic freestyle wrestling was seen as an easier path to gold.

In late 2012, Gram was arrested by INTERPOL for possible connections to Russian organized crime. Though criminal charges were never filed, France complied with an extradition request from the United States regarding several outstanding warrents which ultimately led to him being committed to a psychiatric hospital for the next four and a half years. Gorgo was able to complete the school year but without access to Gram's resource she and her mother could not afford to stay in Copenhagan. They returned to Chișinău in the summer of 2013 and lived modest lives. Gorgo continued her training at the Olympic Sports Club in Chișinău where she learned with future Olympian Denis Vieru, who was three years older. The coaches often paired Gorgo with Vieru and other boys do to her size and strength.

At age 16 she failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. The following year she competed at the 2017 World Judo Championship in the -78 kg class. She won the bronze medal after being defeated by eventual winner, Marya Aguiar. A year later at the 2018 games, she defeated Shori Hamada to win gold, marking the beginning of their milti-year rivalry. They faced each other again at the 2019 games. Shori Hamada defeated Gorgo on points after a time limit draw. Gorgo has mentioned multiple times in the press how she felt Hamada purposefully spent most of the match avoiding her and called into question some of the scoring decisions by the judges. It was not well received by the public and many questioned Hamada’s reputation afterward.

Yelena Gorgo in a wrestling match
Copenhagen 2012

Gorgo qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Her father was battling brain cancer but was determined to travel to Japan to watch his daughter in person. Unfortunately with the spread of COVID-19, the Olympics were postponed and he passed away. She lists failing to qualify in 2016 as her only regret in life because her father would have been alive to see her compete on the global stage.

When the games began in the summer of 2021, Gorgo was favored over Shori Hamada. They met in the finals. The narrative in the Japanese media is that Hamada needed a convincing win in order to redeem herself in the eyes of many after their match at the 2019 World Judo Championship. Gorgo was under immense pressure to deliver Moldova its only gold medal of the games, as well as still harboring animosity for Hamada from two years prior.

The match ended after twenty seconds, when Gorgo scored an ippon on an off-balance Hamada after the Japanese judoka attempted a trip. Afterward Gorgo stated that she no longer considered Hamada her equal and suggested that her future lies in professional fighting.

Gorgo relocated to the United States on a work visa in September 2021 to train under retired professional wrestler Ian “Grade” Garret in Louisville, KY. Garret and Gorgo’s father were often at odds when they both wrestled for the defunct Pro Championship Wrestling in the early to mid 2000s. Like everyone else, Garret was not aware Gram was her father and treated her no differently than any other trainee, putting her through the grueling Factory Grade program which has produced multiple world champions and contenders over the last two decades.

During her training, Gorgo did not participate in any professional matches. Her focus was on sparring and exhibitions, first with fellow trainees but quickly Garret realized she required higher level opponents and he began bringing in old friends of the industry to work with her. Joey Bell, who formerly wrestled under the moniker Atreyu, confirmed on his Instagram that he was one of the pros that came in to work with her after she made her professional debut.

Gorgo fielded several offers from promotions in both the US and abroad based on Garret’s reputation and a promotional reel he put together to showcase her skills. She turned them all down, preferring to wait for an opportunity to join Reno-based promotion UPRISING. The CEO of UPRISING is Brad Jackson, who famously had a long and often personal feud with her father.

The chance she had been waiting for came on 9 July 2022 on UPRISING’s newest show UNLEASHED. Aiden Romero, a local wrestler, requested an opportunity to move from dark matches to the main roster and receive a title shot of his choice. Under then General Manager Larry Gowan, the match was made an open challenge, and if the opponent defeated Romero they would receive an UPRISING contract. Gorgo defeated Romeo in forty five seconds with the Dragon Sleeper.

After scoring wins against Emmalee and Kerberos, Gorgo continued her dominant streak by scoring singles wins against Summer Page, Kalinda, Azurine Vebbins, Jacki O’Lantern, and Chris Mosh. She also wrestled in a tag team match with Kevin Mears, faced then champions Talia Skye and Reyna Carter in a handicap match, and fought in a Lethal Lottery battle royale, which she narrowly lost to eventual UPRISING champion Sam Tolson.

After UPRISING’s Vertigo 2023 supershow, Gorgo antagonized several members of the roster on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. This led to a tense back and forth with current Silver State Champion Serenity Holmes. They faced off at the 23 August 2023 edition of Revolution for the title. After thirty five minutes, Gorgo applied the Death Clutch in the middle of the ring. While Serenity fought to stay awake, Kevin Mears interfered by attacking the referee to ensure the Silver State Championship didn't change hands. Gorgo won via disqualification, giving her eleventh singles win in a row.

After the victory over Serenity, Kalinda Von Kriegsdottir entered the ring with the Black Crusade and revealed that Co-CEO of UPRISING, Rick Ravenswood, had empowered her to control Gorgo's booking going forward. The first match to come from this new arrangement occurred at Solstice III, where Gorgo faced Chad Gilchrist in a New Mexican Turkish Deathmatch, which involved lots of sand and constant comic hikinks. After defeating Chad, Gorgo was later found covered in dirt, blood and sand in the baseball field that neighbors the arena where the show was taking place. She briefly gave an interview to Chase Evans, the camera operator, in which she displayed a new and more sinister side of herself, which immediately drew comparisons online to her father.

At the season premiere of UPRISING's Revolution, Gorgo took part in the next stage of Kalinda's challenge, which saw her face a broom in a Match of One Thousand Splinters match. During the contest, the broom became the first opponent to escape the dragon sleeper. The match ended with Gorgo snapping the broom over her knee. On the following Revolution, Kalinda forced Gorgo and Marisol Vilaro to compete in a game of ultimate Monopoly. After multiple days of playing, Gorgo won the match by writing a check for $10,000 and gave it to the banker.

On January 24, 2024, Gorgo arrived at the beginning of Revolution with an unidentified person tied to a wheelchair inside a big foam Santa Claus costume and teased a huge announcement. Later in the show, she teamed with Marisol Vilaro against Serenity Holmes and Amber Mansley but the match was never started after Madison Carter hopped a barricade and attacked Holmes during her entrance. Gorgo and Marisol double teamed Amber, ending with a KIKKUDEMON to her head. At the end of the show, Gorgo interrupted the chaos of the main event to reveal the man in the costume was none other than Rick Ravenswood. She then forced him to read from Santa's List, in which he declared the championship matches for the supershow. Madison Carter would face Serenity Holmes for the Silver State Championship. Trixie Decker would defend her Total Anarchy championship against the number one contender, Amy Santino, and, in a surprising twist, Marisol Vilaro. Finally, through Rick she demanded the main event would see Kalinda defend her UPRISING World Championship against Gorgo, Sam Tolson, and Jace Parker Davidson in THE TERRORDOME, a hybrid cage/ladder match her father developed for Pro Championship Wrestling in 2004.

At The Terrordome supershow, Gorgo scaled the ladder and secured the UPRISING World Championship belt from the cable. Shortly after, news broke that UPRISING was closing indefinitely. No official reason has been given, nor has there been any statement indicating a possible future return. Gorgo remains the Last UPRISING Champion. She has since claimed responsibility for the death of UPRISING.

Gorgo signed a short-term contract with PWV in 2022. In her first match with the promotion she defeated Helena Handbasket after a tense few weeks of back and forth on social media. Impressed with her strong showing, PVW slated her to wrestle against Helena Handbasket, Agrippina Themis, Olly, Lex Collins, Serenity Holmes, and Josh Killings in a ladder match on 29 September 2022. Unfortunately prior to the event, PWV abruptly closed its doors.

PWV re-opened a year later. Gorgo resigned in August. Her first match back was against Lex Collons at Relentless II. Lex Collins attempted an armbar submission, but Gorgo countered by rolling him onto his shoulders to score a pinfall victory. In her third match with the promotion Gorgo will face Spencer Adams. At Blood in the Water, Gorgo and Adams fought to the timelimit. With nine seconds to go, the referee ruled the match a technical submission victory for Adams after Gorgo passed out while locked in his finisher, 40 Acres. This was the first singles loss of her career. Afterward she attacked the Disavowed champion, Ozbourne, setting up a future match for the title.

Gorgo faced Ozbourne in a Haunted House match which saw her fight Ozbourne throughout a spooky old mansion. Gorgo failed to win the Disavowed title and earned her second career singles loss after Ozbourne kicked her out a window.

Gorgo signed a contract to join MGP on October 1st. This will be her first time returning to Japan since UPRISING's Equinox II where she was attacked after defeating Azurine Vebbins by famed Japanese judoka Shori Hamada. She made her debut at Pillars of Creation. On the undercard, she earned her first MGP victory by defeating Isuzu via pinfall. Later, she appeared in the ring in support of the Gaijin Assault Army, assisting in their victory over Colors of Victory. She was subsequently booked for Rainbow Road on November 28 in a fatal fourway, with the winner earning a match for the Valkyrie championship.

At Rainbow Road, Gorgo failed to win after Jessa Wells pinned Kimberly Stark. Despite the upset, Gorgo's streak of not being pinned or forced to submit continued. At Triumphant Final Impact, Gorgo defeated Karlie Nash in a singles match via pinfall. At Puroresu Gacha Machine, Gorgo was one of forty one competitors announced to compete in mystery matches. She drew Jack Sullvain in a Kaiju Big Battel match, where the wrestlers would fight in the ring filled with miniature models of Tokyo. Gorgo once again showed her weakness in non-traditional matches, when she lost after being thrown over the top rope to the outside. The match, which seemed to have been booked as a lighthearted reference to the women being the two biggest wrestlers in Miracle Galaxy Pro, took a turn when Gorgo seemed to snap and brutally attacked Sullivan. Though the outcome didn't see Gorgo win, she was given a second chance against Sullivan Historic BIG BANG Anniversary in a tag match. Gorgo teamed with Marisol Vilaro against Sullivan and Veronica Cain.

At Historic Big Bang Anniversary, Marisol Vilaro and Gorgo suffered defeat due to a disqualification. Gorgo locked an armbar but Sullivan was able to reach the ropes. The referee ordered Gorgo to release the submission hold, but she ignored the instruction. The referee was forced to end the match and declare Sullivan and Cain winners. Despite the technical loss, Gorgo was given a title match against Datura for the ENDVR championship a month later at Hyper Visual Fighting.

At Hyper Visual Fighting, Gorgo defeated Datura via pinfall. During the match, Datura locked in a kneebar that Gorgo struggled to escape. Marisol Vilaro came out and climbed onto the apron, drawing Datura’s attention. Gorgo was able to get free and deliver a Kikkudemon, earning her second career championship.

Gorgo signed with CU:LT in April 2024. Her first match was against Barney Green and Ace Sky, ending in victory after submitting Ace with the Death Clutch. Her impressive win catapulted her into her first title match. In a Hangman’s Hell match, she faced Corey Black, Graig Cogan, Harvey Marx, Sunshine, and Grace Leary. At stake was the New World Championship. Gorgo failed to achieve her goal of being a triple champion when Corey Black hung her from the ropes, eliminating her from the competition.

She returned to the win column against Azurine Vebbins in a Dog Collar Match after securing the Death Clutch. Post match, Azurine was spotted entering Gorgo’s locker room. In the weeks to follow, the two sparked a very public relationship.

At CU:LT TV Episode 8, Gorgo defeated Ace Sky, this time with the Kikkudemon. The victory guaranteed her a shot at Tony Savage’s Classic Championship.

At Wet Hot American Wrestling, Gorgo came to the rescue of her best friend, Marisol Vilaro, and in the process turned on Azurine Vebbins. After kicking Da Damsel In Dat Dress in the head, she screamed at her and mocked their relationship.

Later that night, Gorgo went head to head with Tony Savage, one of the all-time greats who had already successfully defended the Classic Championship twice after winning it from Datura, someone Gorgo held in high regard. In an all-time back and forth bout, Gorgo finally won her third single’s championship when she submitted Tony Savage with the Death Clutch.

Coming at the heels of her victory, she was tasked to face Corey Black in a non-title champion versus champion match. She won via disqualification, after Azurine Vebbins exacted a measure of revenge. Under a hood, she delivered a stunning German suplex to Gorgo, sending her backward into a table.

On October 29th, Gorgo faced Azurine Vebbins at CU:LT’s Match My Freak Show with the Classic Championship on the line. After a competitive back and forth match, Gorgo secured the victory with the Death Clutch. At the end of the night, Gorgo and Marisol Vilaro attacked the SNUFF champion Corey Black. Gorgo smashed his face repeatedly in a mirror, followed by Vilaro attacking him with a fire extinguisher. It was then announced that Gorgo, Vilaro, Black and Vebbins would face off for both the Classic Championship and the SNUFF Championship at the following event: Saved by the Bell on December 15th.

At Saved by the Bell, Gorgo faced Vilaro, Vebbins and Black in a two falls match with the Classic and SNUFF championships up for grabs. Gorgo retained the Classic title when she scored the first pinfall by delivering a staged Finger Poke of Doom to Vilaro. In the second fall, Black knocked out Vebbins to continue his reign as SNUFF Champion while Gorgo was injured on the outside after going through a table.

In the aftermath, it was announced that at Malibu's Most Wanted, all three CU:LT singles championships will face off in one match, when the Classic, SNUFF and New World championships will collide in a three way dance. It will be Gorgo vs Corey Black vs Max Daemon to decide who will be the most dominate champion heading into a new ear for the company.

Gorgo signed a contract with the historic promotion XWF in December. It was announced a week later that she would team with the Monster Machine Enigma for the opportunity to become number one contenders for the Tag Team titles. Enigma had previously worked with her brother, Jack Moreau, during UPRISING when he was going by the name LEGION. Enigma was a part of Legion's faction, the Seventh Circle. The allinace was shortlived, ending when Legion turned on Enigma and attacked him from behind. In the match, Gorgo and Engima worked well together, but it quickly became apparent that their opponents, Dolly Madison and Madison Dyson, had significantly more tag team experience and they used it to secure the victory.

Returning to singles competition, Gorgo was then booked against Enigma, Solomon Kline and LA Blade at Snow Holds Barred. During the match, Gorgo secured a submission victory by applying the Death Clutch on Enigma, earning an opportunity to fight the newly crowned XWF Television Champion Charlie Nickles.

FWP and Gorgo began interacting on Bluesky after her public move to the sunshine state in early 2025. The promotion offered her a contract and booked her against Glitch Maxwell.

In September 2024, Gorgo wrestled Serenity Holmes in a grudge match at Corey Grave’s Kumite event in Manhattan, NY. The two initially agreed to a submission match, which later became a point of contention for Gorgo after the match was changed to a ladder match. In her view, this was done to give Holmes an advantage. Gorgo, of course, has always had difficulty in non-traditional matches. The match ended with Holmes kicking Gorgo in the back of the head off a ladder.

Gorgo suffered a concussion and was later attacked outside the venue. Other than the attack, she hasn’t spoken publicly about the match outcome and has, thus far, refused to comment when asked directly.