Yelena Gorgo
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Yelena Gorgo
Birth Name
Yelena Lisbeth Gorgo
Nicknames
The Woman Who Laughs
Neck Collector
Kick Demon
The Mama-San
The Mad Queen
Born
11 April 1999 (age 24)
Place of Birth
Chișinău, Moldova
Relatives
Niels Gram (Father)
Oksana Gorgo (Mother)
Jack Moreau (Half Brother)
Height
6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight
200 lbs (90.7 kg)
Trained By
Niels Gram (Pro Wrestling)
Anton Geesink (Judo)
Ian ‘Grade’ Garrett (Pro Wrestling)
Debut
9 July 2022
Picture Base
Brooke Ence

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.

Early Life

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.”

Olympic Judo Career
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 Amsterdam 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, as the travel from his home in Denmark was considerably easier within the European Union.

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.

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.

Professional Wrestling Career

UPRISING

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 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. PRO WRESTLING VALOR

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.

MIRACLE GALAXY PRO

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.

Other Ventures

Jack Moreau, Gorgo’s half brother, founded the Jacqueline Moreau Foundation in January 2021 after he inherited their father’s estate upon his death. Jack named the foundation after his birth mother and dedicated its purpose to distributing the estate’s vast wealth, which at the time was valued over $600 million, to a number of charities, most of which were focused on mental health awareness and research. Jacquiline died from suicide in 2007 and Jack has publically spoken about his own mental health struggles and his diagnosis of schizophrenia.

On October 29 after losing the Silver State title to Kevin Mears, Jack was struck by a bus while crossing the Las Vegas Strip. He was subsequently taken to UMC Trauma Center where he was placed in a medically induced coma. He suffered significant injuries, from dislocations to broken bones and significant brain swelling. Goro arrived at the hospital and the next morning she took a DNA test confirming their relation, making her his only living blood relative and sole beneficiary in his will. She was granted power of attorney and took over managing his assets, including the charity.

After several months in the ICU, Jack recovered enough to be transferred to home healthcare. However, the traumatic brain injury suffered in the accident left him unable to resume his responsibilities with the charity. Gorgo took over his position as CEO and Chair of the foundation and with the backing of the board, revamped the strategy from distributing its assets to investing them into business ventures, becoming one of the largest VC firms in the country overnight. To reflect this shift in strategy, the foundation was renamed the Niels Gram Foundation after their father.

Publicly there was some backlash, as those who champion mental health saw this as pulling the rug out from underneath efforts to help those struggling to live with illness. The Foundation pledged to continue funding a small number of research programs while shifting a majority of its efforts to grow its portfolio into new and exciting fields.

In 2023, Gorgo announced a partnership with Vilaro System founder Marisol Vilaro to invest in her new company, VilaroFit, which will launch a franchise of gyms across the United States and beyond. Financial disclosures reveal an Series A investment by the Niels Gram Foundation of $10 million. In July, Vilaro revealed the first wearable device called MOTIV, a fitness and health tracking band. It was developed in partnership with Chinese technology company Huli, owned by billionaire Jonny Wo, who is an avid pro wrestling fan. Its existing HuliTrak sport band, previously only available in Asia, was updated and rebranded as MOTIV for a North America and Europe release. The first location of VilaroFit gyms will open in Vero Beach, Florida in August 2023.

On September 29, Gorgo announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she would be exiting VilaroFit as a spokesperson but would continue contributing to the brand behind the scenes. It was reported shortly after that there were concerns by members of the VilaroFit board of directors over Gorgo's behavior on television and social media and how it might hurt the brand in the eyes of the target demographics.

Despite stepping down as a spokesperson for VilaroFit, Gorgo has continued to invest into the company, helping its rapid expansion in the United States. In March of 2024, she secured the required permits from the Osaka Business Development Agency to begin construction on VilaroLUX, a new venture for the VilaroFit brand that promises a world-class hotel, dining and fitness complex in one. It is the first VilaroFit property to begin construction outside the United States.

On April 4, 2024, the Niels Gram Foundation launched VALKYRIE, a for-profit corporation and subsidiary. While the NGF continues to fund scientific research and humanitarian causes, VALKYRIE is a venture capitalist firm, mainly focused on investments into new or growing companies. As of Q1 2024, VALKYRIE is the largest investor in VilaroFit and its expanding global portfolio.

Personal Life

Gorgo was raised primarily by her mother but spent summers and holidays with her father, except during his two incarcerations in a psychiatric hospital, until his death. Even when they could not physically spend time together, they spoke daily over the phone or text and he was directly involved in her judo training.

Gorgo follows a strict nutrition plan that is a mix of Paleo and Warrior diets. She trains twice a day for six days followed by a recovery day. Recently she began devoting her morning sessions to Crossfit to help build up her cardio, which was a weakness in her early pro wrestling matches.

Relationships

Gorgo is protective about her personal life and doesn’t discuss romantic relationships. However, she formed a strong friendship with Marisol Vilaro, CEO and founder of the Vilaro System and VilaroFit, which began in early 2023. Gorgo has called Vilaro her best friend and it's rare to see one without the other at wrestling or business events. Gorgo has maintained that their relationship is plutonic.

Gorgo is a member of the LGTBQ+ community and has spoken out politically on gay and trans rights.

Championships and Accomplishments
Judo Medal Record
Women's Judo
RepresentingMoldova
Olympic Games
2020 Tokyo -78 kg
World Championships
2019 Tokyo -78
2018 Baku -78
2017 Budapest -78
CrossFit Games Results
YEAR RESULT
2023 3rd
Professional Wrestling
Championship History
WON TITLE LOST
UPRISING
03/02/24 UPRISING World Championship -
Miracle Galaxy Pro
03/31/24 ENDVR Championship -
Pro Wrestling Singles Record
15-3
UPRISING
DATE OPPONENT RESULT METHOD
07-09-22 Aiden Romero Win Dragon Sleeper
08-06-22 Emmalee Win Dragon Sleeper
08-20-22 Kerberos Win Dragon Sleeper
12-03-22 Summer Page Win Dragon Sleeper
02-25-23 Kalinda Win Disqualification
04-08-23 Azurine Vebbins Win Dragon Sleeper
05-27-23 Jacki O'Lantern Win Dragon Sleeper
07-01-23 Chis Mosh Win Dragon Sleeper
08-23-23 Serenity Holmes Win Disqualification
09-13-23 Chad Gilchrist Win Dragon Sleeper
10-25-23 Dickenson 5000 Win Injury
PRO WRESTLING VALOR
DATE OPPONENT RESULT METHOD
08-20-22 Helena Handbasket Win Dragon Sleeper
09-10-23 Lex Collins Win Kikkudemon
10-08-23 Spencer Adams Loss Technical Submission (unconcious)
10-29-23 Jessi Ozborne Loss Elimination
MIRACLE GALAXY PRO
DATE OPPONENT RESULT METHOD
10-28-23 Isuzu Win Kikkudemon
12-30-23 Karlie Nash Win Kikkudemon
01-28-24 Jack Sullivan Loss Over The Top
03-31-24 Datura Win Pinfall
In Wrestling
Entrance Theme History
Entrance Description

KID SONGS PUT ON A HAPPY FACE dances across the screen as a woman in an orange wig and fluffy costume bounces around a group of children as they happily put on clown paint and sing “Put On a Happy Face” from Bye Bye Birdie.

JUST PUT ON A HAPPY…
PUT ON A HAPPY…
PUT ON A HA…PPY…FAAAACCEEEEEE……

The song slows down to a crawl and the pitch sinks into a deep, dark pit of eerie moans.

CUT TO: The stage. The lights are out. Thousands of voices are intertwined into a twisted harmony of love and hate. Cellphone lights dot the black canvas like stars marking a midnight sky. Seconds pass, until—

MUSIC CUE: Fever Ray’s “If I Had a Heart”

A silhouette is standing on the stage, surrounded by red strobing lights. Brief flashes give split-second glimpses of the unknown figure. Long blonde hair hangs over their face. Muscular shoulders and arms. In their hands, two belts hang by the straps down their legs.

This will never end 'cause I want more…
More, give me more, give me more…

Slowly, both belts are raised into the air until the faceplates for the UPRISING World Champion and the Miracle Galaxy Pro ENDVR Championship shine in the crimson radiance.

Spotlights converge and the silhouette’s anonymity is stripped away to reveal YELENA GORGO. The Woman Who Laughs. The Mama-san. The Mad Queen. Lipstick smeared across her mouth. Lips curled into a maniacal Cheshire grin. Mascara melting down her cheeks.

Her hands drop and the belt straps dangle to the floor as she begins walking down the aisle. A twisted giggle escapes her mouth like a jackal, with her shoulders hunching up and down with each hee-haw.

Thousands of fans watch her every movement. Some cheer like a ravenous mob, while others boo out of utter contempt and disgust, but every single one of them are on their feet.

She climbs the stairs to the apron and ducks into the ring. In the center of the ring, she drops to her knees and raises the belts into the air as her head bends awkwardly backwards, like a contortionist possessed by the devil. Then, suddenly, she lurches forward and spits water into the air. The mist falls down onto her body and hair-drenched face as the house lights rise.

Gorgo debuted a remix of If I Had a Heart by Fever Ray in April, 2024.
External Links