Gabbi Tuft is returning to the ring 10 years after her last professional match, and this time, she will appear as her truest self. Tuft’s last match was held in March of 2014 where she competed under her old WWE persona Tyler Reks. Tuft felt her old character was outdated, and not just because Tyler Reks presented as a man. “Who Tyler Reks was, was undefined,” Tuft explains. Now, knowing her values, and her identity as both herself and her character, Tuft is returning with the confidence to entertain again.
Tuft stepped away from wrestling to spend time with her daughter and family. From in-ring knockouts to becoming a knockout herself, Tuft has wrestled with life’s obstacles (including open-heart surgery while on hiatus from wrestling). She began her gender transition back in 2021, attributing her transition to her “discovery of long-suppressed feelings.” After being medically cleared to wrestle last year, Tuft will return to the ring under the new persona “Mother.”
Similar to Reks, Mother is a villainous instigator who seeks to instill emotional conflict in her matches. The character is slightly inspired by the mixed reactions Ruft received after coming out: respect and love from peers in the industry, but also backlash from anti-trans wrestling fans. Nevertheless, her new character infuses an array of LGBTQ+ elements. Mother reflects the common search for community and longing. She also portrays some negative qualities, promising her wrestling fans room to watch her character develop.
At 45, Tuft grew tired of waiting around. Her ‘now or never’ attitude returned her to the independent circuit. Although no trans wrestlers have competed openly in the WWE, Mother is a step closer to making history. “This is my true self, me as authentic as I could be, knowing who I am, and no one can control me,” Tuft says. “This is 100% my creation, and I’m 100% confident that I can finish what I started.”
On June 25, she made her re-debut at West Coast Pro Wrestling’s “Killing Them Softly” live show. Although the footage has not gone live yet, she spoke positively of the match. “(J-Rod) and I went 19 minutes in the main event and tore the house down with ‘This is awesome’ chants,” she says.
Tuft’s groundbreaking return is something powerful. “You can’t please everyone,” she says. “Half the world will look at this character, a trans woman, and wonder why I’m back, they’ll hate me; the other half will understand and absolutely love me. That’s OK; the whole world will be watching.” As the world of sports continues to make shifts towards LGBTQ+ inclusion, Tuft acts as an influential model in the journey towards change.
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