Taya Valkyrie

Kira Renée Magnin-Forster (born October 22, 1983) is a Canadian professional wrestler, fitness competitor, and model better known by the ring name Taya Valkyrie, who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

She also performs AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH).

Outside of AEW, she also wrestles for Mexico's Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where she is a record-tying 4-time AAA Reina de Reinas Champion; in Major League Wrestling (MLW) - where she is the inaugural MLW Women's Featherweight Champion; and in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

Valkyrie holds the record for the longest reigns as Impact Knockouts and AAA Reina de Reinas Champion.

She previously wrestled in Impact Wrestling - where she is a former (and longest reigning) Impact Knockouts Champion, and a two-time Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion - and briefly with WWE under the ring name Franky Monet.

Forster is a classically trained ballerina.

She had trained in gymnastics and studied dance since age four and went on to study at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

In 2005 she began competing in fitness competitions and doing fitness modeling, placing 1st in CBBF Canadian Championships 2010, and 2nd in the Arnold Amateur in 2011.

She featured in several fitness magazines and calendars over her fitness career.

In 2010, Forster began training with Lance Storm at Storm Wrestling Academy and graduated from it in September 2010.

She was a part of Lance's Canadian reality series World of Hurt and also season two of the show with Roddy Piper.

From there, Forster would then go on to compete at various Canadian promotions under the ring name Taya Valkyrie, most notably Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW).

Forster moved to Mexico and began wrestling for various promotions within the country early in her career.

She was originally supposed to stay in the country only for six weeks, but was convinced to stay by El Hijo del Perro Aguayo, who offered her a spot in his Los Perros del Mal stable.

On April 1, 2012, Forster debuted in Perros del Mal.

She wrestled for PDM for most of the year before moving on to work for other promotions including Legend Promociones, Universal Wrestling Entertainment, Invasion RCH and International Wrestling League.

Forster made her in ring debut for the Mexican promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide under the ring name Taya Valkyrie on November 3, 2012, competing in a six–person mixed tag team match, teaming with Gran Apache and Mari Apache in a winning effort against Cuervo, Faby Apache and Lolita.

Throughout 2012 and the beginning of 2013, Valkyrie competed in several tag team matches ending up in both winning and losing sides.

On March 3, 2013, Valkyrie defeated Jennifer Blake to advance in the finals of a tournament for the vacant AAA Reina de Reinas Championship.

Two weeks later, on March 17, at Rey de Reyes, Valkyrie competed in a four-way elimination match against Faby Apache, LuFisto and Mari Apache but was unsuccessful in winning the vacant Reina de Reinas Championship.

On June 4, 2014, Valkyrie defeated Cynthia Moreno, La Jarochita, La Magnifica, Mari Apache, Sexy Lady and Sexy Star in a seven–woman elimination match to become the number one contender to Faby Apache's Reina de Reinas Championship.

Two months later, on August 17, at Triplemanía XXII, Valkyrie defeated Faby Apache to win the Reina de Reinas Championship, winning her first championship.

On September 12, in her first title defense, at an Independent Total event, Taya defeated Cachorra Flores, Faby Apache, Karina Duval, Muneca Sarcasmo and Princesa Metallica in a six-way elimination match.

In her first televised title defense, at the Héroes Inmortales IX event, Forster, now billed as simply Taya, defeated Goya Kong, Lady Shani, La Hiedra and Maravilla (whom she pinned) in a five-way match.

Taya debuted in Lucha Underground on the February 24, 2016, episode, as the partner of Johnny Mundo.

She made her in-ring debut on the March 9 episode, losing to Cage in a no disqualification match.

Taya competed in Aztec Warfare II, on the April 12, 2016, Episode, her first Title match at Lucha Underground.

She Entered at Number 9, and eliminated Cage, but was later pinned and eliminated by Fénix.

She lost the title to Ayako Hamada on March 19, 2017, ending her reign at 945 days, the longest in the title's history.

In a rematch between the two, contested in a no disqualification match, Taya defeated Hamada on April 21 to win the Reina de Reinas Championship for a second time.

On July 1, AAA's Director of Talent Vampiro declared the Reina de Reinas Championship vacant.

On July 16, after Sexy Star returned to AAA to win the vacant title, Forster claimed on Twitter that she had been backstabbed by AAA and publicly quit the company.

According to the Wrestling Observer, AAA asked Johnny Mundo, Forster's fiancé, to turn in the Reina de Reinas Championship belt for a photo shoot and when he did, they declared the title vacant.

Vampiro initially said that Forster was stripped of the title for using an illegal chokehold in her April 21 match with Hamada, despite it being a no disqualification match; he later claimed at a TV taping that Forster had no-showed the event, even though she was never scheduled to appear.

On the September 7, 2017, episode of Impact!, Taya Valkyrie made her debut for Impact Wrestling attacking Rosemary, establishing herself as a heel in the process.

A week later, Valkyrie competed in her first match where she defeated Amber Nova, after using a new finisher Road to Valhalla.

Throughout September and October, Valkyrie continued her rivalry with Rosemary, which eventually led to a match between the two, where Valkyrie was victorious.

The two were supposed to face off again, in a first blood match at Bound for Glory, on November 5, but the match was eventually cancelled due to unforeseen personal circumstances regarding Valkyrie.

After a five-month absence, Valkyrie made her return on the March 1, 2018, episode of Impact!, where she once again attacked Rosemary and renewed their rivalry.

The two competed once again on the April 12 episode of Impact! in a demon's dance match, in which Valkyrie lost to Rosemary, ending their feud.