Born on January 1992 in Queens, New York as Karen Yu, Choo has been competing in one way or another most of her life. Not only did she do gymnastics for over 12 years, but she also received an NCAA scholarship for Volleyball, where she played and earned a degree in Physical Education from Queens College. Yu then went on to obtain her Master’s in Teaching from Lehman College. Prior to her wrestling journey, she taught in an Elementary School.
Yu was first trained to wrestle by Johnny Rodz at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, then by Damian Adams at the Team Adams Pro Wrestling Academy in Wharton, New Jersey. She debuted in 2014 under her birth name, appearing with the Centereach, New York-based Victory Pro Wrestling (VPW) promotion. After a stint in VPW, where she won the VPW championship, Yu showed up at Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), where she fought a big match against Miranda Vionette, Willow Nightingale and Deonna Purrazzo.
When Ring of Honor signed Yu in April 2017, after stints in Beyond Wrestling, Women’s Wrestling Revolution, and RISE Wrestling, she was well on her way to stardom. She lost to Deonna Purrazzo in a no-disqualification match at Survival of the Fittest in November 2017. Kelly Klein defeated Yu at Final Battle 2018 to win the Women of Honor World Championship, marking her first pay-per-view match. Right before making the move to WWE, Yu would have a short stint in Impact Wrestling.
Since the Mae Young Classic, Yu’s rise has been quiet but unmistakable. As “Karen Q” for WWE, she teamed with Xia Li on NXT house shows from February through July 2019. Yu then suffered a fractured lateral malleolus in July 2019 and underwent two surgeries over the next two years to recover. “Mei Ying” was introduced on NXT in December 2020 as the head of the stable “Tian Sha” along with Xia and Boa.
In August 2021, she returned to the ring. Not long after, the Ying character was changed to be renamed “Wendy Choo.” Most recently, as part of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, Choo and Dakota Kai faced off against Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray in March 2022.
The general thought is that Yu is a pleasant person inside and out of the ring. She has a lot to give, and a bright future ahead of her. The WWE has the potential to create a star with her, and we all hope to be here to see it.
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