Ex-professional female wrestler starts working hotel nightshift, ‘wrestles’ her way to general manager: ‘[She] was a bit rough around the edges… was pleased to see [her rise].’

Author image for Elna McHilderson
Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
May 4, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

When starting a completely new career, it's scary. You don't have any experience in this new work environment and you're afraid you won't know what to do. Sure, on paper you might technically not have any experience, but life isn't so black and white. Life experiences that have nothing to do with your new job might actually come very in handy. The point is, you never know! So don't be too afraid starting a new job, you might not have experience on paper, but you weren't born yesterday—you have life experience. 

 

Take, for instance, this ex-pro female wrestler. She started working the nightshift at a new boutique hotel. Corporate sent someone to check out the staff and he said she was "rough around the edges." However, he said to apply the acting that is necessary in wrestling for when she deals with guests. And guess what? It worked! But it wasn't just the acting that came in handy…

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  • Turns out her moves in the ring also came in handy while working the nightshift at the hotel! An unruly guest decided to wreak some havoc in the middle of the night, so she had to do what she had to do. One 15-minute leg lock later, the cops were there and she thought she had messed up. Even gave the guy complimentary mints as he was being cuffed. Little did she know that she did everything right and then some! Wrestlered her way up right to General Manager .

  • CHECK-IN
    via Unsplash+ (and Helena Lopes)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
    (Wrestler - Unsplash+ & Getty Images)

  • "How to wrestle your way to the top"

    About 15 years ago, my company bought a few hotels in the Americas. I traveled to Indiana to oversee the conversion of one into an upscale brand.
    via harconan
  • My role was to assess the staff and help them transition from moderate to boutique. Most of the team was solid, but I had concerns about our night auditor, Dawn, who was a bit rough around the edges.
    via harconan
  • During a nightshift with her, I learned she had been a professional wrestler in the '90s, which explained her blunt demeanor. I told her she didn't need to change who she was, just to channel her wrestling acting abilities into a customer- facing role. She took the
    via harconan
  • advice and made great strides. A few weeks later, I got a 2 a.m. call about an incident at the hotel. A drunken guest had stripped n ked and was terrorizing the cheerleader teams staying there. Dawn managed to stop him and detain him until the police arrived.
    via harconan
  • Reviewing the security footage, I saw Dawn had chased him down a hallway and cornered him, seeing no way out besides through dawn I saw the 300-pound guestturnnand charge at Dawn. She
    via harconan
  • Cheezburger Image 10500531456
    via Unsplash+ (and Curated Lifestyle)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • shifted into a sumo pose, then clotheslined him, sending him flat on his back. She followed up with a leg lock and held him there for 15 minutes until the cops came. You could seeing her face when she was looking at the cameras is the cops were picking him up, I think she thought I'd be
    via harconan
  • disappointed or concerned that she wasn't customer facing enough. So the last thing we saw on the security tape was Dawn taping a couple of complimentary chocolate mints to the guy as the cops laughed and cuffed him.
    via harconan
  • Five years ago, I checked in on the hotel and was pleased to see that Dawn had risen to the role of general manager. I guess she wrestled her way right to the top.
    via harconan
  • Drawing Typical5804 This is a story of how an unconventional work history for the position makes them uniquely qualified for the position. Go Dawn!
    via DrawingTypical5804
  • John_Spartan_Connor This is wholesome, thank you for sharing, maybe suggest dawn to make a profile and share more of her stories! Please!
    via John_Spartan_Connor
  • Cheezburger Image 10500531712
    via Unsplash+ (and Natalia Blauth)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • reddit-bat That's incredible! Your advice definitely made an impact on her career.
    via reddit-bat
  • RandomBoomer I would pay to see that security tape.
    via RandomBoomer
  • Margali The mints are chefs kiss
    via Margali
  • BigWhiteDog I love this and also love the fact that she taped complementary mints to him and he's hauled off
    via BigWhiteDoge

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Tags

hostels optimistic wholesome guests hospitality work story pro wrestler tales from the front desk upbeat what goes around comes around entitled people karma inspirational concierge inspiring pay back uplifting happy ending justice served workplace female wrestler hotels funny karma receptionist service industry
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