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 Welp. This is me, Mercedes Martinez.
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 <br>
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 As many of you know, on August 15th, I was injured in the ring. The prognosis: a torn ACL in my right knee.
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 <br>
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 Definitely not the way I envisioned ending my in-ring wrestling career.
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 <br>
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 But… such is life.
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 <br>
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 After almost 26 years in this business, I’ve learned that you can plan, prepare, and give everything you have...and sometimes life throws you a curveball you never saw coming.
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 <br>
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 So right now, I’m doing my best to stay levelheaded, manage the stress and frustration, and take this one day at a time.
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 <br>
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 For those who may not know my story, I’ve been wrestling for 25 years, going on 26. For most of that time, I also worked a full-time job and a part time job, all while pursuing wrestling.
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 <br>
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 Six years ago, I finally took the leap and became a full-time professional wrestler.
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 <br>
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 In 2020, I signed my first contract with WWE.
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 In 2021, I signed with AEW.
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 Those contracts also meant something I had never taken for granted: money for health benefits.
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 <br>
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 When my AEW contract expired, those benefits went away too. And because I returned to being an independent wrestler, my income dropped significantly.
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 <br>
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 Since then, I’ve been paying for my healthcare completely out of pocket.
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 And now, this injury has created a situation I never expected to be in.
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 I need surgery on my right ACL, followed by rehabilitation. Because I currently don't have health insurance, I am considered self-pay, which means the surgery has to be paid for outright before it can be scheduled.
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 <br>
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 The same goes for rehab. Each session has to be paid for at the time of the appointment.
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 On top of the medical costs, I still have everyday bills to pay while I’m unable to work.
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 <br>
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 I honestly didn’t expect to have no income through the end of December. This injury completely threw a massive curveball into my plans for the next year.
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 <br>
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 The money raised through this GoFundMe will help cover:
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 <br>
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 • My ACL surgery
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 • Medications and medical expenses
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 • Physical therapy and rehabilitation
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 • My regular bills while I’m unable to work
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 • The unexpected costs that come with this injury
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 <br>
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 My hope is to get through this without putting myself into medical debt—or debt in general—while giving myself the opportunity to properly heal.
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 <br>
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 I’ve already had quite a few medical appointments and expenses, and so many of you have helped by purchasing my merch and gear to help offset those costs.
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 <br>
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 I cannot tell you how much that support has meant to me.
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 <br>
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 But I still need some help.
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 <br>
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 I gave almost 26 years of my life to this business. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have made it through nearly all of those years relatively unscathed besides 2 shoulder surgeries that I HAD health insurance to cover for.
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 <br>
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 I never expected my in-ring career to potentially end this way.
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 <br>
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 But I also know that wrestling has given me so much more than the ability to step between those ropes.
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 <br>
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 It gave me a life.
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 It gave me incredible experiences.
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 <br>
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 It gave me people I love.
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 And it gave me a community that has supported me through some of the highest and lowest moments of my life.
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 So now, I’m asking that community for a little help getting through this one.
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 Whether you can donate, share this fundraiser, buy some merch, or simply send some love my way—thank you.
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 Every single bit helps.
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 My goal is to get this surgery, get through rehab, heal properly, and then figure out what the next chapter looks like.
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 I hope that once I’m healed, I can continue to be part of this business in a non-in-ring capacity.
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 Because I’m not ready to walk away from wrestling completely.
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 <br>
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 Thank you for 25 years. (Nov will hit 26yrs)
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 <br>
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 Thank you for the love.
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 <br>
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 Thank you for the support.
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 <br>
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 And thank you for helping me get through what is undoubtedly going to be one hell of a chapter.
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 <br>
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 From the bottom of my heart…
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 <br>
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 I love you all.
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 <br>
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<div>
 — Mercedes
</div>

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Help Mercedes Martinez Through ACL Surgery & Recovery

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Help Mercedes Martinez Through ACL Surgery & Recovery

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