Who is Heidi Christenson?

Heidi Christenson broke into the business at the side of her longtime boyfriend, Jeff Andrews, and quickly became one of wrestling’s brightest young stars. She cut her teeth in the old Coalition of Affiliated Leagues interfed in the early 2000s, where she captured her first World Title, before moving on to the WfWA, and eventually DEFIANCE Wrestling.

In DEFIANCE, she reached new heights, winning her second World Title as well as the World Trios Tag Titles alongside fellow Untouchables Kai Scott and Ronnie Long. But that era also transformed her. Wrestling’s one-time golden girl morphed into the sadistic, unpredictable, psychotic “Eater of Worlds and of Faces,” a destructive force whose reputation grew darker with every match.

Then came the personal collapse. She and Andrews split after nearly two decades together, and without him shielding her from the consequences of her chaos, Heidi was unceremoniously fired from DEFIANCE.

That was 2014. And for Heidi, it was only the beginning of the strangest chapter of her career.

Mexico

Heidi’s first stop after DEFIANCE was Mexico. She signed on with the infamous rudo stable Los Manos del Muerte—a group that had terrorized lucha libre for over twenty years. Jeff Andrews himself had once run with them in his rookie days, but Heidi was no follower.

Having originally trained as a luchadora before gradually reinventing herself as a martial arts crossover, Heidi dipped back into her old repertoire. She dusted off aerials and submissions she hadn’t touched in a decade, wowing lapsed fans who thought she’d grown complacent in DEFIANCE. To the surprise of many, she never once clashed for power with Gran Bárbaro, the feared leader of the Manos. Instead, she was a mercenary presence—revitalizing her image, reminding the world that she could fit into any system, any ring, any country.

Then, just as suddenly, she was gone. One day she packed her bags and vanished, later remarking only that the Manos “no longer needed her.”

Japan

From Mexico, Heidi crossed the Pacific to Japan, where she leaned into the archetype of the brutal gaijin heel. Promising to “turn all the Joshi into origami,” she became the monster at the gates of Hikari Pro Joshi, a promotion whose proud fighting spirit ethos was tailor-made for Heidi to trample.

She worked there for over a year, splitting time between singles competition and a villainous tag team with fellow gaijin heel—and Kai Scott disciple—Diane Parker. On one tour they were even joined by Luz Rojo of the Manos del Muerte, forming an unholy trinity that battered the promotion’s homegrown heroes.

Heidi’s apex came when she captured the Hikari Pro World Title, holding it until a clash with the promotion’s ace, Saori Kazama. Known for her deadly elbows, Saori went strike-for-strike with Heidi in a 30-minute Queen’s Road showcase, surviving Heidi’s dreaded roundhouses before overwhelming her with an elbow barrage capped by a sliding rolling elbow for the win.

Humiliated, Heidi demanded a rematch—this time wagering her career. The encore was even more brutal. Saori dodged the kick that had ended so many matches, launched herself from the top, and drilled Heidi with a flying Superman elbow. One, two, three.

The wrestling world braced for Heidi to snap. Instead, she did the unthinkable: she embraced Saori, bowed to the fans, and left without incident. Somehow, Saori Kazama had treated Heidi with enough respect to avoid igniting her notorious temper, while still defeating her definitively.

Europe

Heidi drifted into Europe next, making one-off appearances in a variety of promotions across Germany, the UK, and the Low Countries. Some fans thought she was chasing a third act in pro wrestling. Others assumed she was killing time. Her matches were solid, her presence undeniable, but there was no consistency. No faction, no belts, no angles. Just Heidi being Heidi—storming in, wrecking house, and moving on.

And then, out of nowhere, she held a press event in Amsterdam. There, flanked by representatives from the Mejiro Gym, Heidi Christenson announced her retirement from professional wrestling and her transition to mixed martial arts.

The wrestling world gasped. The MMA world sneered. Heidi shrugged. When pressed about her reasons, she was flippant. Was there really anything left to do in pro wrestling? She wasn’t going back to America. She had conquered Mexico and Japan. As for Saori Kazama? “Kid did good,” Heidi quipped.

When critics pointed out that she was already pushing forty, Heidi’s only response was a deadpan: “Meh.”

And so…

In 2017, Heidi Christenson stepped into the cage for the first time, a pseudo-celebrity curiosity making the leap into MMA. Her debut ended in a first-round triangle choke. By 2022, she was 9-0, polarizing as ever. Purists insisted she was just a pro wrestler crushing cans; her fans hailed her as proof that crossover stars could dominate. Each fight, the haters predicted exposure. Each fight, Heidi won anyway.

But in the shadows of her rise, another woman was carving her own path. One whose future would collide with Heidi’s in ways that neither of them—or the MMA world—could have imagined.

Her name was Astrid Reichert.