Sara Ann Amato (born November 13, 1980 in Martinez, California) is an American retired Professional Wrestler, manager and trainer who is better known as Sara Del Rey. She started as Nikki with All Pro Wrestling in Hayward in 2001, before going to work for the Japanese ARSION promotion. She worked for various promotions in the U.S., Mexico and in Japan, including appearing on the first ever SHIMMER show. Along with SHIMMER, she is best known for her work in Ring of Honor and CHIKARA. She has also competed for Wrestling Society X, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and did two house show (non-televised event) matches for TNA, one in 2009 and one in 2010. Among her in-ring achievements, she was an Impact Zone Wrestling Women's Champion, the first ever SHIMMER Champion
and a 1x SHIMMER Tag Team Champion with Courtney Rush as the Queens of Winning, the only Canadian Wrestling Revolution Women's Champion, a Pure Wrestling Association Tag Team Champion with Juan Ortiz, a 1x Pro Wrestling SUN Champion and Remix Pro Wrestling's first Women's Champion. She is considered one of the best wrestlers in the world today regardless of gender. In 2012, she became a trainer for WWE.
"Here's your chance to trope wrestling royalty!"
- The Ace: She won all three of her matches over the CHIKARA JoshiMania weekend, including defeating Aja Kong on night one.
- Action Heroine: Trained by Bryan Danielson, defeated Claudio Castagnoli and beat the crap out of Jakob Hammermeier. She pinned Tim Donst to win Chikara's 2011 Torneo Cibernetico, making her the first and so far only woman to do so. Earlier in the same match, she pinned Die Bruderschaft des Kreuzes' monster Tursas. Past opponents such as Chuck Taylor, who she also defeated, have put her over on commentary as a badass.
- All-American Face:
- As the American Angel, Mexico not withstanding.
- Reached surreal levels when The Dangerous Angels were competing for Ring Of Honor in the UK against Island natives Jetta and Eden Black. Eden Black and Jetta weren't just booed against the foreigners, a "USA" chant broke out.
- Amazonian Beauty: Played up after she was unmasked by Tsunami in LLF, well before then too but just more so afterwards. Larry Sweeney was also of this opinion in ROH. Del Rey herself discourages this view.
- Arch-Enemy:
- Originally Daizee Haze in JAPW and Ring of Honor but then they teamed up and it became everyone in CHIKARA during their BDK run. Her last feud in CHIKARA was with The Batiri.
- The Canadian Ninjas in SHIMMER, Portia Perez in particular, who faced Sara regularly in 2CW. American Angel has also had run ins with X-Tasis. She got along a little better with them in the NWA, ROH and All American Wrestling. A little.
- However, her most hated enemy is Cheerleader Melissa, who doesn't overshadow all others only because the feeling is not mutual to Melissa, she just insults and assaults people out of habit. Still, Melissa has acknowledged Sara Del Rey is more that "just" another opponent. Even when Del Rey wasn't around, Nikki was fighting Melissa. When Melissa wasn't around, Del Rey was fighting Raisha Saeed and Alissa Flash. It had looked like American Angel had learned to tolerate her in 2006 after hostilities lead to two "draws" under the APW banner but the "truce" wouldn't last. Haily Hatred would later almost force another in Jersey All Pro Wrestling by attacking them both during Melissa's second JAPW title shot.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Sara Del Rey is better than you and if you think otherwise, come to the gym or better yet try stepping in the ring with her. She's so much better than you she can beat you after giving you a free move. Bottom position nothing! She'll beat you on her back.
- Ass Kicks You: Hip attacks and the running butt-to-the-head spot done by Umaga in WWE has in the past been a regular feature of her offense.
- Badass Boast: Claims to know one million different submission holds.
- Bash Brothers: Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, Amber O'Neal, Daizee Haze, Madison Eagles, Saturyne, Shane Hagadorn.
- Braids of Action: Nic Grimes had them popping out the top of her mask, Del Rey's also given half of her head cornrows.
- Break the Haughty: Defeated Claudio Castagnoli, leading to her getting kicked out of the BDK.
- Buffy Speak: From the July 10, 2012 edition of CHIKARA's YouTube series The Throwdown Lowdown: She is introducing a clip of UltraMantis Black hitting a double clothesline on the BDK (Tim Donst and Jakob Hammermeier) at Hot Off The Griddle on April 28th."UltraMantis Black joins us this week to singlehandedly, or double clotheslinely, take out Donst and Jakob all by himself."
- The Bully: When she was working heel she was generally bigger, stronger, and more technically skilled than her opponents, and wasn't above toying with clearly outmatched opponents before putting them away. Even when working face she dipped into it sometimes - she did not have any patience for comedy wrestlers and was willing to punish them for irritating her.
- Calling Your Attacks: Her match with Sojournor Bolt to determine who would be the first Remix Pro Wrestling Women's champion spilled to the outside, where Sara Del Rey inquired among the fans who wanted to see Bolt next as she kicked and chopped Bolt around. One fan even held up a replica title belt for Del Rey to throw Bolt into but Bolt reversed the whip, so Sara hit it instead.
- The Cameo: A blink and you miss it one on Total Divas, of all things. Can be seen during the Bayley/Sasha Banks match at Takeover: Respect (presenting flowers to Sasha) and at the Kairi Sane/Shayna Bayzler final match of the Mae Young Classic.
- Charles Atlas Super Power: Hoisting both members of the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew in the Royal Butterfly, for example.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: It's well known that Sara Amato took a job as a trainer for WWE, but she took it so suddenly that Sara Del Rey got no sendoff whatsoever - no ceremonies, no retirement matches let alone a final tour - and disappeared in the middle of prominent angles in multiple promotions.
- Combat Commentator: For German Stampede Wrestling and SHINE
- Combination Attack:
- She could restrain multiple people in an Octopus hold, for Allison Danger to jump on.
- In the Death Kongs, Sara would "splash" opponents by being implant busted by Amazing Kong, usually finishing the opponent while leaving Sara no worse for wear. (Well, Del Rey has frustrated Kong with her ability to kick out of that move...)
- The Comically Serious: Sara Del Rey is so serious she at times loops back right around into comical. Even in atmospheres known for their stoicism such as Japanese ARSION and Zero 1 and especially in SHIMMER against the likes of the Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew, Regeneration X and The Canadian Ninjas.
- Cool Teacher: Head trainer at the WWE Performance Center and responsible for training (or refining the training) for some of the biggest names in women's wrestling (including Charlotte, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Carmella).
- Crowd Song: During her match against Kellie Skater at PWA Queensland's December 20, 2008 show, at one point some people in the crowd started singing (a la Taz in ECW or Samoa Joe in TNA), "Sara's gonna kill you, Sara's gonna kill you!" She's gotten that song in SHIMMER and CHIKARA too. The ROH bots sung the very Tazish "fuck her up Sara fuck her up!" at her when 21st Century Fox had visited for a night.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: In the winter of 2010, Sara Del Rey and Daizee Haze were demanding more competition from Ring Of Honor, who had been pitting them and the rest of the roster against OVW wrestlers. After being given another match with Taeler Hendrix, Del Rey scoffed and picked her apart, only relenting to let Hendrix get an open shot, which Del Rey no sold. She then stretched and choked Hendrix until Hendrix couldn't even attempt to get a shoulder up.
- Cut Short: Her Remix Pro Fury title reign. She teased "retirement"(aka, WWE) before Sassy Stephie came and took the belt.
- David Versus Goliath: One of several Goliaths Absolute Intense Wrestling threw at its women's champion Angel Dust. This has less to do with Del Rey being exceptionally large, though her 155-165 lb range makes Del Rey bigger than the average wrestler, and more to do with the fact Angel Dust weighed in at 90 lbs, small even by non athlete standards.note
- Defeat by Modesty: She and Eddie Edwards faced Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis at ROH Boiling Point on August 11, 2012. Edwards scored the win for his team by forcing Bennett to submit. Meanwhile, Sara had chased Maria under the mat and emerged with Maria's clothes.
- Defeat Means Friendship:
- Sara's "earned" the friendship of Christina Von Eerie after beating her at SHIMMER Volume 38, though she seemed to oblivious to the idea Von Eerie enjoyed her company. Christina isn't oblivious to the fact Sara is not an enthusiastic friend but was mistakenly convinced she gained Del Rey's respect after successfully defending the Alternative Wrestling Show Women's title and then beating Del Rey by count out at SHIMMER Volume 37. Though Del Rey did later deem Von Eerie "unique" and "good for wrestling" before vowing to destroy Chuck Taylor in a Pro Wrestling Is Art interview.
- Saturyne became her fangirl after losing to Del Rey at CHIKARA Caught in the Spider's Den and CHIKARA Aniversario: A Horse of Another Color
- Defeating the Undefeatable: Prior to the tournament to crown the first SHIMMER Champion, she had only suffered one loss during her run there, to Mercedes Martinez on Volume 8, October 22, 2006. She won the title on June 2, 2007 and would hold it for 10 months, losing it to MsChif on April 26, 2008.
- Demoted to Extra: After the transition from HD Net to Sinclair Broadcast Group in 2011, she wouldn't get another Woman Of Honor booking for over a year."I just noticed I'm not a part of the ROH roster anymore…boo!"
- Distaff Counterpart: To her trainer, Bryan Danielson. During her and Saturyne's match against the Batiri at Chikarasaurus Rex: How to Hatch a Dinosaur, June 2, 2012, her kicks sparked the same "YES!" chants that Daniel Bryan's do in WWE.
- Enemy Mine:
- Put aside her differences with rival Amazing Kong to destroy MsChif, whom she had multiple unsuccessful run ins with and lost the SHIMMER title to. They eventually became tag team "Death Kongs". When Cheerleader Melissa decided to stand with MsChif against them, this lead to her rival, Wesna, joining up with the Death Kongs. Fortunately for the rest of the roster, that trio was short lived.
- Attempted when she tried to recruit her SHIMMER rivals as a new partner after being disowned by Allison Danger, though all but Cheerleader Melissa, who apologetically mentioned a prior engagement, basically said "piss off".
- She previously derided Serena Deeb as not being worth her time, but recruited her for help against Daizee Haze for Ring Of Honor's 2010 Final Battle after Del Rey and Haze wrestled to a time limit draw on ROH's HD Net show.
- Evil Foreigner: Of course American Angel did have a Mexican supporter in Chacala but not many beyond her. She lost Chacala's support after becoming a tecnica though.
- Evil Minion: When Gorgeous Gary Garvin served as her manager, and, too a lesser extent Shane Hagadorn to the Kings Of Wrestling in general.
- Excessive Evil Eye Shadow: During her "Death Ray" runs, to the point of being or in addition to Evil Eye Brows. She on occasion wore eye shadow in the conventional cosmetic way during her Dangerous Angels run and eventually reverted to that practice, as seen in the page image.
- Facial Markings: As "Death Rey" she sometimes seemed to have painted on another set of eyebrows. Part of it seemed to be a riff on Cheerleader Melissa's eye shadow, especially since Del Rey and Kong's patterns vaguely matched Melissa and MsChif's.
- Face–Heel Turn: In CHIKARA, when she and La Malcreada (face) teamed against Daizee Haze and Bullfight Sora (heel). Sora was a comedy wrestler, and Del Rey - who'd complained that Haze was her only legitimate competition in CHIKARA and that she wanted more - went absolutely berserk on Bullfight, piledriving her repeatedly and getting disqualified in the process. Never outright confirmed, but this is likely what caused her to get invited into the Bruderschaft.
- Fingore:
- On SHIMMER Volume 35, Del Rey set out to disable Rachel Summerlynn's digits
- At RPW Throwdown for the Pound 5: Royal Battle, Sojournor Bolt made the mistake of accepting a test of strength challenge from Del Rey, which not only resulted in her fingers being squeezed, but stamped on.
- Finishing Move: Royal Butterfly, Piledriver, Omoplata (AKA, Lebell Lock, AKA Key Locked Arm Submission)
- Foreshadowing: At Cibernetico Increible, October 18, 2009, she and Daizee Haze cut a promo in which Daizee talked about how she didn't want "to be treated like a little lady" and how she and Sara were better than the guys, naming Eddie Kingston, Ophidian, Brodie Lee and Green Ant. Sara said, "There's something going on that I think we might be perfect for." That "something" turned out to be the BDK, which formed at the end of the 2009 Season Finale Three-Fisted Tales on November 22nd, and they took part in the big riot that marked its formation, attacking whoever they could find.
- Hard Head: Before she really became established as a technician or a striker, her head was a central part of Del Rey's offense. She has tried to out hard head Manami Toyota. Sara Del Rey never stopped being hard headed either, she just greatly expanded her repertoire to the point she does not rely on the being so as frequently.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: By way of the turns wrestlers tend to go through. She was especially on the dark side during Chikara, making lots of firsts for females in the organization despite being (or perhaps because of being) a ruda.
- High-School Dance: She did a photo shoot for the defunct texasanarchy.com with Arik Cannon that looked like they were dressed up for this.
- The Host: Of the weekly "Throwdown Lowdown" segment on CHIKARA's YouTube channel, which were clips showcasing great moves from different CHIKARA shows. As a heel in the BDK, she also hosted their weekly segment, the "VDK", which was about the same topic but limited to members of the BDK.
- I Can't Dance: Before her match with Courtney Rush on SHIMMER Volume 44, Courtney tried to get Sara to do a dance-off, complete with CHIKARA's own Bryce Remsburg as the referee and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" playing.note Sara says, "I don't know how." Courtney proceeds to do some bad dancing, which must have sparked some kind of Berserk Button for Sara, since she SCREAMS and just gives Courtney a big boot that sends her down to the mat.
- Improvised Weapon: In ROH, the Kings Of Wrestling came up with a metal elbow pad to give Sara an edge over Amazing Kong...although Hero claimed he got the idea from a gift Misawa gave him...
- It's All About Me:
- And this is why she, Kong (and Wesna) were doomed to split. Del Rey had no real interest in supporting anyone else as champion and lacked the drive for a prolonged chase after tag team champions Ashley Lane and Nevaeh.
- Reached absurd levels at SHIMMER Volume 47, where she revealed she did not even know Ashley Lane and Nevaeh had lost belts or that her frequent opponents Nicole Matthews and Portia Perez operated as team while trying to convince Matthews to be her partner.
- At nCw Femme Fatales IX, she refused to help Courtney against the Mid West Militia. Fine, she didn't want to turn down a shot at the International title belt but then the Canadian Ninjas demanded a they get their shot at Death Rush's SHIMMER titles that very night and Del Rey walked out on Rush, forcing her to fight both at once. Sara was just going to forfeit the belts but referee Bryce Remsburg refused to let them change hands without a match first. Sara would get her's though, as Courtney Rush ended up being the one between them to win an nCw Femme Fatales International Championship match down the road.(though WWE scooping up Del Rey is probably the real reason that happened)
- Jerkass Has a Point: Once blasted Angela Fong for being 'just another model, not a real wrestler' before a match they had; while Fong was fresh off 3 years of WWE at the time, she was mainly a fitness/bikini model before that. Considering Del Rey then absolutely wiped the floor with Fong when the match started, she wasn't 'entirely' wrong..
- Kick Chick: Uses a wide assortment of kicks. The Koppu kick is one of her trademarks, she also uses roundhouse kicks, a running push kick and occasionally an axe kick to the crown of the head.
- Kick the Dog: Let's just say Del Rey didn't approve of Allison Danger's other tag team partner in SHIMMER and made Leva Bates feel it (and keep feeling it even after the winning bell)
- Kick Them While They Are Down: Or rather suplex them while they are limp. Del Rey is strong enough that the mere setup for the royal butterfly is a potential submission hold to a lot of her opponents, and she's content to keep it wrenched in until they pass up and then toss them, even when just doing it quickly would have won the match anyway. She isn't above the traditional meaning of the phrase either.
- Kind Hearted Cat Lover: Away from work, loves cats. At work, has little time for the animal or wrestlers themed after it such as Puma, Fighting Cheetah Rie Tamada, Cat Power Hailey Rogers or Super Shisa. She was a partner of Lince Dorado and seemed to get along okay with La Malcriada at least.
- Lonely at the Top: Subverted, according to Remix pro, the gym, where she spends all her time, is where she ran into Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli.
- Masked Luchador: What her American Angel gimmick started off as, a silver blue and pink mask shaped like a star while wrestling in Mexico. Also in Wrestling Society X, to mask the fact she was not really Vic Grimes's sister. Also known for teaming with one, Saturyne.
- Mini Dress Of Power: Sort of, because that was not likely the intended image. American Angel had skirt tassels hanging off the back of her trunks (like a flag, get it?)
- Misplaced Retribution: Maria Kanellis started their ROH feud by attacking Del Rey outside of a match with no provocation. But due to Heel–Face Revolving Door, Del Rey proceeded antagonize many baby faces outside of ROH simply for reminding her of Kanellis in someway.
- Nicknaming the Enemy: The Minnesota Homely Wrecking Crew.
- No-Nonsense Nemesis: Usually, there are exceptions such as was when she admitted to April Hunter that she was a big fan, though that was probably when they were not directly opposed, Ai Fujita being Del Rey's primary concern in ARSION. Later confrontations would show Del Rey had abandoned her fan girl ways, probably having something to do with T&A ganging up on her in LLF.
- One-Steve Limit: American Angel and Dark Angel in LLF, even forming a team in NGX. Then they were both unmasked and revealed to be both named Sara(h).
- Oral Fixation: Chewing gum is one of her biggest weaknesses.
- Perpetual Frowner:
- For much of her JAPW Women's championship run. Commentators speculated that it had to do with a couple of canker sores. That wasn't the first time she went through such a phase though, an image of a frowning face has been incorporated into her ring gear. Also, her face paint often made her look this way, which made it all the more off putting when she really scowled while wearing it. (the comments on her beauty come from When She Smiles)
- In an ROH segment, she claimed to be happy when training for matches but angry about all other things related to wrestling, frowning because women's matches in particular weren't respected and the women in particular spent too much time working on their pretty smiles instead of raising the issue.
- Power Stable:
- Larry Sweeney's Sweet 'n' Sour Inc.
- Die Brüderschaft des Kreuzes (BDK) (with Ares, Tursas, Claudio Castagnoli, Daizee Haze, Pinkie Sanchez, Tim Donst, Lince Dorado, Delirious, Derek Sabato, Jakob Hammermeier, and Dieter Von Steigerwalt [Hydra]).
- Power Trio: The Kings of Wrestling with Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli. She's their most common third besides maybe Arik Cannon.
- Real Women Don't Wear Dresses:
- In Ring Of Honor, she rejected Larry Sweeney's offer to groom her for a WWE contract because she was not a "diva". (Off camera, Sara had applied to WWE but was not accepted, for whatever reason).
- On the July 28, 2012 episode of ROH TV, there was a clip of Sara attacking Maria during a brawl between Eddie Edwards and Mike Bennett. This cut to an Edwards promo where he said that he could do anything he wanted to Mike Bennett but he couldn't put his hands on Maria, so he got someone who could. Sara walked into the scene and called Maria "disgusting. You worry about your hair and your nails when a real woman would break you in half." (See Defeat By Modesty above.)
- Death Rey subjected XFC cage doll dancer (and former queen of FCW) Angela Fong to an extended squash to prove models can't be wrestlers, at least not good wrestlers. This had extra humiliating aspects, as Fong was fresh off leaving WWE, had a strong reputation as a fitness model, and got completely dominated, with Sara winning all 3 falls, and Fong getting no offense whatsoever. Sara had no problems tagging with Santana Garret, "the model", before that incident but later became dismissive of her too, demanding Jazz after pinning Garret at Evolve 14(you can thank Kanellis for Del Rey's change in attitude).
- Red Baron "The Queen of Wrestling", "Death Rey".
- The Rival:
- Ashley Lane was the first Ohio Championship Wrestling Women's Champion. Sara Del Rey was the last OCW Women's Champion. Del Rey would also fight off some stranger named Madison Rayne in Jersey All Pro. Undaunted, Rayne would show up in Remix Pro calling herself "The Queen Of Wrestling"
- While Del Rey was the SHIMMER Champion, Amazing Kong was the NWA Women's World Champion and both tried unsuccessfully to take each other's belts. Belts they both lost to a certain screaming banshee...
- Sara finally got that elusive one on one victory over MsChif she had been trying to get for at least six years at Ring Of Honor's ninth anniversary, which was ironically the first time Del Rey doubted she could do it, but even then, her issues with MsChif were not quite finished.
- She and Josie indirectly in Remix Pro Wrestling, as they were the two most seen women in the company but rarely encountered each other up until it was time to crown a women's champion. Incidentally, the crowds didn't like either of them at first but warmed up to Sara Del Rey over time while Josie was corrupted by the "Anti Heroes". They also traded wins in OVW and Ring of Honor, Josie winning in the former and Del Rey in the latter.
- Rock–Paper–Scissors: She and Daffney played it in PWElement to decide on who started in the ring during tag team matches.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: She tosses you in butterfly formation. She earned that title "Queen" by proving herself to the Kings Of Wrestling, so its to be expected. (if you want to get cute, you could suggest her name roughly translates to "descended from a king" but she'd rather you didn't, she earned that title.)
- Serious Business Adamant enough that Chris, Claudio and herself were the only royalty in wrestling to send threatening tweets at other wrestlers speaking different languages on different continents for calling themselves "queens" on twitter, though she stopped after becoming a trainer for WWE.
- Shoo Out the Clowns: In Chikara circa 2007, she and Daizee Haze were by far the two best women in the promotion, and they regularly faced each other in tag matches with less talented partners. Del Rey was supposedly the face, but she'd been getting grouchy about the lack of decent competition... and then Haze got partnered with Bullfight Sora, a comedy character. Del Rey came completely unhinged and beat on Bullfight until she got an excesivo de castigo (excessive violence) disqualification. Not too long after, Haze got Del Rey on board with the BDK...
- Shout-Out: Besides Bryan Danielson's, The Kings Of Wrestling and BDK themes, she's also came out to "Boss Of The World" (Bull Nakano's Theme)
- Signature Move: Used to be a power bomb, which was considered an outdated move when she started. She later became known for mixing various holds and chokes with a gory special as well as a bridging fall away slam. Then she came up with a delayed northern lights brain buster during a match with Yumi Ohka.
- Straight Man: Striving to be calm collected and always serious Del Rey was very much so to the hyperactive and gleefully optimistic Courtney Rush, whom Sara did not even like very much, except for the fact Rush was always stroking her ego.
- Tag Team:
- Dangerous Angels, with Allison Danger
- The Queens of Winning, with Courtney Rushnote Also known as Death Rush.
- With Daizee Haze in Chikara, never officially named but called "Death Haze" by fans.
- Sweet & Sour Incorporated Presents The ROH Undisputed Intergender Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Of The World, Sara Del Rey and Chris Hero!
- Time to Unlock More True Potential: "The seasoning" as the Kings of Wrestling got in NWA Pro's Inoki Dojo.
- Tomboy: Has said that she was this when she was young.
- Tournament Arc:
- La Copa LLF 2006 ended on a low note when American Angel defeated Lady Apache.
- Then there was SHIMMER, where she managed to overcome the antics of The Lovely Lacey after four rounds to become the first singles champion
- Won the tournament to crown the first Canadian Wrestling Revolution Women's Champion when she beat Danyah in the finals.
- The Ohio Championship Wrestling's Ladies Night 2 tournament final was a three way where Sara Del Rey outlasted ODB and Allison Danger.
- Liberty State Pro Wrestling's Iron Girls 2 was one of the last she managed to win by defeating Alexxis in the finals.
- After coming up short in her previous three entries into Chikara series, she won the Torneo Cibernetico in 2011.
- Underestimating Badassery: While the Canadian Wrestling Revolution women's champion, she announced she would be defending against a "hardcore legend", someone named LuFisto, and boasted about how easy it would be. While Del Rey did not drop the belt, she's never had a title defense against the hardcore legend that anyone would call "easy". LuFisto would go on to spoil Del Rey's chances at being the first nCw Femme Fatales International Champion.
- Unnecessary Roughness: At A World of Comforting Illusions, Incoherence (Hallowicked and Frightmare) defeated Sara and Daizee by DQ for this reason after Sara piledrove Frightmare four times without bothering to go for a cover. This is also why the Death Kongs were unable to win the SHIMMER tag team titles, they were too interested with hurting people to let disqualifications stop them.
- Unrelated Brothers: To Vic Grimes in Wrestling Society X, as "Nic Grimes."
- Ur-Example: Besides the SHIMMER and Remix Titles, Del Rey was also the first woman to hold a Pure Wrestling Association tag team title and was the first and only JAPW women's champion until Chicks Using Nasty Tactics (Kimber Lee and Annie Social) battled it out to decide who would be her successor four years later. Del Rey successfully defended the belt for at least three years until training WWE superstars seemed to get in the way of title defenses.
- Villain Ball: She had Larry Sweeney cancel her match with Serena Deeb on SHIMMER Volume 22 and set up a SHIMMER title shot at ROH Rising Above. Del Rey couldn't resist attacking MsChif after she retained the title against Ariel though, Deeb came to fight Del Rey off, a referee emerged to restore order, then realized the match could happen anyway and had the bell rung.
- Warts and All: Her ruda runs have had this theme more than once. She's commonly touted as the best wrestler in the world and admired by many who realize she's an aloof, overly cruel, self centered, unpleasant dirty cheat, who nonetheless is every bit as good a wrestler as touted.
- Wearing a Flag on Your Head: In her All-American Face role in SHIMMER in 2007.
- We Used to Be Friends: Tsunami and American Angel started out as a ruda tag team before Tsunami took up the ways of a tecnica. Unmasked American Angel would eventually become a tecnica herself but Tsunami went back to being a ruda by then so they were still at odds.
- The Worf Effect: One of the downsides to being recognized as the best. Kana's entry into SHIMMER was preceded by clips of Sara Del Rey (and Melissa) being blanked by her and Del Rey remained winless against Kana in SHIMMER (unlike Melissa ), though outside of the promotion, Del Rey has prevailed against Kana in the overwhelming majority of their encounters.
