The 25-year veteran says her Last Run Tour is officially over
Summary
– Mercedes Martinez says a torn right ACL has ended her in-ring career
– The injury happened during an August 15 match against Allie Katch
– Martinez says she plans to remain involved in professional wrestling
Mercedes Martinez has announced the end of her in-ring career after suffering a torn right ACL during her Last Run Tour.
The 25-year veteran was injured during an August 15 match against Allie Katch for 2CW. The match was stopped after Martinez’s knee gave out, and an MRI later confirmed the ACL tear.
Martinez had already planned for 2026 to be her final year as a full-time wrestler. While she originally hoped to continue making occasional appearances after completing the tour, she said the injury has now ended those plans as well.
Martinez explained that the injury may not be career-ending for every wrestler, but she does not believe returning from another lengthy recovery is realistic at this stage of her career.
Her Last Run Tour was designed to give Martinez one final opportunity to wrestle regularly while working with younger talent and giving back to women’s wrestling. Instead, the injury brought the tour to an unexpected end before she could complete it.
Martinez later confirmed that she is currently using crutches and wearing a temporary knee brace while waiting for surgery. She also revealed that she does not have health insurance and will be paying the medical expenses associated with surgery and recovery out of pocket.
Fans looking to support Martinez have been directed toward merchandise available through links on her Instagram page, with proceeds helping cover the growing medical costs.
Martinez began wrestling in 2000 and became one of the most respected names on the women’s independent scene. Her career included championship runs with promotions such as SHIMMER, WSU, SHINE and RISE before she later competed for WWE, Impact Wrestling, AEW and ROH.
Her WWE run included appearances in the Mae Young Classic, the 2020 Royal Rumble and NXT. After leaving the company, Martinez won Impact Wrestling’s Knockouts Knockdown tournament before eventually joining AEW.
Martinez later became ROH Women’s World Champion after defeating Willow Nightingale for the interim title and Deonna Purrazzo to become undisputed champion. Her reign lasted 220 days before Athena defeated her at Final Battle.
While her days competing inside the ring are over, Martinez made it clear that she is not leaving professional wrestling completely. She described the announcement as a goodbye to the in-ring portion of her career rather than wrestling itself.
