Evita Verano

**Eva Laura Martinez** (nee **Verano**; born November 15, 1980), better known by her ring name **Evita Verano**, is a Puerto Rican semi-retired professional wrestler, trainer, producer, and commentator currently signed to Omega Wrestling Alliance, where she performs commentary duty in the promotion's developmental territory, OWT.

## Early Life

Verano was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico as the third of five children born to famed Puerto Rican wrestler Cesar Verano and his wife, Pilar Flores. She has two older brothers, Francisco and Rosalino, one younger brother, Hector, and a younger sister, Claudia. All five went on to become professional wrestlers. Her father was trained to wrestle by her grandfather, Julio Verano, who is the patriarch of the Verano wrestling family. Her maternal uncle, Omar Flores, is also a former wrestler.

## Professional Wrestling Career

### **Training and Early Career (1996 - 1999)**

Verano and her older brothers began training under their father in early 1996, and she made her debut one day after her sixteenth birthday at a small show in Bayamón under the name **Evita Verano**. As her parents forbid her to wrestle too far away prior to her graduating from high school, Verano continued to train and only wrestled at shows in the San Juan area. After graduating in 1998, she began taking bookings in other parts of Latin America and later embarked on a two-month tour of Japan with the all-female Joshi Extreme Takeover promotion. By late 1999, she was offered a contract by Lucha del Campeonato Supremo.

### **Lucha del Campeonato Supremo (2000 - 2004)**

Verano began working for San Juan-based LCS, the most popular promotion on the island, in early 2000. She capped off her first year in the company by winning the Campeonato de Mujeres for the first time. In mid-2001, she began a storyline with Iván Martinez, one of the promotion's up-and-coming *rudos* (heels). The angle saw him continuously try to woo Verano despite her A.) being firmly established as a *tecnico* (face), and B.) her storyline romance with another wrestler, Jorge Estrada. In late 2001, the storyline came to a head with Verano's shocking betrayal of Estrada to side with Martinez and her subsequent joining of the stable he was in. Verano went on to hold the Campeonato de Mujeres on two more occasions before she and Martinez departed LCS in early 2004.

### **Millenium Wrestling Federation (2004 - 2008)**

In early 2004, Verano and Martinez relocated to the United States to work for Boston-based Millenium Wrestling Federation. While there, she continued to manage him and held the MWF Women's Championship twice before the promotion closed in February 2008.

### **Trainer (2004 - present)**

After her older brother Francisco retired from active competition, he opened a wrestling school, The Verano Wrestling Academy, in Tampa, Florida. Verano and Martinez began training recruits at the school soon afterward.

### **Omega Wrestling Alliance (2018 - present)**

#### **OWT (2018 - present)**

In March 2018, it was announced that Verano had been signed to the upstart Philadelphia-based promotion OWA. Later, it was revealed that she would become a commentator for OWT shows alongside Pierre McGuire. She was also tasked with producing a number of men's and women's matches in the territory.

## Personal Life

Verano married longtime boyfriend and one-time stablemate Iván Martinez in April 2005. The pair reside in the Philadephia Main Line community of Lower Merion Township with their three children, Antonio (born 2006), Sergio (born 2010), and Paulina (born 2015). The family previously lived in Tampa, Florida for several years. She enjoys cooking and formerly helped with her sister-in-law's catering business. Verano is a fan of the Miami Heat, Tampa Bay Rays, and boxing, citing Canelo Álvarez as her favorite fighter. She is good friends with Kyle Lewis, Samantha Garza, and Valentina Green.

## In Wrestling

* **Finishing Moves**
	+ Leg-trap sunset flip powerbomb
	+ Muta lock
	+ Springboard or diving facebuster
* **Signature Moves**
	+ Camel clutch, preceded by a somersault roll onto the opponent's back
	+ Float-over DDT
	+ Headscissors takedown
	+ Inverted leg-drop bulldog, into a split-legged pin
	+ Multiple kick variations
		- Axe, sometimes transitioned from neckscissors
		- Bridging Pele
		- Jumping roundhouse
		- Leg-feed spinning mule
		- Springboard drop
	+ Rope-hung dragon sleeper
	+ Somersault suicide dive
	+ Spinning modified backbreaker rack
	+ Surfboard
	+ Wheelbarrow victory roll

* **Wrestlers Managed**
	+ Iván Martinez

## Championships and Accomplishments

* Azteca de Lucha
	+ ADL Latin American Championship (1 time)
* Lucha del Campeonato Supremo
	+ LCS Women's Championship (3 times)
	+ LCS Mixed Tag Team Championships (2 times, with Iván Martinez)
* Millenium Wrestling Federation
	+ MWF Women's Championship (2 times)