Mercedes Martinez Talks About Her First Meeting With Rhio And Her Progress

While Mercedes Martinez has been a regular in both AEW and Ring of Honor, she's still taking time to wrestle in other promotions as well. That includes some stops in the United Kingdom, where Martinez will be this weekend, facing Safire Reed for Pro Wrestling EVE on July 16, and facing Rhio for North Wrestling the day before on July 15.

It was the Rhio match that Martinez was asked about while making an appearance on Cultaholic Wrestling's "Desert Island Graps" podcast. And it's for good reason, as Martinez and Rhio, an eight-year pro who gained notoriety working on the U.K. indie scene, have a history that dates back to Rhio's early days in the business.

"I met Rhio a long time ago, I think she did one of my seminars when I was in the U.K.," Martinez said. "It was my first time seeing her. She just got into the business ... I don't even remember how long ago ... she was so brand new, and she took the seminar I was doing, and she hit a home run."

Martinez lost track of Rhio for a bit, as she concentrated on her own career, first in WWE and now in AEW and ROH. But the former ROH Women's World Champion is well aware of what Rhio can do and is excited to face her and see what she's learned since they first met all those years ago.

"I keep tabs on my England prospects, just because I love going over there and I love to see who's on top," Martinez said. "And that's the one name everyone pushes out there. And I was just like, 'Man, I remember when she first started.' She has come a long way, and for this match to come up, I'm really, really excited."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Desert Island Graps" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription