Willow Nightingale facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Willow Nightingale
Nightingale in January 2020
Birth name	Danielle Paultre
Born	(1994-01-25) January 25, 1994 (age 31) North Valley Stream, New York, U.S.
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)	Eye Candy Willa Monet Willow Monet Willow Nightingale
Billed height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Billed weight	183 lb (83 kg)
Billed from	Long Island, New York
Trained by	Bull James Mike Mondo
Debut	February 27, 2015

Danielle Paultre, born on January 25, 1994, is a talented American professional wrestler. She is widely known by her exciting ring name, Willow Nightingale. She works for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is part of a group called The Conglomeration. Willow used to be the AEW TBS Champion.

She also wrestles for other big companies like New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where she was the very first Strong Women's Champion. Plus, she competed in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and was a CMLL World Women's Champion. Before joining AEW and NJPW, Willow was also a well-known wrestler in Ring of Honor and Shimmer Women Athletes.

Willow's Wrestling Journey

Starting Out: Independent Wrestling (2015–Present)

Willow Nightingale in 2018

Danielle Paultre learned how to wrestle from Mike Mondo at the New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC) school. Her first professional wrestling match was on February 27, 2015. She wrestled as Willow Nightingale and lost to Sammy Pickles.

One year later, Willow won her first title, the NYWC Starlet Championship. She held this title for a long time. On February 23, 2019, she lost it to Kris Statlander. But Willow got her title back on January 25, 2020, by beating Tina San Antonio in a special steel cage match. On February 26, 2022, Willow won another title, the NYWC Fusion Championship. She won it in a four-way match against Johnny Radke, Dino Might, and John Silver.

Joining All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor (2021–Present)

Early Matches and Becoming TBS Champion (2021–2024)

Willow Nightingale first appeared in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on May 3, 2021. She wrestled Thunder Rosa on AEW Dark: Elevation but lost the match. On June 6, Willow also made her debut in Ring of Honor (ROH). She won her first ROH match against Alex Gracia.

Later in 2021, Willow joined a tournament to crown the first ROH Women's World Championship. She lost in the first round. However, she later became the top challenger for the ROH Women's World Championship. On December 11, at Final Battle, she challenged Rok-C for the title but did not win. After this, ROH took a break. Then, Tony Khan, who runs AEW, bought ROH.

On April 1, 2022, Willow wrestled Mercedes Martinez for an interim ROH Women's World Championship. She was defeated in that match. On April 8, Willow also took part in the Owen Hart Cup tournament in AEW. She lost a qualifying match to Red Velvet. On June 17, at Road Rager, Willow challenged Jade Cargill for the AEW TBS Championship. She lost this match and another challenge for the same title later that year. On October 21, 2022, AEW officially announced that Willow Nightingale had signed with them.

On June 2, 2023, Willow defended her Strong Women's Championship against Emi Sakura on AEW's AEW Rampage show. This was the first time that title was defended outside of NJPW. On June 17, Willow teamed up with Skye Blue to win a tag team match. Willow also competed in the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament. She won against Nyla Rose and Athena to reach the finals. On July 15, Willow defeated Ruby Soho to win the women's tournament!

On July 16, 2023, it was announced that Willow would face Athena again for the ROH Women's World Championship. This big match happened at Death Before Dishonor, but Willow was not able to win the title. In late 2023, Willow formed a tag team with Kris Statlander. They were managed by Stokely Hathaway.

On April 21, 2024, at Dynasty, Willow Nightingale achieved a huge goal. She defeated Julia Hart to win the AEW TBS Championship! She successfully defended her title against Skye Blue on May 1. However, on May 26, at Double or Nothing, Willow lost the TBS Championship to Mercedes Moné. Her reign as champion lasted for 35 days. After the match, her tag team partner Kris Statlander attacked her, ending their team.

Joining The Conglomeration (2024–Present)

After her tag team with Statlander ended, Willow Nightingale joined a new group called The Conglomeration. On July 3, 2024, at Beach Break, Willow defeated Kris Statlander to move forward in the Owen Hart Cup tournament. On July 10, Willow lost in the finals of the Owen Hart Cup to Mariah May because Statlander interfered.

On August 25, at All In Zero Hour, Willow teamed with Tomohiro Ishii to defeat Statlander and Hathaway. Because Willow's team won, she got to choose a special rule for her next match against Statlander. She chose a Chicago Street Fight for their match at All Out on September 7. Willow was defeated by Statlander in this match, which ended their rivalry. On October 12, Willow challenged Mariah May for the AEW Women's World Championship but did not win. After this match, Willow took some time off to recover from an injury.

Willow returned on November 23, 2024, at Full Gear. She helped her Conglomeration teammate Orange Cassidy in his match against Jon Moxley. Willow stopped Marina Shafir from interfering. After Full Gear, Willow continued to help other wrestlers like Cope, Swerve Strickland, and Samoa Joe against Moxley's group. On May 25, 2025, Willow was part of a big team match at Double or Nothing. On July 12, 2025, Willow competed in a women's match at All In.

Wrestling in Japan: Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (2022, 2025)

On October 29, 2022, Willow Nightingale wrestled for the first time in Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW). She teamed with Yuka Sakazaki to win a match. Willow returned to TJPW on March 16, 2025, and defeated Miu Watanabe.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2023–Present)

On April 27, 2023, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) announced that Willow would be in a tournament. This tournament was to crown the very first Strong Women's Champion. At the event called Resurgence on May 21, Willow defeated Momo Kohgo in the semi-finals. Then, she beat Mercedes Moné in the finals to become the first-ever Strong Women's Champion! She successfully defended her title on June 2 against Emi Sakura. However, on July 5, Willow lost the title to Giulia. Her reign as champion lasted 45 days.

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (2024–Present)

Willow Nightingale made her debut in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) on March 29, 2024. She teamed with La Catalina and Tessa Blanchard to win a match. On July 13, 2024, Willow won the vacant CMLL World Women's Championship by defeating Lluvia and Viva Van. On September 13, she lost the title to Zeuxis.

World Wonder Ring Stardom (2024–Present)

On April 4, 2024, Willow Nightingale also debuted in World Wonder Ring Stardom. She teamed with Saki to win a match. On May 18, Willow successfully defended her TBS Championship against Tam Nakano in Stardom.

Championships and Awards

Willow Nightingale has won many championships and awards throughout her career:

• All Elite Wrestling
  • AEW TBS Championship (1 time)
  • Women's Owen Hart Cup (2023)
• Chikara
  • Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas (1 time) – with Solo Darling
• Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
  • CMLL World Women's Championship (1 time)
• New Japan Pro-Wrestling
  • Strong Women's Championship (1 time, she was the first ever champion)
  • Strong Women's Championship Tournament (2023)
• New York Wrestling Connection
  • NYWC Starlet Championship (3 times)
  • NYWC Fusion Championship (1 time)
• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Ranked No. 40 among the top 150 female wrestlers in 2022
  • Ranked No. 8 among the top 250 women's wrestlers in 2023 and 2024
• Queens of Combat
  • QOC Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Faye Jackson
• Women's Wrestling Revolution
  • Tournament for Tomorrow (2018) – with Solo Darling
• Other Championships
  • Adult Swim Booty Championship (1 time, current; inaugural) - with Orange Cassidy

See also

In Spanish: Willow Nightingale para niños