In her first match in over four years, Celeste Bonin — better known to WWE fans as NXT season three winner and one-time Divas champion Kaitlyn — returned to the ring on Saturday night.
Bonin wrestled for Coastal Championship Wrestling at the Coral Springs Charter School gym in Coral Springs, Florida. Taking on Rachael Ellering, Bonin beat the 25-year-old after nailing her with the spear.
Here are photos and video from the match, which featured a spot where Bonin threw Ellering on top of a table.
Celeste Bonin returns to the ring after a 4-year absence. pic.twitter.com/4i50wgqhPq
— Denny Burkholder (@DennyBurkholder) February 11, 2018
Brawl on the outside between @RachaelEllering & @CelesteBonin pic.twitter.com/3RxxozjNAy
— Denny Burkholder (@DennyBurkholder) February 11, 2018
…and the table spot. (By the way, obnoxious dude yelling in video is not me.) pic.twitter.com/2nsEO1o0Vn
— Denny Burkholder (@DennyBurkholder) February 11, 2018
Can’t believe this happened @CelesteBonin @RachaelEllering pic.twitter.com/gEpU880qx6
— Josh (@joshua7520) February 11, 2018
@CelesteBonin with a great spear tonight pic.twitter.com/hyhZOlQgH2
— Josh (@joshua7520) February 11, 2018
In recent months, Bonin has been training at the Main Event Training Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida under the direction of President/Head trainer Pablo Marquez (aka Babu in WWE). During an interview last month with WSVN-TV entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet, Bonin explained her decision to return to the ring after leaving WWE in January 2014.
“I retired pretty much four years ago and I didn’t really have any intention of going back or making any kind of come back or even wrestling for any other promotion like TNA. I was just super focused on my business and wrestling was kind of just in my past. Then when I got in the ring I was just super rusty which was a little embarrassing but I missed it so much,” Bonin said.
“I had such a tumultuous year in 2017, I went through a divorce and a bunch of changes in my company and moving warehouses and moving where I lived. I kind of fell out of a routine and I wasn’t working out and my life was kind of upside down but when I started wrestling again I kind of felt more purpose and structure and passionate about life in general again.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMU4HCgQduU&w=620&h=349]
Bonin has been chronicling her return to the ring on YouTube and Instagram. Here is what she posted on Saturday ahead of her return, which also shows some of the training she went through.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UbBfXAsOWE&w=620&h=349]
