Wrestling an average of five times a week, not including training and traveling, you would think that with what time Sarah “The Dark Angel” Stock has to herself would be spent recuperating at her current home in Monterrey, Mexico.

Think again.

The Winnipeg native wrapped up another successful year in the lucha libre landscape by winning a body building contest, held by the very promotion she works for, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL).

Sarah Stock strikes a winning pose at the CMLL body building competition. Photo courtesy of Sarah Stock.

“They (CMLL) told us about four months before the contest,” Stock said over the phone with SLAM! Wrestling while visiting family in Winnipeg during the Christmas season.

“It was just between the wrestlers in CMLL. As soon as I heard about it I just wanted to get in really good shape and train really hard in the gym. I ended up winning it.”

In typical Stock fashion, she would establish a ferocious work out routine, combined with a strict diet of high protein, low carbohydrates.

“I pretty much stopped training in wrestling for that whole time. I really got into the weight lifting; three times a day I was working out, plus the diet. Aside from the weights, I would do two hours of cardio a day. I lost a lot of weight,” Stock told.

“I did a lot of research on my own; checked out some sites on the internet. The diet was pretty basic. I would eat every couple of hours and made sure I was eating protein. I cut out all the stuff that I shouldn’t be eating; fried food, bread, rice, potatoes. Mainly it was just vegetables and protein.”

As much of a challenge as it was upholding a disciplined eating schedule, Stock also struggled with keeping her wrestling engagements.

“That was the hardest part,” recalled Stock.

“The gym opens at 6 a.m., so I had to wake up early enough to get there first and do what you can do before you have to go wrestle. The past few months I was wrestling five shows a week. There were days where I just wanted to just relax and not go anywhere. It wasn’t that bad because if I did have to do any traveling it was the perfect time to rest.”

The body building competition was held in Arena Mexico. There, wrestlers from the promotion were placed in different divisions. Stock would find herself up against three other fellow luchadoras.

“It was short, but exciting while we were out there. It started at 11 in the morning and the whole thing was over in two hours. Only the judges and the wrestlers could watch. Don’t let those pictures fool you. It’s been only a few weeks after that contest and I don’t look anything like that. It was all working towards that one day. The first thing I ate (after the competition) was some chocolate covered raisins!”

As it turned out, the body building competition was not the only unique experience the University of Manitoba graduate would have in Mexico. As Stock explains, she also found herself in the role of a stunt woman.

“There’s an agent who works with other wrestlers. The girl who was supposed to do the stunt just couldn’t make it, so he was franticly asking wrestlers for a light skinned woman who could do a stunt. They passed along his information to me, got a hold of him, and that’s how it came about.”

“It was pretty cool. They flew me out; it was just one days work in a town called Merida (in the Yucatan). Most of the day I was just relaxing until they needed me at nine o’clock at night. It was just a matter of jumping onto a bed and falling off of it. It was a commercial for the new Playstation 3 console.”

And will this mean a new career for Stock as a stunt woman?

“They were happy with me and said I did a really good job. I couldn’t believe they would fly me in and pay me just to do what I did. I’m not complaining; I’d do it again and again. They said there should be lots of work coming. I just hope it’s true and I can continue doing it.”

The holiday break from the Mexican scene is a perfect time for Stock to look back on 2006. Aside from winning the first ever women’s mask match at Arena Mexico, Stock also noted the overall demand for female wrestlers throughout the country.

“When I think about how often the girls were wrestling last year, it seems we all have more work this year with CMLL. The women’s division keeps gaining momentum and I hope that trend continues. This year saw some really strong rivalries. The audience really cares about us.”

It’s a stark contrast compared to other parts of the professional wrestling world.

The once vibrant Japanese market for women’s wrestling has imploded. World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) continues its full court press on T&A, with signals that they will now focus on hiring models and train them for the ring. WWE’s closest rival, Total Nonstop Action (TNA), has no women’s division, leaving unsigned female wrestlers with small pay days on the independent circuit.

Grateful as Stock is with the success she has achieve in the flourishing women’s wrestling scene in Mexico, setting goals for the new year continues to take precedent in achieving new heights of success

“It makes me happy to know I can go to a place like Mexico and have some success. I usually try to set a few goals. I’d like to continue with the fitness-body building and may change to a gym that is directed to those kinds of competitions. At the same time, I’d like to dedicate more time to wrestling training.”

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