Jill 'The Lion' Matthew

Jill 'The Lion' Matthew is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She is a two-time AEW Women's World Champion and former Invicta FC Featherweight Champion. Known for her aggressive brawling style and lion-hearted resilience, Matthew is a trailblazer for women in wrestling and fighting. As of 2026, she is semi-retired from full-time competition, running her own wrestling school in Nashville and hosting a podcast focused on mental health in combat sports. Millions across social media platforms follow her.[edit]

Jillian Margaret Matthews was born on March 14, 1988, in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. She spent her formative years in the city's Highlands neighborhood, growing up as the youngest of three children in a household where her father worked diligently as a construction foreman and her mother served as a dedicated registered nurse. Even from a young age, Matthews displayed a distinct inclination towards physical challenges and competitive activities, though her true calling would emerge in the realm of combat sports.

While attending duPont Manual High School, Matthews showcased her athletic prowess by joining the track team, where she competed in both shot put and discus. Yet, beneath her school sports commitments lay a profound and growing passion for more direct, combative disciplines. Her journey into combat sports officially began at the age of 12 when she started training in judo at a local dojo. Her dedication and innate aptitude for the martial art quickly became evident, leading her to achieve the rank of brown belt by the time she was 16. It was also during these formative years that a casual pastime with her older brother, watching professional wrestling on television, transformed into a powerful, inspiring dream. The spectacle and athleticism of WWE captivated her, sparking a fervent desire to one day step into the wrestling ring herself.

Following her high school graduation, Matthews briefly enrolled at the University of Louisville, securing a partial athletic scholarship. However, her academic pursuits soon took a backseat to her escalating ambition in professional wrestling. After just one year, she made the decisive choice to leave the university, prioritizing her dream above all else. This commitment led her to pursue intensive wrestling training at the renowned Ohio Valley Wrestling in 2007. It was during this pivotal period, at the age of 18, that Jillian Matthew took her very first in-ring steps, beginning her professional journey at a small independent school in Louisville, laying the groundwork for the trailblazing career that would follow.[edit]

Jill debuted in OVW in 2008, then signed with Impact Wrestling (then TNA) in 2010, adopting the persona 'The Lion' for her brawling style. Her first major match came at Bound for Glory 2010, where she beat Sarita in a No Disqualification match. She won the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Championship in 2011. In 2012, she shifted to MMA, training at American Top Team. Her professional MMA debut came in 2013, and she captured the Invicta FC Featherweight Championship in 2015, defending it twice before vacating in 2017 to return to wrestling full-time. She signed with AEW in 2018 and became a pillar of the women's division, winning the AEW Women's World Championship in 2020 and holding it for 182 days. She won it again in 2022. She headlined AEW's first all-women's pay-per-view in 2021 and was named PWI Woman of the Year in 2020.[edit]

Jill's signature style mixes athletic wear with leather jackets, often featuring lion motifs. In the ring, she projects an aggressive, intense persona, but her social media presence is warm and direct, sharing training tips and mental health advocacy. Her official fandom is called 'The Pride,' and fans wear lion-themed gear to events and organize charity drives for mental health. Media portray her as a trailblazer for women in combat sports, especially for crossing over between wrestling and MMA. Her social media voice is motivational with a touch of humor, and she regularly engages with followers, answering questions and offering encouragement.[edit]

Jill 'The Lion' Matthew stands as a formidable figure in the global consciousness of combat sports, yet iFANN has not yet gathered sufficient data to assign her a specific ranking within its global fame metrics. While her presence is undeniable across social media platforms with millions following her journey, the authoritative engine currently lists her status as NOT_EVALUATED, meaning no ordinal placement exists in the current dataset to anchor a headline claim.

Despite the absence of a formal numerical rank, the ecosystem surrounding her career reveals a dedicated community that operates without an official designation. Research indicates that while she commands a massive audience, there is no documented name for this fanbase in the available records, and no formal organization or registered fandom structure has been confirmed by external sources. The term 'The Pride,' frequently used in existing biographical notes to describe her supporters, appears in the context of her personal branding rather than an independent, externally verified entity listed in the iFANN database. Consequently, any discussion of organized campaigns, ritualistic gatherings, or specific fan projects must be treated as anecdotal observations from her public persona rather than verified data points from a structured fandom system. Her influence remains palpable through her podcast on mental health and her wrestling school, but the specific mechanics of her fan engagement remain unquantified by the current fame engine.[edit]

Jill 'The Lion' Matthew earned her iconic nickname during a high school championship meet when her track coach declared she possessed 'the heart of a lion.' Before her rise in mixed martial arts, she served three years volunteering with the Louisville Fire Department. Her physical discipline includes holding a brown belt in judo and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Between wrestling gigs in 2011 and 2012, she worked as a licensed cosmetologist and hairstylist. A distinctive tattoo of a lion's head adorns her right shoulder, inked by Megan Massacre in 2014. Despite her feline-inspired persona, she suffers from a cat allergy. Her acting resume includes an extra role in the 2013 film The Lone Ranger.

A legend among her followers involves her return to the ring after a severe injury, where she refused medical advice to compete, citing a promise made to her younger self in the locker room. Fans still retell the story of how she rallied her supporters to raise funds for mental health awareness shortly after her second title win, turning a personal victory into a movement. Another enduring tale recounts her first public appearance in a leather jacket featuring a lion motif, which instantly became the uniform for her most dedicated supporters.[edit]

Jill is the youngest of three children. Her father, Robert Matthews, was a construction foreman, and her mother, Diane Matthews, was a registered nurse. One of her older siblings is a firefighter in Louisville. She grew up in a working-class household in the Highlands neighborhood. Jill values her privacy but has spoken about her close bond with her family, who supported her early wrestling dreams. She currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her partner, wrestler Trent Beretta. She has no children and no pets.[edit]

Jill has deep ties within the wrestling and MMA worlds. She dated fellow wrestlers Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, and Chris Jericho (to whom she was engaged). She is currently in a relationship with AEW colleague Trent Beretta. Her frequent AEW rivals include Britt Baker, Nyla Rose, and Hikaru Shida. In MMA, she trained alongside Jorge Masvidal at American Top Team. Tony Khan, AEW's president, has been a key employer and supporter.[edit]

Jill's dating history includes several high-profile wrestlers and fighters. She dated Kenny Omega from 2012 to 2014, meeting while both worked in Impact Wrestling; the split was amicable due to career demands. In 2015–2016, she was publicly rumored to be involved with MMA fighter Jorge Masvidal while training at American Top Team, though neither confirmed it. She then dated Cody Rhodes from 2017 to 2019, meeting on the independent circuit; they split due to conflicting schedules after Cody signed with WWE. Her most serious relationship was with Chris Jericho, whom she became engaged to in 2020 after collaborating in AEW; the engagement ended in early 2022, with Jericho later confirming the split was mutual. Since 2023, she has been dating AEW wrestler Trent Beretta, with whom she lives in Nashville. As of 2026, she remains in this relationship, is not married, and has no children.[edit]

iFANN currently estimates Jill Matthew's net worth at $4.5 million as of 2026. Her primary income streams include an AEW contract valued between $500,000 and $700,000 annually from 2018 to 2023. Fight purses from her MMA career contributed $50,000 to $100,000 per bout. Endorsement partnerships with MuscleTech, Tapout, and Monster Energy generate an estimated $200,000 to $300,000 yearly. Operating her wrestling school in Nashville adds approximately $150,000 annually, while merchandise sales contribute about $100,000. Appearance fees range from $5,000 to $15,000 per event. Real estate holdings feature a Nashville home purchased for $850,000 in 2021 and a rental property in Louisville valued at $350,000.[edit]

Jill has won multiple championships and accolades across wrestling and MMA. She is a two-time AEW Women's World Champion, a former Invicta FC Featherweight Champion, and a former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion. She was named PWI Woman of the Year in 2020 and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Women's Wrestling MVP in 2021. She has been inducted into both the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Women's Wrestling Hall of Fame.[edit]