Tay Conti, whose real name is Taynara Melo de Carvalho, is a Brazilian professional wrestler and judoka best known for her work in All Elite Wrestling and previously in WWE’s NXT brand as Taynara Conti.
She holds a black belt in judo and a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, skills she carried directly into a professional wrestling career that began in 2017.
Who is Tay Conti?
Tay Conti is a Brazilian professional wrestler who has competed under several ring names: Taynara Conti in WWE and Tay Conti and Tay Melo in AEW.
Her birth name is Taynara Melo de Carvalho, and she now goes by Taynara Melo Guevara after marrying fellow wrestler Sammy Guevara in 2022.
She grew up in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas and trained as a competitive judoka from a young age before pivoting to professional wrestling.
Her martial arts background gave her a distinctive in-ring style built around throws, clinch work, and judo-derived techniques.
During her time in AEW, she formed the popular TayJay tag team with Anna Jay and also aligned with the Jericho Appreciation Society alongside her husband.
She won the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship with Sammy Guevara in 2022 through AEW’s partnership with the Mexican promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.
She departed AEW in July 2026, ending a six-year run with the promotion.
Tay Conti Husband
Tay Conti’s current husband is Sammy Guevara, an American professional wrestler.
The two married on August 8, 2022, having met and developed a relationship through their shared work in AEW.
Guevara is a former three-time AEW TNT Champion and performed for years as a member of the Inner Circle and later the Jericho Appreciation Society alongside Tay.
The couple had their first child, a daughter, in early 2023, which prompted Tay to take maternity leave from AEW beginning in January 2023.
Before her marriage to Guevara, Tay was previously married to Jorge Conti, a half-Italian judoka who won a bronze medal at the US Open judo tournament in Fort Lauderdale in 2017.
The two met through judo and married in 2017. Tay confirmed in November 2021 that they had separated, and the divorce was finalized in 2021.
Tay took the surname Conti from her first marriage and used it throughout her wrestling career in WWE and early AEW.
After her second marriage, she gradually transitioned to the ring name Tay Melo.
Early Life of Tay Conti
Tay Conti was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and grew up in one of the city’s favelas, a low-income community with limited resources.
Despite that environment, she found direction through sports from an early age.
She started in artistic gymnastics at CR Vasco da Gama before migrating to martial arts.
Her judo training began through the program Brasil Vale Ouro and later continued at Instituto Reação, a project founded by judoka Flávio Canto.
At Instituto Reação, she developed the technical foundation that would define her athletic career.
She competed nationally and internationally in judo, earning the title of regional champion and four-time state champion in Brazil.
She was also a four-time Brazilian national runner-up and joined the Brazilian national team, competing in the European circuit in Portugal and Germany.
Tay also briefly attended law school in Brazil before pursuing wrestling. In 2016, she participated in trials for the Brazilian national team ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics before ultimately choosing a professional wrestling path.
Tay Conti Age / Birthday
Tay Conti is 31 years old as of 2026, born on June 9, 1995. Her zodiac sign is Gemini, a sign often linked with adaptability and quick thinking, traits visible in her ability to blend judo with professional wrestling technique.
She remains active as a free agent following her July 2026 departure from AEW.
Tay Conti Ethnicity and Nationality
Tay Conti is Brazilian by nationality, born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. Her ethnicity is Brazilian, and she grew up in the favela communities that shape much of Rio’s culture and social landscape.
Her background in judo connected her to a broader Brazilian martial arts tradition that feeds directly into her wrestling identity.
Tay Conti Height and Weight
Tay Conti stands at 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall. Her billed ring weight is 125 pounds (57 kg).
Her lean, athletic build reflects her years of competitive judo training and adds physical credibility to her in-ring work.
Tay Conti Career
Tay Conti built her professional wrestling career in two major phases: four years in WWE’s NXT developmental system and six years in All Elite Wrestling.
Her judo background distinguished her from the outset, and she developed into a credible singles and tag team competitor across both promotions.
WWE NXT Career (2016–2020)
Tay signed with WWE in October 2016 and reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, where she trained under Dustin Rhodes among others.
She made her professional wrestling debut on April 1, 2017, at WrestleMania Axxess in Orlando, losing to Sarah Bridges.
In July 2017, she competed in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament, falling to Lacey Evans in the first round.
On October 11, 2017, she appeared on NXT television, interfering in a triple threat match on behalf of The Undisputed Era faction.
She returned to the Mae Young Classic in 2018, this time defeating Vanessa Borne in qualifying and Jessie Elaban in the first round before losing to Lacey Lane in the second round.
On April 8, 2018, she competed in the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34, becoming the first female Brazilian to compete on a WrestleMania event.
WWE released her on April 20, 2020, as part of budget cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She later disclosed she had been unhappy at WWE for months and had wanted out, but the company initially resisted out of concern she would sign with AEW.
AEW Career (2020–2026)
Tay appeared in AEW on August 4, 2020, partnering with Anna Jay in the AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw.
The team, informally called TayJay, defeated Nyla Rose and Ariane Andrew in the quarterfinals before falling to Ivelisse and Diamante in the semi-finals.
On August 26, she received a contract offer from The Dark Order stable on an episode of Dynamite. AEW officially announced her signing on September 9, 2020.
She challenged for the NWA World Women’s Championship on January 13, 2021, losing to Serena Deeb.
In the spring of 2021, she earned a shot at the AEW Women’s World Championship but fell to champion Hikaru Shida on April 21.
She challenged Britt Baker for the same title at Full Gear 2021 on November 13, again falling short.
In June 2022, Tay and Anna Jay reunited as TayJay and aligned with Chris Jericho’s Jericho Appreciation Society.
Also in 2022, she and real-life husband Sammy Guevara captured the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship through AEW’s partnership with Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.
Tay took maternity leave from AEW in January 2023 after welcoming a daughter with Guevara.
She returned to in-ring competition in January 2025 at a World Wonder Ring Stardom event in Japan, then came back to AEW in June 2025, reforming TayJay with Anna Jay.
On June 6, 2026, she and Anna Jay fell to The Divine Dominion in an AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship match.
AEW released Tay in July 2026 after she approached Tony Khan directly requesting her release following the June 6 match.
Tay Conti Championships and Awards
- AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship (with Sammy Guevara, 2022)
- AEW Dynamite Award: Biggest WTF Moment (2021, for TayJay vs. The Bunny and Penelope Ford street fight)
- First female Brazilian to compete at WrestleMania (WrestleMania 34, 2018)
Tay Conti Net Worth
Tay Conti’s estimated net worth is $1.5 million as of 2026. Her income comes primarily from her wrestling contracts with WWE and AEW, combined with PPV appearance fees, merchandise sales, and brand endorsements.
During her WWE tenure, her annual salary was reported at $100,000. Her AEW contract, which ran from 2020 to 2026, carried a higher figure. She has also worked as a brand ambassador for Bang Energy during her AEW career.
In September 2020, Tay purchased her first car, a Mercedes-Benz, which she shared publicly on Instagram and described as a direct result of her professional earnings.
Her social media following on Instagram also supports additional sponsorship income.
Tay Conti Social Media
Tay is active on Instagram at @taymelo_ and on X (formerly Twitter) at @taymelo_. She uses both platforms to share personal updates, training content, and career announcements.
Conclusion
Tay Conti crossed from competitive judo in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro to a professional wrestling career that spanned WWE and six years in AEW, a path built on real martial arts skill rather than just performance.
Her July 2026 AEW departure opens the next chapter of a career that still has significant momentum behind it.