From Mad Scientist to Stand-Up Star: Denise Winkelman's Journey from the Wrestling Ring to Comedy Stage

Denise Winkelman has lived multiple lives before finding her calling on the comedy stage. The transgender comedian, writer, and former professional wrestler released her debut stand-up special, "Bougie on a Budget," on August 19, 2025, marking a significant milestone in a career that has taken unexpected turns through wrestling rings, corporate offices, and comedy clubs across the country .

Growing up in northern Minnesota with what she describes as "hick" parents in a conservative small town, Winkelman graduated from a high school with a class of just 18 students. Even then, classmates told her she should pursue comedy, though she describes herself at the time as "really unsure of myself," "soft spoken," and "really passive" .

At age 23, Winkelman made a dramatic move to Kentucky to pursue professional wrestling, eventually becoming a regular fixture in the Northern Wrestling Federation in Cincinnati, Ohio. The promotion served as a training ground for talents who would go on to greater prominence, including "Wildcat" Chris Harris, Abyss, and Karl Anderson .

It was Anderson, according to Winkelman, who created the character that would define her wrestling career. "It was actually Karl Anderson, he'd been there like a year longer, but he was really, really good at wrestling. He pulls me aside one day and he's like, 'Hey, Winkelman. Can you just go pop the boys and do a promo as a mad scientist?' And so I did it was promo class and it stuck. It stuck because I did it so well," she explained in an interview .

The character evolved from Dr. Melvin Socrates to Dr. Melvin Winkelman, with the promotion choosing to use her real last name "because it's creepy," as she recalled with characteristic humor. Drawing inspiration from WWE's D-Generation X, Winkelman blended intensity with goofiness in her performances. "I would say really intense things, but they would be really funny," she said. "Whoever I was wrestling, I'd be like 'Karl Anderson, you're all pretty. You look like a jock. You disgust me. I'm going to give you a potion and turn you into a Billy goat.' So we would do things like that. Somebody whipped up a potion, there would be Gatorade involved" .

The theatrical mad scientist persona, complete with lab coat and smoking potions, taught Winkelman skills that would prove invaluable later in her comedy career, including how to pivot and connect with an audience .

After leaving wrestling, Winkelman's life took another significant turn. Following a brief marriage and divorce in 2012, she accepted a position in finance that brought her from Cincinnati to Denver, Colorado. It was in Denver that she found a diverse, eclectic group of friends and began the process of coming out as transgender. "I always knew I was different. Since four years old, I knew I was different. I just didn't know it was trans. I really discovered I was trans from the Jerry Springer Show and Maury Povich," she shared .

While working in corporate finance, Winkelman sought a creative outlet. She attempted to return to wrestling in 2016 and 2017, but found that "it just hurt too much." In 2017, she took the stage for her first stand-up comedy set—a nerve-wracking eight-minute performance in front of 300 people, despite having never picked up a microphone before .

"It went well enough where I got enough reaction. I was nervous. I was shaking the mic," she recalled. "But I got enough reaction where I was like, no, this is it. I have to do this. And I think I was avoiding it a little bit just because I was afraid of talking in front of people or nervous, but everybody told me I was good at it" .

Since that first performance, Winkelman has developed her craft at prominent venues across Southern California, including The Comedy Store and The Hollywood Improv . She is also an award-winning screenwriter and former fitness model, bringing a wealth of diverse experiences to her comedy .

Her comedy style is described as "sassy, brutally self honest and shocking," drawing from her eclectic life story that includes stints as a professional wrestler, corporate employee, and model .

Winkelman's debut comedy special, distributed by Comedy Dynamics, became available on multiple streaming platforms including Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play, and Vimeo on August 19, 2025 .

The special covers a wide range of topics from Winkelman's life. "It's a lot of stories about growing up in a small town, conservative family. Try to make it really funny," she explained. "We talk about garage sale fashion, my grandma doing a bandage, the small town remedies kind of thing, and then just blending current day. Kind of what's going on current day, dating, Los Angeles, being trans" .

The material blends her experiences as a transgender woman living in Los Angeles with observations about fashion, dating, and the challenges of maintaining a "bougie" lifestyle on a budget. "I just love to go to therapy is really what it comes down to. We try to make a really, really funny, really topical, really inclusive for everybody. So there's stuff for everyone. A lot of it's really silly, but blended with authentic," Winkelman said .

The special has been characterized as a celebration of resilience and self-discovery, with authenticity and acceptance as core themes. Winkelman turns her struggles into comedy while encouraging audiences to embrace who they are .

Her comedy draws from her unique perspective as someone who has navigated conservative small-town America, the hyper-masculine world of professional wrestling, corporate finance, and finally, life as an openly transgender woman in one of America's largest cities. The journey from a soft-spoken teenager in northern Minnesota to a confident performer on major comedy stages represents a profound personal transformation.

"It's funny how it works. I think the first thing for me was just coming to terms with who I was," Winkelman reflected on her growth. As she has become more comfortable with her identity, she has simultaneously grown more comfortable in front of crowds and with her comedy craft .

Winkelman's path to comedy distinguishes her in a field where many performers follow more traditional routes. Her background in professional wrestling provided unexpected preparation for stand-up, teaching her timing, character work, and how to read and engage an audience—skills that translate directly to the comedy stage .

Her willingness to mine her own life experiences, including the challenges of being transgender in America, while maintaining a sense of humor and warmth, creates comedy that is both entertaining and meaningful. By sharing stories about "garage sale fashion" alongside reflections on her gender identity, Winkelman creates material that is accessible while remaining authentic to her experience .

The release of "Bougie on a Budget" represents not just a career milestone, but the culmination of a life journey that has taken Winkelman from wrestling rings to comedy clubs, from hiding her true self to living authentically, and from nervous newcomer to confident performer. Her story illustrates the diverse paths that LGBTQ+ individuals navigate in pursuit of both personal authenticity and professional success.

As Winkelman continues to perform and build her comedy career, she brings a perspective shaped by unique experiences across multiple worlds—professional wrestling, corporate America, and now stand-up comedy—all filtered through her identity as a transgender woman from small-town Minnesota who found her voice on stages across the country.