Kelli Berglund, who plays the heroic champion pro wrestler Crystal Tyler on Netflix's pro wrestling biopic with a stellar cast from top to bottom.

In Heels, Crystal Tyler is the underdog female star of the Duffy Wrestling League (DWL) run by Heels season 2, Crystal is elevated to DWL Women's Champion, and Tyler becomes a standout whose star power is coveted by rival promoter Charlie Gully (Mike O'Malley) of Florida Wrestling Dystopia. The ambitious Crystal remains level-headed and irable, even in the seedy world of regional pro wrestling.

Heels Hero Kelli Berglund Plays A Wrestling Villain In Queen Of The Ring

Berglund Plays Nell Stewart, "The Alabama Assassin"

After wrapping filming of Heels season 2, Kelli Berglund took on another role as a very different pro wrestler. In Queen of the Ring, Berglund was cast as Nell Stewart, one of the key rivals of Mildred Burke. Known as "The Alabama Assassin," Stewart becomes the mistress of promoter Billy Wolfe (Josh Lucas), who is married to Burke. Stewart is famed for her Hollywood starlet glamour, and Nell makes a bid for the ladies' championship held by Burke, under Wolfe's guidance.

Kelli Berglund's training and the credibility she earned playing Crystal Tyler on Heels translates perfectly into Queen of the Ring. Nell Stewart is meant to have a movie star's beauty, which Berglund brings in spades, but she is also tough as nails in the ring. Crystal is a charismatic high-flyer on Heels, but pro wrestling in the 1950s was a very different style, and Berglund makes Nell instantly believable. Ultimately, Nell breaks it off with Billy Wolfe, and Mildred Burke's climactic in-ring rival is the imposing June Byers (Kailey Latimer, who is the real-life "Brickhouse" Kamille in All Elite Wrestling).

Kelli Burgland’s Crystal Also Plays A Villain In Heels Season 2

Crystal Pretends To Turn On Jack Spade And The DWL

Heels season 2 toys with Crystal Tyler's heroic persona, allowing Kelli Berglund to show new shades of Crystal in the ring and cutting promos on the microphone. Heels season 2 kicks the rivalry between the DWL and Florida Wrestling Dystopia into high gear, as the two leagues work together in an inter-promotional storyline. Crystal turns on Jack Spade and the DWL and s FWD, and Berglund has a blast bringing a devious side to Crystal. Heels makes no bones that Crystal is a shooting star, and this is due to Kelli Berglund's winning charisma and authenticity, which will hopefully continue if Netflix renews Heels for season 3.

Queen of the Ring is stacked with fantastic actors, including real life pro wrestlers like Kailey (Kamille) Latimer and Toni (Toni Storm) Rossal, as well as cameos from Dr. Britt Baker of AEW and Trinity (Naomi) Fatu from WWE. Queen of the Ring's female cast led by Emily Bett Rickards are seamlessly convincing as pro wrestlers rising from the mid-west carnivals into the biggest arenas of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Queen of the Ring hits theaters in 2025, and audiences can enjoy how Kelli Berglund turns from Heels' Crystal Tyler into the villainous "Alabama Assassin" Nell Stewart.