After being trained by Emi Sakura, Ray made her professional wrestling debut in September 2003 and would for the next several years wrestle under different masks, before she began working for Smash in March 2010, unmasked under the ring name Lin Byron (Japanese: リン・バイロン, simplified Chinese: 林白龙; traditional Chinese: 林白龍; pinyin: Lín Báilóng; Cantonese Yale: Làhm Baahk-lùhng) (sometimes transliterated as Lin Bairon).
She remained with Smash until the promotion folded in March 2012, after which she transferred over to its successor, Wrestling New Classic (WNC), which lasted until June 2014.
[9][10][11] Under the new ring name Ray,[12] she then began working regularly for Mariko Yoshida's Ibuki promotion, which had the goal of introducing the next generation of joshi stars to the world of professional wrestling.
While performing in the promotion, Ray also underwent further training under Yoshida, alongside the likes of Hiroyo Matsumoto, Misaki Ohata and Tomoka Nakagawa.
[13] In 2009, Ray joined Nanae Takahashi's Passion Red stable, which she would represent in promotions such as NEO Japan Ladies Pro Wrestling, Big Japan Pro Wrestling (BJW), JWP Joshi Puroresu and Oz Academy, performing under the ring name Passion Ray.
[14][15][16][17][18] When Ibuki ceased its operations in early 2010,[19] the Ray character went inactive as its performer began working for Smash unmasked.
However, on January 25, 2011, Ray held a press conference, announcing that she was making a comeback on February 5, now working as a freelancer on the Japanese independent circuit.
[39][40] Smash did not recognize Byron's extensive background in professional wrestling, claiming instead that she was a newcomer and that, after graduating Beijing Sport University, she traveled the world with a Chinese acrobatics association, before returning to Hong Kong in 2008 for a career in action movies.
[44] On June 25 at Smash.4, Byron wrestled as part of the Smash Seikigun ("regular army") in an interpromotional six person tag team match, where she, Hajime Ohara and Tajiri were defeated by the Fight Club Finland trio of Heimo Ukonselkä, Jessica Love and Stark Adder.
[45] Now a member of the Smash Seikigun, Byron spent the following events wrestling in tag team matches with her stablemates Akira, Kushida, Syuri and Tajiri.
[53] On January 29, 2011, at Smash.12, Byron's losing streak continued as she and Yusuke Kodama were defeated in a tag team match by Hajime Ohara and Jessica Love.
The match, which also included Fight Club Finland representatives Hajime Ohara and Jessica Love, was won by Tajiri and Makoto.
[61] Kovac entered the Smash Championship tournament later that same day, but was also defeated in his first round match by Genichiro Tenryu, who was supported by Byron's old rival, Kim Nan Pun.
[62] On July 15 at Smash.19, Byron made her Smash debut under her Ray character, wrestling as a face in a six-person tag team match, where she, Kaz Hayashi and Último Dragón defeated Gamma, Hajime Ohara and Io Shirai via disqualification, when Ohara tore Ray's mask off her face, which she then quickly covered without revealing her true identity.
[71] In her final Smash appearance on March 14 at Smash.Final, Byron teamed with Kim Nan Pun to defeat Michael Kovac in a two-on-one handicap match.
[73] On September 10, she defeated Puerto Rican Zeuxis in a Two Out of Three Falls tournament final match to become the first ever CMLL-Reina International Junior Champion, a title also recognized by Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL).
[75] Ray's three-week-long tour of Mexico culminated in a Two Out of Three Falls match on October 18, where she lost the CMLL-Reina International Junior Championship to Silueta.
[80][81] On December 22, Ray and Leon defeated Aki Shizuku and Ariya to win the Reina World Tag Team Championship.
[91] The following day on Volume 47, Ray and Leon unsuccessfully challenged Ayako Hamada and Ayumi Kurihara for the Shimmer Tag Team Championship.
West: Osaka, Byron suffered her first WNC loss, when she and Takuya Kito were defeated in a tag team match by Joker (Hayata and Tadasuke).
[110] On August 30, Byron formed a new tag team with South African wrestler Adam Angel, with the two also starting a romance storyline.
[115][116] For WNC's final event of 2012, Byron entered a storyline, where she began training for a confrontation with former sumo champion Akebono.
[117] On December 27, Byron, Hailey Hatred and Josh O'Brien were defeated in a six-person tag team match by Akebono, Makoto and Takuya Kito.
[118][119][120] In early 2013, Byron set her sights on the WNC Women's Championship,[121] however, on March 31, she failed to earn her first shot at the title, when she was defeated by Makoto in a number one contender's match.
[135][136][137] Byron continued teasing a return to her villainous persona by starting a storyline rivalry with Makoto's Shiritsu Puroresu Gakuen stable in April.
[149][150] On April 29, Lin Byron made her first appearance outside of Smash/WNC, when she took part in World Wonder Ring Stardom's big Ryōgoku Cinderella event at Ryōgoku Kokugikan, teaming with Gota Ihashi, Kota Ibushi and Mayu Iwatani in an eight-person tag team match, where they defeated Eri Susa, Hikaru Sato, Makoto and Michael Nakazawa.
[169] On August 30 and 31, Ray took part in two shows promoted by the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF) in Pyongyang, North Korea.
[179] She made her debut for FMW on April 21 at the promotion's first event in thirteen years, where she and Miss Mongol defeated Kagetsu and Kyusei Sakura Hirota in a tag team match.
[181][182] On October 8, 2015, Ray held her 12th anniversary event, which saw her team with Atsushi Onita and Hideki Hosaka in a six-person barbed wire board match, where they were defeated by Arisa Nakajima, Nosawa Rongai and Sabu.
[183] Outside of professional wrestling, Ray sang and played the piano and composed several songs of her own, which she performed at special fan gatherings.