Rosa Mendes
Ring name(s)	Milena Roucka[1] Roucka Rosa Mendes
Billed height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Billed weight	125 lb (57 kg)[1]
Born	(1979-10-25) October 25, 1979 (age 32)[1] Vancouver, British Columbia[1]
Resides	Las Vegas, Nevada[3]
Billed from	San Jose, Costa Rica[2] San Juan, Puerto Rico
Trained by	OVW Staff[1] FCW Staff[4]
Debut	November 2006[1]
Website	http://www.rosasource.com

Milena Leticia Roucka^[1] (born October 25, 1979)^[1] is a Canadian professional wrestler, valet, and former model of Czech and Costa Rican descent. She is signed to WWE, and works as Rosa Mendes on the SmackDown brand. Her last name is pronounced roh-tskah.

Roucka studied business at the University of British Columbia, but left to pursue a modeling career. She won several competitions, including the 2004 Piel Dorada, and also acted in commercials.

In mid-2006, Roucka participated in the 2006 edition WWE Diva Search. Despite finishing fourth, she was hired by WWE, and assigned to train in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) using the ring name 'Roucka'. On September 19, 2007, Roucka won the OVW Women's Championship, which she held for five months until February 20, 2008. The following month, Roucka transferred to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's new developmental territory.

In November 2008, Roucka began appearing on Raw, where she became associated with Beth Phoenix and Santino Marella. The following October, she was moved to the ECW brand and started an on-screen relationship with Zack Ryder, who she began to manage. The pair returned to the Raw brand in February 2010, and Mendes was drafted to SmackDown in April. In November, Mendes won the Queen of FCW title in FCW, and held it until February 2011.

Modeling and acting career[link]

Roucka studied Business at the University of British Columbia, but dropped out to pursue a career in modeling. In 2004, she won the "Piel Dorada," one of the biggest Latin American based modeling contests, becoming the first North American to win.^[5] The following year, she won Hawaiian Tropic's Ms. Indy 500 contest, and acted as a judge at the Hawaiian Tropic Ms. Super Bowl.^[6] She also acted in Costa Rican commercials for Trident, Lux soap, and Chrysler throughout 2004.^[5][6] She starred in a Bodog.com commercial in 2005.^[6]

She also portrayed Isabel Díaz in Need for Speed: Most Wanted^[7]

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE[link]

Diva Search (2006)[link]

In mid-2006, Roucka participated in the auditions for the third installment of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)'s Diva Search Contest and reached the final eight. Roucka won the first round as it was a dance competition.^[5][8] A few days after her elimination, on August 24, WWE signed her to a developmental contract, along with Maryse Ouellet, who had also been eliminated from the competition.^[5][9]

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006–2008)[link]

Roucka was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE's developmental territory. She debuted as a heel (villainous character), using the ring name Roucka, and served as the valet for the Bad Kompany faction, managing the members Mike Kruel, Shawn Osborne and Eddie Craven. In early 2007, she participated in the 'Miss OVW Contest'.^[10] She was in the corner of Kruel when he defeated Boris Alexiev to win the OVW Heavyweight Championship in February.^[10] She made her in-ring debut on March 24, when she lost to Jennifer Mae.^[10] Later that night, she teamed up with Beth Phoenix, Katie Lea and Melody in a losing effort to the team of ODB, Serena, Victoria Crawford, and Maryse.^[10] Throughout mid-2007, she competed against wrestlers including Crawford, Phoenix, Lea, and ODB.^[10] In June, Roucka unsuccessfully challenged ODB for the OVW Women's Championship.^[10] Three months later, on September 19, Roucka won a six-way match to capture the OVW Women's Championship.^[10][11] After winning the championship, she began to feud with Lea, defeating her in non-title matches on several occasions.^[10] In November, Lea and Atlas DaBone defeated Roucka and Kruel in a mixed tag team match.^[10] At the television tapings on December 12, she defeated Lea in a "kiss my foot match" to retain the championship.^[10] In January 2008, Lea defeated Roucka in a non-title match.^[12] In early February, WWE decided to no longer use OVW as a developmental territory.^[12] After holding the championship for five months, Roucka lost it to Lea on February 20.^[11][12] Roucka's final OVW appearance was on February 29, where she teamed with Josie in a loss to Melody and Reggie.^[12]

Florida Championship Wrestling (2008-2011)[link]

In March 2008, she debuted for Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's new developmental territory, by teaming with Nicole Bella in a loss to Nattie Neidhart and Victoria Crawford.^[4] The following month, Roucka began feuding with The Bella Twins, which continued throughout mid-2008.^[4] In June, Roucka and Brad Allen defeated Brianna Bella and Lupo Martinez in a mixed tag team match, and in July Roucka and Allen defeated Johnny Curtis and Brianna.^[4] This was the beginning of an association with Allen, and Roucka began managing him.^[4] In August, she allied herself with Alicia Fox and Daisy and continued to feud with The Bellas, who had joined forces with Tiffany.^[4] She continued to compete in FCW throughout the remainder of the year, wrestling against Fox, Daisy, and Miss Angela.^[4] In January 2009, Roucka changed her ring name to 'Rosa Mendes', following her debut on Raw under that name.^[13] After Angela was crowned the Queen of FCW in February, Mendes immediately began to feud with her over the crown, attacking Angela on several occasions.^[13] She teamed with Kaleb O'Neal and Lawrence Knight in a loss to Eric Escobar, Sweet Papi Sanchez and Angela in a six-person mixed tag team match, and later lost to Angela in a singles match.^[13] Mendes gained a measure of revenge in a rematch in June, when she defeated Angela.^[13] During this time, she had become associated with FCW General Manager Abraham Washington, appearing alongside him on several occasions.^[13] Throughout late 2009 and most of 2010, she appeared only sporadically in FCW.^[13][14] In November 2010, Mendes unsuccessfully challenged Naomi for the FCW Divas Championship at a house show.^[14] Later that month, at the November 25 television tapings, Rosa Mendes pinned AJ to become crowned the newest Queen of FCW.^[15] She lost the title to Aksana on February 3, 2011.^[16]

Raw and association with Beth Phoenix (2008–2009)[link]

Mendes (right) with Beth Phoenix in 2009

On the November 24, 2008 episode of Raw, Roucka appeared as a planted fan holding a sign proclaiming she was the then-WWE Women's Champion Beth Phoenix's number one fan. For a few weeks after that she was continually shown in the crowd holding signs supporting Phoenix.^[2] On the December 22 episode of Raw Santino Marella introduced her as Rosa Mendes, and the following week, Mendes jumped from the crowd and attacked the new number one contender, Melina, to help Phoenix during a fight.^[17] The next week, Stephanie McMahon declared that Mendes had been banned from WWE events after she attacked Melina again.^[18] Mendes evaded the ban, however, by disguising herself as a paparazzo during Melina's entrance and attacked her again.^[19] On January 19, on Raw, Marella announced that he had hired Mendes to be his and Phoenix's intern, to which Phoenix agreed a week later.^[20][21] On the March 30 episode of Raw, Mendes made her in-ring debut in an 18-Diva tag team match, which her team lost.^[22] On April 5, Mendes competed in a Divas battle royal at WrestleMania XXV, but the match was won by Santina Marella.^[23] On the June 11 episode of WWE Superstars, Mendes got her first televised win when she teamed with Beth Phoenix against The Bella Twins, and she made her singles debut in a loss to Mickie James on the June 15 episode of Raw. Mendes got her second televised win when she teamed with Alicia Fox in a winning effort due to Fox pinning Kelly Kelly^[22][24][25] On the July 27 episode of Raw, Mendes teaming up with Alicia Fox and Beth Phoenix in a losing effort to Mickie James, Gail Kim, and Kelly Kelly.^[26] On the August 31 episode of Raw, Mendes had her first opportunity for the WWE Divas Championship in number one contenders battle royal but was eliminated by Beth Phoenix after Gail Kim pushed Mendes into her. In August 2009 she began to manage Carlito, with her association with Beth Phoenix being quietly phased out.^[27]

ECW and relationship with Zack Ryder (2009–2010)[link]

On October 12, 2009, WWE's official website announced that Mendes had been traded from Raw to the ECW brand.^[28] She debuted on ECW on the October 20 episode, in a backstage segment with the ECW General Manager, Tiffany welcoming her to ECW.^[29] On the November 3 episode of ECW she began a storyline with Zack Ryder, who became infatuated with her, distracting him from his matches.^[30][31] On the November 25 episode of ECW, Mendes began a storyline relationship with Ryder, and began managing him.^[32][33][34] On the final episode of ECW on February 16, 2010, Ryder and Mendes interfered in the main event match, but Mendes was speared by Tiffany.^[35] It was announced on the February 25, 2010 episode of Superstars that Ryder and Mendes had moved to the Raw brand.^[36] She made her in-ring return for the brand on the April 5 episode of Raw, when she competed in a Divas Battle Royal to determine the new number one contender for the WWE Divas Championship but was won by Eve Torres.^[37]

SmackDown (2010–2011)[link]

Mendes at a house show in 2009

Three weeks later on April 27, Mendes was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2010 Supplemental Draft, without Zack Ryder.^[38] Despite this, Mendes accompanied Zack Ryder on the April 29 edition of WWE Superstars in a winning effort against Primo.^[39] She was defeated by Beth Phoenix in her first match for the brand on WWE Superstars the following week. On the May 14 edition of SmackDown!, Rosa was scheduled to face Beth Phoenix in her first match for the WWE Women's Championship, however Vickie Guerrero replaced Rosa with Team LayCool.^[40] In her debut match on SmackDown, she lost to Kelly Kelly.^[41] In June 2010, Rosa Mendes requested to join the team of LayCool, who refused her request and instead mocked her.^[42] As a result, Rosa Mendes was shown exercising in several backstage segments in an attempt to follow LayCool's advice over the next few months, and even cost Layla a match when she was distracted her by skipping rope at ringside while trying to impress LayCool.^[43][44][45] On the September 17 edition of SmackDown, Rosa Mendes turned face when she teamed with Kelly Kelly in a loss to LayCool.^[46] Her next appearance on SmackDown was over a month later, when she participated in an eight-Diva Halloween costume competition. A brawl broke out, resulting in an eight-Diva tag team match which Rosa Mendes' team lost, when she was pinned by Kelly Kelly.^[47] In late 2010, Rosa Mendes was consigned to backstage segments with various wrestlers, including Kane and Hornswoggle.^[48][49] In December 2010, WWE's official website, WWE.com, announced that Rosa Mendes had won a Slammy Award for the Best Use of Exercise Equipment.

On the February 25, 2011 edition of Smackdown, Rosa won her first televised singles match win against Layla via DQ after Michelle McCool attacked her on the outside.^[50] On the April 24 edition of SmackDown's "Wrestlemania Tour" Rosa became a heel after accompanying Layla to the ring for her match despite being defeated by Beth Phoenix with Kelly Kelly as the Special Guest Referee. Rosa teamed with Layla in a losing effort to Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix. On the June 3 edition of SmackDown, Rosa managed Alicia Fox and Tamina when they defeated The Chickbusters (AJ and Kaitlyn).^[51] On the July 15 edition of SmackDown, she lost to the Divas Champion Kelly Kelly in a non-title match, despite being accompanied by Fox.^[52] On the August 1 edition of Raw, Rosa competed in a battle royal to determine the #1 contender for the Divas Championship at SummerSlam, which was won by Beth Phoenix.^[53] On the October 31, "Halloween" edition of Raw, Rosa was in a "Divas Halloween Costume" battle royal dressed as a cave woman. As the match began, Rosa was first eliminated by Natalya.^[54] In November, Rosa still as heel, she began an association with Primo and Epico, which started on WWE Superstars. On the November 29 edition of SmackDown, Rosa competed in a "Mistletoe on a Pole" match, which was won by Brie Bella; who won the right to kiss any superstar of her choice.

Managing Primo and Epico (2011–present)[link]

Mendes with clients and Tag Team Champions Primo and Epico.

On November 17, 2011, edition of WWE Superstars Mendes began managing Primo and Epico after accompanying the two in their match against the Usos. On the December 1, edition of WWE Superstars Rosa Mendes accompanied Primo, alongside Epico, in his match against Kofi Kingston. On December 8, Mendes accompanied Epico in his match against Evan Bourne with Primo. On the December 15 edition of WWE Superstars, Mendes accompanied Primo and Epico in their match against Air Boom, and celebrated with them after the match. At the TLC pay-per-view she accompanied Primo and Epico to their WWE Tag Team Championship match against Air Boom, but were unsuccessful in winning the titles.

On January 15, at a Live Event in Oakland, California, Rosa accompanied Primo and Epico as they defeated Air Boom to win the WWE Tag Team Championship for the first time. On April 30 edition of Raw Primo and Epico lost their titles to R-Truth and Kofi Kingston.^[55]. On May 3 it was announced that Rosa alongside Epico and Primo have signed to a business contract with A.W^[56] On May 18, Mendes was involved in a car accident that caused her whiplash.^[57]

Personal life[link]

Roucka grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is of Czech and Costa Rican descent.^[5][58] Roucka was a self-described "tomboy" growing up, and was once suspended from school for fighting.^[8] She is trained in kickboxing, Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.^[9] Roucka cites Trish Stratus as her inspiration for wanting to be a wrestler. Roucka has a Chinese tattoo which consist of adorned with wings and a halo, on the right side of her waist.^[58] In an interview on September 2, 2009, wrestler Dave Batista said that he had previously dated Roucka.^[59]

In wrestling[link]

• Signature moves
  • Flower Fall^[60] (Sidewalk slam)^[60]
  • Flower Suplex^[60] (Snap suplex)^[60]
  • Schoolgirl^[60]
  • Mat backbreaker^[60]

• Managers
  • Alicia Fox^[51]
  • A.W^[56]

• Wrestlers managed
  • Bad Kompany (Mike Kruel, Shawn Osborne, and Eddie Craven)^[1]
  • Jay Bradley^[10]
  • Brad Allen^[4]
  • Glamarella (Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix)^[61]
  • Carlito^[27]
  • Zack Ryder^[34]
  • Layla El^[51]
  • Alicia Fox^[51]
  • Hornswoggle
  • Tamina^[51]
  • Epico^[62]
  • Primo^[62]

• Entrance themes
  • "Feelin' Me" by Kynady Lee (FCW)^[1]
  • "Excess All Areas" by Jim Johnston
  • "Barcode" by Jack Elliot (WWE; November 17,2011 – present) (while managing Primo and Epico)

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Florida Championship Wrestling
  • Queen of FCW (1 time)^[15]

• Ohio Valley Wrestling
  • OVW Women's Championship (1 time)^[11]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked her #43 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008^[63]

• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • Slammy Award for Best Use of Exercise Equipment (2010)

References[link]

External links[link]

Professional wrestling portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rosa Mendes

• Official website
• Rosa Mendes on Twitter
• WWE profile
• Rosa Mendes at the Internet Movie Database
• Online World of Wrestling profile

Djedet (ḏd.t) in hieroglyphs

Mendes
An object unearthed in Mendes
Mendes Location in Egypt
Coordinates: 30°57′30″N 31°30′57″E / 30.95833°N 31.51583°E / 30.95833; 31.51583Coordinates: 30°57′30″N 31°30′57″E / 30.95833°N 31.51583°E / 30.95833; 31.51583
Country	Egypt
Governorate	Dakahlia Governorate
Time zone	EST (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)

Mendes (Μένδης), the Greek name of the Ancient Egyptian city of Djedet, also known in Ancient Egypt as Per-Banebdjedet ("The Domain of the Ram Lord of Djedet") and Anpet, is known today as Tell El-Ruba (Arabic: تل الربع‎).

The city is located in the eastern Nile delta (30°57′30″N 31°30′57″E / 30.95833°N 31.51583°E / 30.95833; 31.51583) and was the capital of the 16th Lower Egyptian nome of Kha, until it was replaced by Thmuis in Greco-Roman Egypt. The two cities are only several hundred meters apart. During the 29th dynasty, Mendes was also the capital of Ancient Egypt, which lies on the Mendesian branch of the Nile (now silted up), about 35 km east of al-Mansurah.

History[link]

In ancient times, Mendes was a famous city that attracted the notice of most ancient geographers and historians, including Herodotus (ii. 42, 46. 166), Diodorus (i. 84), Strabo (xvii. p. 802), Mela (i. 9 § 9), Pliny the Elder (v. 10. s. 12), Ptolemy (iv. 5. § 51), and Stephanus of Byzantium (s. v.). The city was the capital of the Mendesian nome, situated at the point where the Mendesian arm of the Nile (Μενδήσιον στόμα, Scylax, p. 43; Ptol. iv, 5. § 10; Mendesium ostium, Pliny, Mela, ll. cc.) flows into the lake of Tanis. Archaeological evidence attests to the existence of the town at least as far back as the Naqada II period. Under the first Pharaohs, Mendes quickly became a strong seat of provincial government and remained so throughout the Ancient Egyptian period. In Classical times, the nome it governed was one of the nomes assigned to that division of the native army which was called the Calasires, and the city was celebrated for the manufacture of a perfume designated as the Mendesium unguentum. (Plin. xiii. 1. s. 2.) Mendes, however, declined early, and disappears in the first century AD; since both Ptolemy (l. c.) and P. Aelius Aristides (iii. p. 160) mention Thmuis as the only town of note in the Mendesian nome. From its position at the junction of the river and the lake, it was probably encroached upon by their waters, after the canals fell into neglect under the Macedonian kings, and when they were repaired by Augustus (Sueton. Aug. 18, 63) Thmuis had attracted its trade and population.

Religion[link]

The chief deities of Mendes were the ram deity Banebdjedet (lit. Ba of the Lord of Djedet), who was the Ba of Osiris, and his consort, the fish goddess Hatmehit. With their child Har-pa-khered ("Horus the Child"), they formed the triad of Mendes.

The ram deity of Mendes was described by Herodotus in his History^[1] as being represented with the head and fleece of a goat: “...whereas anyone with a sanctuary of Mendes or who comes from the province of Mendes, will have nothing to do with (sacrificing) goats, but uses sheep as his sacrificial animals... They say that Heracles’ overriding desire was to see Zeus, but Zeus was refusing to let him do so. Eventually, as a result of Heracles’ pleading, Zeus came up with a plan. He skinned a ram and cut off his head, then he held the head in front of himself, wore the fleece, and showed himself to Heracles like that. That is why the Egyptian statues of Zeus have a ram’s head, is why rams are sacred to the Thebans, and they do not use them as sacrificial animals. However there is just one day of the year—the day of the festival of Zeus--when they chop up a single ram, skin it, dress the statue of Zeus in the way mentioned, and then bring the statue of Heracles up close to the statue of Zeus. Then everyone around the sanctuary mourns the death of the ram and finally they bury it in a sacred tomb.”

Presumably following Herodotus' description, the occultist Eliphas Levi in his Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie (1855) called his goat-headed conception of Baphomet the "Baphomet of Mendes", thus popularizing and perpetuating this incorrect attribution, which has given rise to a flood of spurious connections, such as "The Goat of Mendes" by the blackened death metal band Akercocke.

Ruins[link]

The site is today the largest surviving tell in the Nile delta, and consists of both Tell El-Ruba (the site of the main temple enclosure) and Tell El-Timai (the settlement site of Thmuis to the south). Overall, Mendes is about 3 km long from north to south and averages about 900m east-to-west. An Old Kingdom necropolis is estimated to contain over 9,000 interments. Several campaigns of 20th-century excavations have been led by North American institutions, including New York University and the University of Toronto, as well as a Pennsylvania State University team led by Donald Redford. Under the direction of Prof. Redford, the current excavations are concentrating on a number of areas in and around the main temple. Work on the New Kingdom processional-style temple has recently uncovered foundation deposits of Merenptah below the second pylon. It is thought that four separate pylons or gates existed for each of the Avatars of the main deity worshiped here. Evidence has suggested that their construction dates from at least the Middle Kingdom, as foundation deposits were uncovered. The original structures were buried, added to, or incorporated into later ones over time by later rulers. Billy Morin, recently at University of Cambridge in England and now at Leiden University in the Netherlands led a team that investigated these further and uncovered several mud-brick walls acting as pylons and their foundations . Over thirty of the bricks were stamped with the cartouche of Menkheperre, the pre-nomen of Thutmose III. A cemetery of sacred rams was discovered in the northwest corner of Tell El-Ruba. Monuments bearing the names of Ramesses II, Merneptah. and Ramesses III were also found. A temple attested by its foundation deposits was built by Amasis. The tomb of Nepherites I, which Donald Reford concluded was destroyed by the Persians,^[2] was discovered by a joint team from the University of Washington and the University of Toronto in 1992-1993. On the edge of the temple mound, a sondage supervised by Matthew J. Adams has revealed uninterrupted stratification from the Middle Kingdom down to the First Dynasty. Coring results suggest that future excavations in that sondage should expect to take the stratification down into the Buto-Maadi Period. The material excavated so far is already the longest uninterrupted stratification for all of the Nile Delta, and possibly for all of Egypt.^[3]

Notes[link]

References[link]

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (April 2009)

• Redford, Donald Bruce. 2001. "Mendes". In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, edited by Donald Bruce Redford. Vol. 2 of 3 vols. Oxford, New York, and Cairo: Oxford University Press and The American University in Cairo Press. 376–377.
• ———. 2004. Excavations at Mendes. Volume 1: The Royal Necropolis. Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 20. Leiden, Boston, Köln: Brill. ISBN 90-04-13674-6
• ———. 2005. "Mendes: City of the Ram God." Egyptian Archaeology: The Bulletin of the Egyptian Exploration Society 26:8–12.
• Baines & Malek 2000: Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt, Checkmarks Books. ISBN 0-8160-4036-2
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–57). "^{article name needed}". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray. 
• http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/d/b/dbr3/mendes.html
• Adams, Matthew J. 2009. “An Interim Report on the Naqada III – First Intermediate Period Stratification at Mendes,” Delta Reports 1 (2009) 121–206.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mendes, Egypt

• The Great Mendes Stela
• Egyptian Monuments: Tell el-Rub'a
• Djed

Kelly Kelly
Kelly during the Tribute to the Troops show in December 2008
Ring name(s)	Kelly Kelly
Billed height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[1]
Billed weight	108 lb (49 kg)[1]
Born	(1987-01-15) January 15, 1987 (age 25)[2] Jacksonville, Florida[2][3]
Resides	Tampa, Florida[3]
Billed from	Jacksonville, Florida[4]
Trained by	OVW staff[1]
Debut	June 13, 2006[1]
Website	wwedivakellykelly.com

Barbara Jean "Barbie" Blank^[5] (born January 15, 1987)^[2] is an American model, professional wrestler, and professional wrestling valet better known by her ring name Kelly Kelly. She is working for WWE on its Raw brand.^[4]

Blank has a background in gymnastics and cheerleading. She studied broadcast journalism, hoping to become a television anchor, and worked as a model for Venus Swimwear and Hawaiian Tropic. In 2006, Blank was signed to a contract by WWE and sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling, a WWE developmental territory. She debuted on the ECW brand in June 2006 as 'Kelly Kelly', with the character of an exhibitionist and performing a striptease. She continued her stripteases, in a segment known as Kelly's Exposé, weekly on ECW, and also became the valet of her on-screen boyfriend Mike Knox. The following year, she formed Extreme Exposé with Layla and Brooke Adams, and the trio performed a regular dance segment on ECW. They later became involved in a storyline with The Miz, which led to the dissolution of the group.

Kelly then began participating in more wrestling matches, and was moved to the Raw brand in July 2008. Throughout the next year, she unsuccessfully challenged for the WWE Divas Championship on several occasions, before moving to SmackDown in early 2010. There she challenged Lay-Cool for the WWE Women's Championship, but was unsuccessful. In April 2011, Kelly returned to the Raw brand, where she won the WWE Divas Championship for the first time in June. Kelly lost the title to Beth Phoenix in October, ending her four-month reign.

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE[link]

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006)[link]

In 2006, while working as a model, Blank was seen by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) official John Laurinaitis, who was interested in signing her to a contract.^[2] As a result, WWE contacted her modeling agency and invited her to their developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), for a try-out. Despite having no previous wrestling experience she was offered a contract, which she signed in May 2006.^[1][2][6] Even after being called up to the main roster she continued to fly back and forth to OVW's base city Louisville, Kentucky once a week to work shows; first as a ring announcer and referee, then as a wrestler.^[7] One of her first matches took place at the September 6 OVW TV tapings where she participated in a Women's battle royal won by ODB.^[2][7]

ECW (2006–2008)[link]

Matt Striker (left) talking down to Kelly Kelly at an ECW live event.

Blank debuted for the ECW brand as Kelly Kelly. Originally, she was to be named just 'Kelly', but her ring name was expanded to 'Kelly Kelly' by Vince McMahon.^[8] She made her debut on the first episode of the weekly television program on June 13, 2006, becoming the youngest Diva on the WWE roster.^[3][5][9] Her character, an exhibitionist, was introduced performing a striptease for the crowd.^[6][9] The next week, while performing another striptease, Kelly was interrupted by her on-screen boyfriend, Mike Knox, who came to the stage and covered her with a towel before dragging her backstage.^[6][10] Her stripping became a weekly segment known as Kelly's Exposé and usually followed the same routine; Kelly would dance and strip until she was interrupted by Knox who was upset by her exhibitionism and showing off her body to others.^[11][12] Knox began forcing Kelly to accompany him to ringside so he could keep an eye on her, making her his de facto valet.^[11] As a result, she found herself involved in the feud developing between Mike Knox and partner Test with Tommy Dreamer and his partner The Sandman, including being inadvertently hit with a cane by Sandman when Knox used her as a shield.^[13] She made her ECW in-ring debut on the August 22, 2006 episode of ECW on Sci-Fi in a losing effort as part of a six-person mixed tag team match which saw herself, Knox, and Test lose to Dreamer, Sandman and Torrie Wilson, in what was the last match of the feud.^[14]

Kelly Kelly during a house show in June 2008.

Following this feud, Kelly and Knox were moved into a storyline with CM Punk in September, in which Kelly was shown to have developed a liking for Punk and Knox was shown to be increasingly protective and jealous.^[15] During the next month, Kelly continuously flirted with Punk and was shown watching his matches from the crowd, until Knox stopped her.^[16][17] Subsequently, Kelly's character dressed as Punk for ECW's Halloween Costume Contest, enraging Knox and leading to a match between the two, during which Kelly cheered for Punk.^[18][19] At December to Dismember, Kelly and Knox took on the team of Ariel and Kevin Thorn in a mixed tag team match, during which Knox refused to tag in before abandoning Kelly, leaving her to be beaten badly by Ariel.^[20] On the following episode of ECW, Kelly defeated Ariel with a roll-up on her first ECW singles match, after which Knox made his way to the ring with flowers only to throw them in Kelly's face and perform his signature swinging reverse STO on her, ending their relationship and giving her a scripted injury—removing her from the program for six weeks.^[2][21]

She returned to television on January 16, 2007 and cut a promo announcing she was newly single and bringing back Kelly's Exposé.^[22] The following week, she joined forces with Layla and Brooke to form Extreme Exposé.^[23] The trio performed a weekly dance segment on ECW for the next several months, as a successor to Kelly's Exposé segment.^[1] In June 2007, The Miz was moved to the brand, prompting a storyline in which all three members of Extreme Exposé were attracted to him.^[1][24][25] When Kelly shifted her attentions towards Balls Mahoney, Layla, Brooke, and The Miz openly mocked her, and The Miz later prevented her from going on a date with Mahoney, stating that he owned her contract and would fire her if she did so.^[26][27][28] On November 1, Brooke was released from her WWE contract, and Extreme Exposé dissolved as a group, leaving Kelly and Layla to enter an ongoing rivalry with more active wrestling roles.^[6][29] On the October 29 episode of Raw, Kelly won a battle royal to earn a match against the WWE Women's Champion, Beth Phoenix. After the match however, Kelly was attacked by Phoenix and lost the subsequent match between the two the following week on Raw.^[30][31] Kelly continued to feud with Layla, and they were on opposite sides of a 10-Diva tag team match at Survivor Series, which Kelly's team won.^[2][32] In December, Layla formed an alliance with Victoria, which expanded to include Lena Yada in January 2008, and Kelly continued to feud with the trio.^[1][33][34] At WrestleMania XXIV, Kelly was a 'lumberjill' for the Divas' tag team lumberjill match.^[1] The following month, Kelly was part of the losing team in a five-on-five Divas match at the Backlash pay-per-view.^[35]

Raw (2008–2010)[link]

Following the completion of the 2008 WWE Draft, Kelly was moved to the Raw brand on July 7. Kelly had her debut match as part of the brand that night by teaming with Mickie James to defeat Layla and Jillian Hall.^[36] She quickly became involved in a feud with Beth Phoenix, facing her on multiple occasions in both singles and tag team matches with a variety of opponents, including Mickie James and Candice Michelle.^[1][37][38] During this time, Phoenix was aligned with Hall, and in late September Kelly transitioned into a feud with Hall.^[39][40][41] At the Survivor Series pay-per-view in November, Kelly was part of the victorious Raw Diva team which defeated the SmackDown Divas in a five-on-five elimination match. During the match, she eliminated Victoria, before being eliminated by Maryse.^[42] The following month at Armageddon, Kelly teamed with Maria, Michelle McCool and James in a winning effort against Hall, Maryse, Victoria and Natalya.^[43]

Kelly posing on the turnbuckles in 2008.

On April 5, 2009, Kelly competed in a Divas Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXV, but the match was won by Santina Marella.^[44] On the May 18 episode of Raw, Kelly won a battle royal by eliminating Beth Phoenix and Mickie James, to become the number one contender to the WWE Divas Championship.^[45] The following week, she challenged Maryse for the championship and won by disqualification, allowing Maryse to retain.^[46] Kelly lost a subsequent rematch by pinfall two weeks later on June 8.^[47] Three weeks later, she competed in a fatal four-way match to determine the number one contender, but the match was won by James.^[48] Throughout the remainder of mid-2009, Kelly unsuccessfully competed in several number one contender matches.^[49][50] At the Bragging Rights pay-per-view in October, Kelly, Gail Kim and Melina comprised Team Raw, but lost to Team SmackDown, consisting of Phoenix, Natalya and McCool.^[51] The following month at the Survivor Series pay-per-view, Kelly participated in a five-on-five elimination match, which her team won. She eliminated Layla before being eliminated by Phoenix.^[52]

In January 2010, Kelly participated in the tournament to determine a new Divas Champion, after Melina was forced to vacate the championship due to injury, but was eliminated by Alicia Fox in the first round.^[53] Throughout early 2010, Kelly was involved in several backstage segments with the guest hosts of Raw.^[1] At WrestleMania XXVI, Kelly teamed with Phoenix, Kim, James and Eve Torres in a losing effort to McCool, Layla, Maryse, Fox and Vickie Guerrero.^[54] The following night on Raw, the teams faced off in a rematch with the opposite result.^[55] The following week, Kelly took part in a 10-Diva Dress To Impress battle royal, to determine the number one contender for Maryse's Divas Championship, but the match was won by Torres.^[56]

Brand switches and Divas Champion (2010–present)[link]

Kelly at the 2010 Tribute to the Troops show.

During the 2010 WWE Draft on April 26, Kelly was drafted to the SmackDown brand.^[57] She made her debut on the April 30 episode of SmackDown by teaming with Beth Phoenix to defeat Lay-Cool (Michelle McCool and Layla).^[58] She went on to feud with Lay-Cool, gaining an ally in Tiffany. Over the next several weeks, Kelly and Tiffany faced Lay-Cool in tag team matches, with Lay-Cool winning on both occasions.^[59][60] On the June 4 episode of SmackDown, Kelly made her singles debut for the brand, defeating Rosa Mendes, despite being distracted by Layla and McCool.^[61] After defeating both Layla and McCool in singles matches, she received a Women's Championship match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in July, but was unsuccessful.^[62][63][64] On August 31, Kelly announced that she would be a mentor on season three of NXT, with Naomi as her rookie.^[65] Throughout the second half of 2010, Kelly continued to feud with Lay-Cool, and gained an ally in Natalya in October.^[66][67][68] In November, Kelly's NXT rookie, Naomi was named runner-up to the winner, Kaitlyn during the season finale.^[69]

In December, Kelly started a storyline with Drew McIntyre who had developed a romantic interest in her.^[1] She rebuffed his advances on several occasions, stating he was too aggressive and vindictive.^[70][71][72] On January 30, 2011, at the Royal Rumble, Kelly prevented the Acting General Manager Vickie Guerrero from interfering in the World Heavyweight Championship match between Edge and Dolph Ziggler.^[73] On the following episode of SmackDown, Kelly and Edge defeated Lay-Cool and Ziggler in a two-on-three handicap match to retain Edge's World Heavyweight Championship. Following the match, Guerrero fired Kelly in storyline.^[74] At the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view later that month, Kelly was re-hired by SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long, and made her return by attacking Guerrero. She was stopped by Lay-Cool, who were in turn stopped by Trish Stratus.^[75] On the following episode of SmackDown, Kelly gained revenge on Guerrero when Kelly and Edge defeated Guerrero and McIntyre in a mixed tag team match, causing Guerrero to be fired in storyline per the pre-match stipulation.^[76]

On April 26, Kelly was drafted back to the Raw brand as part of the 2011 supplemental draft.^[77] On May 22 at the Over the Limit pay-per-view, Kelly unsuccessfully challenged Brie Bella for the WWE Divas Championship.^[78] The following month, on the Power to the People special edition of Raw on June 20, Kelly won a vote by the fans to determine the challenger for the Divas Championship that night. Kelly went on to win her first WWE Divas Championship by defeating Bella.^[79][80] Her win later garnered her a Slammy Award for Divalicious Moment of the Year.^[81][82] At the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in July, Kelly made her first title defense, successfully defeating Bella in a rematch.^[83] On the August 1 episode of Raw, Phoenix won a battle royal to become the number one contender to Kelly's championship, and afterward attacked Kelly to provoke a feud.^[84] Kelly went on to successfully defend her championship against Phoenix at SummerSlam.^[85] Following SummerSlam, Kelly continued to feud with Phoenix, defeating her at Night of Champions, before dropping the championship to her at Hell in a Cell in October.^[86][87] In a rematch on the October 14 episode of SmackDown, Kelly lost once again.^[88] Kelly challenged Phoenix for the Divas Championship at Tables, Ladders & Chairs, but was unsuccessful.^[89] At WrestleMania XXVIII, Kelly and Extras correspondent Maria Menounos defeated Phoenix and Eve in a tag team match.^[90]

Other media[link]

In April 2007, Kelly, along with Ashley Massaro, Layla El, Brooke Adams, Torrie Wilson, and Maryse Ouellet, appeared in a music video for the Timbaland song "Throw It on Me" (featuring The Hives).^[91] On April 11, 2008, Blank along with Mickie James, Melina Perez, and Layla El appeared in an episode of Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp as trainers.^[92] Six days later, she appeared as the "Soccerette" on the British football show Soccer AM.^[93] She appeared a second time on Soccer AM in 2009.^[94] On June 14, 2011 Kelly and The Bella Twins appeared on an episode of The Price is Right.^[95]

In August 2007, all three members of Extreme Exposé also took part in a photo-shoot for FHM Online.^[96] In 2011, Blank was ranked number 82 in Maxim's Hot 100.^[97] Blank was later featured on the both the front and back covers of Maxim in December 2011.^[8]

Personal life[link]

Blank was born in Jacksonville, Florida to a Jewish father and Christian mother.^[2][98] Blank was a fan of professional wrestling as a child, and cites Stone Cold Steve Austin as her favorite wrestler.^[99] While growing up, Blank participated in gymnastics for ten years, before she was forced to quit due to an injury.^[2] She later took up cheerleading.^[2] Blank studied broadcast journalism, hoping to become a television anchor.^[2][6] She was also a Hawaiian Tropic and Venus Swimwear bikini model before she entered professional wrestling.^[2][6] While training at OVW, Blank lived in Kentucky.^[99] Following this, Blank lived in Tampa, Florida prior to moving to Miami. She then returned to living in Tampa in 2010.^[3] She describes Trish Stratus as her inspiration in wrestling.^[99]

Blank was in a two-and-a-half year relationship with wrestler Andrew Martin, that had ended prior to his death in March 2009.^[100][101] Blank previously dated former WWE superstar Dave Batista.^[102][103] Blank is in a relationship with Sheldon Souray ^[104]

In wrestling[link]

• Finishing moves
  • K2 ^[93] / Kelly Kick ^[105] (Leg drop bulldog, sometimes preceded by stepping off the back of an opponent on all fours)^[106]
  • Roll-up^[107][108] — 2011–present
  • Kelly-DT (DDT) 2006-2008

• Signature moves
  • Kelly Killer^[93](Handspring back elbow smash)
  • Stink face^[109]
  • Tilt-a-whirl headscissors takedown
  • Neckbreaker^[110]
  • Hanging figure four necklock
  • Thesz press followed by multiple punches (sometimes from an elevated position) ^[111]
  • Hurricanrana

• Wrestlers managed
  • Mike Knox^[11]
  • The Miz^[1]

• Entrance themes
  • "Holla" by Desiree Jackson (2006–2007)^[112]
  • "Holla (2nd Remix)" by Desiree Jackson (October 6, 2008–present)^[113]

Championships and accomplishments[link]

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • PWI ranked her #15 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2011^[114]

• World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
  • WWE Divas Championship (1 time)^[79]
  • Slammy Award for Divalicious Moment of the Year (2011) – Kelly winning her first Divas Championship^[81]

References[link]