Name	Layla El
Alt	A close-up headshot of a tanned, Caucasian woman with brown hair, slightly past shoulder length, who is wearing a black top.
Names	LaylaLayla El
Birth date	June 25, 1978
Birth place	London, England
Resides	Miami, Florida
Billed	Miami, Florida
Debut	mid-2006
Retired	}}

Layla El (born 25 June 1978) is an English dancer, model and professional wrestler of Moroccan and Spanish descent. She is employed by WWE as a WWE Diva and appears on the SmackDown brand as Layla. She is the reigning WWE Divas Champion.

After attending a performing arts college, El was a dancer for Carnival Cruise Lines, the Miami Heat franchise of the National Basketball Association, and also danced for Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2006, she was a contestant in the 2006 WWE Diva Search, which she won to earn a contract with the company.

Initially appearing on the SmackDown brand, she was moved to the ECW brand in January 2007, where she formed the Extreme Exposé dance troupe with Kelly Kelly and Brooke Adams. In 2008, she was drafted to the Raw brand, where she began managing William Regal. The following year she returned to the SmackDown brand, where she formed an alliance with Michelle McCool known as Team Lay-Cool. In May 2010, Layla won the WWE Women's Championship for the first time, making her the first British woman to hold the championship. She is also the first Diva Search winner to have won the championship, and the final recognized WWE Women's Champion as the title was retired in 2010. In April 2012, Layla won the WWE Divas Championship upon her return from a year-long absence due to injury.

Dancing career

El was a dancer for Carnival Cruise Lines. Following that, she began dancing for the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat franchise, where she danced for two years. As part of the Miami Heat dance troupe, she received a championship ring. During this time, she appeared on-stage with John Legend as one of his backup dancers. She also danced for P. Diddy and Kanye West at the MTV Video Music Awards.

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

Diva Search and early appearances (2006–2007)

El's first foray into professional wrestling occurred when her trainer suggested she try out for the $250,000 WWE Diva Search contest in 2006. After a casting call, she was selected as one of the finalists. During the contest, she won a week's worth of "immunity" on the 14 July episode of ''SmackDown!'' after winning Sgt. Slaughter's "Diva Boot Camp" obstacle course—despite having jumped over several tires in the tire hop section of the course and not having both of her feet cross the finish line due to her doing a split. She won another competition, the "Diva Search Talent Show" on the 11 August episode of ''SmackDown!'', when she danced dressed as a police officer. She won the Diva Search on 16 August.

She made her first "official" WWE appearance at the 2006 SummerSlam pay-per-view in a backstage segment with several other divas. During the segment, the other women initially taunted and teased her before revealing that "it was all in fun" and part of an "initiation" of sorts. Afterward they dragged her into the showers, fully clothed, where they proceeded to spank her while laughing. The week after SummerSlam, El made her debut as a member of the SmackDown! brand in an interview with Mike "The Miz" Mizanin—although he did not allow her the chance to say much, spending most of the time talking about himself. Subsequently, she did not appear on WWE television for almost a month, reappearing on the 22 September episode of ''SmackDown!'' and getting into a confrontation with both Kristal and Jillian Hall.

At October's No Mercy pay-per-view event, she embarrassed The Miz by tricking him into getting a lap dance from Big Dick Johnson while he was blindfolded and expecting it to be from her as a birthday gift. On 20 October, Layla participated in a dance contest with the other SmackDown! Divas, and was chosen as the winner by the judges, Nick and Aaron Carter. Despite this, The Miz, who was acting as emcee, declared Kristal the winner. The following week, Layla made her official in-ring debut in a "Diva Trick-or-Treat Battle Royal". The match ended in controversial fashion when she was pulled from the ring by The Miz, allowing Kristal to win. On the next episode of ''SmackDown'', Layla teamed with Big Vito in a loss to The Miz and Kristal in a mixed tag team match. Continuing to feud with Kristal, Layla had her singles match debut on the 1 December episode of ''SmackDown!'', when she lost to Kristal. In her final match for the SmackDown! brand, Layla teamed with Ashley Massaro to defeat Kristal and Jillian Hall in a tag team match on 22 December.

Extreme Exposé; managing William Regal (2007–2009)

On 23 January 2007, Layla was moved to the ECW brand where she joined Brooke and Kelly Kelly to form Extreme Exposé. The trio performed a weekly dance segment on ''ECW'', which Layla choreographed, for the next several months. 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. When Kelly shifted her attentions towards Balls Mahoney, Layla, Brooke, and Miz openly mocked her. On 1 November, 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 in-ring roles. They were on opposite sides of a 10-Diva tag team match at Survivor Series, which Layla's team lost. In December, Layla formed an alliance with Victoria, which expanded to include Lena Yada in January 2008, and the trio continued to feud with Kelly. At WrestleMania XXIV, Layla was a 'lumberjill' for the Divas' tag team lumberjill match. The following month, Layla was part of the winning team in a six-on-six Divas match at the Backlash pay-per-view.

As part of the 2008 Supplemental Draft in late June, Layla was drafted to the Raw brand. On the 7 July episode of ''Raw'', Layla made her debut in a tag team match with Jillian Hall, losing to Mickie James and Kelly Kelly, who had been revealed as the newest member of the Raw brand earlier that night. She soon entered a storyline with Jamie Noble in which Noble attempted to impress her with his matches, only to be squashed—easily defeated—by his opponents. On 1 September, Noble was able to defeat William Regal, which impressed Layla. The following week, however, Layla chose to align herself with Regal, after he defeated Noble in a rematch. On the following episode of ''Raw'', Layla reinforced her decision, telling Noble that she had finally found a worthy man in Regal. Over the next few months, Layla competed only sporadically in matches, spending most of her time managing Regal, and was present at ringside when Regal defeated Santino Marella on 10 November to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship. On 5 April Layla competed in a Divas battle royal at WrestleMania XXV, but the match was won by Santina Marella.

Lay-Cool (2009–2011)

On 15 April 2009, Layla was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. She started a scripted rivalry with Eve Torres, and lost both a dance contest and an arm wrestling match to Torres, before losing a match to her on the 29 May episode of ''SmackDown''. After Torres defeated Layla again on the 18 June episode of ''WWE Superstars'', the two shook hands.

She then formed an alliance with Michelle McCool, later called Team Lay-Cool. Team Lay-Cool began a scripted rivalry with Mickie James in October, making fun of her weight and vowing to make her leave SmackDown just after her debut for the brand. At the Survivor Series pay-per-view, McCool's team lost to James' team. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs Layla interfered in the WWE Women's Championship match between McCool and James, helping McCool to retain the championship. In January 2010, at the Royal Rumble, Layla came out in a fatsuit mocking James prior to the championship match between McCool and James; however, the mockery backfired, as James attacked Layla and used that as a distraction to quickly defeat McCool to win the championship. On the 12 February episode of ''SmackDown'', Layla and McCool defeated James in a handicap match made by Official SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero, who had been accidentally humiliated by James backstage. Guerrero then joined the Lay-Cool alliance, accompanying them to the ring and interfering in their matches. At the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Layla and McCool defeated Raw's Gail Kim and Maryse in an inter-brand Divas tag team match. At WrestleMania XXVI she was on the winning team in a 10-Diva tag team match.

On the 14 May episode of ''SmackDown'', Team Lay-Cool faced the WWE Women's Champion, Beth Phoenix, in a two-on-one handicap match. Layla pinned Phoenix to win the Women's Championship for the first time, becoming the first British woman to hold the championship. She is also the first Diva Search winner to have won the championship. Following her win, Team Lay-Cool began calling themselves the co-Women's Champions. On 1 June, it was announced that Lay-Cool would be mentoring Kaval during the second season of ''WWE NXT''. On 18 July, Layla had her first title defense when she defeated Kelly Kelly at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. On 30 July, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long informed Lay-Cool that there was only one Women's Champion, and they had a week to decide who it would be. The following week, Lay-Cool revealed that they had cut the championship belt into two, turning it into a friendship charm and circumventing Long's orders. In September, Layla and McCool challenged WWE Divas Champion Melina to a championship unification match at Night of Champions. McCool participated in the match and won with Layla's help to unify both championships into the WWE Unified Divas Championship. Layla unofficially became the co-champion, and defended the championship against Melina the following night on ''Raw''. After both members of Lay-Cool had successfully defended the championship against Natalya, they faced her in a two-on-one handicap match at Survivor Series, which Natalya won to become the new Divas Champion. Following Survivor Series, Natalya and Phoenix formed an alliance to continue the feud with Lay-Cool, and at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view in December, Lay-Cool lost to them in the first Diva's Tag Team Tables match in WWE history. Lay-Cool invoked their rematch clause in January 2011, prompting the scheduling of a two-on-one handicap match for the Royal Rumble. At the Royal Rumble however, the anonymous Raw General Manager changed the match to a fatal four-way, also involving Eve. Eve went on to pin Layla and become the new Divas Champion.

Lay-Cool began to fall out following the loss of the Divas Championship, and began to appear in a series of vignettes in which they were attending couples therapy. On the 22 April episode of ''SmackDown'', McCool attacked Layla during one of their storyline therapy sessions. During the 2011 WWE Draft on 25 April, Layla lost a match to Eve and was attacked afterward by McCool, but was able to fight her off. On the 29 April episode of ''SmackDown'' the pair faced each other in a match, which ended in a double countout. As a result, the pair faced each off in a no countout, no disqualification, loser leaves WWE match at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on 1 May, which Layla won.

Injury and Divas Champion (2011–present)

Layla announced that she had suffered a knee injury at Extreme Rules on ''SmackDown'' on 13 May, and was interrupted and attacked by Kharma to write her off television. Later that month, it was confirmed that Layla had legitimately torn both her Anterior cruciate and Medial collateral ligaments and required surgery.

Layla made her in-ring return at a Florida Championship Wrestling event on 22 March 2012. She returned to the main WWE roster at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on 29 April, replacing Beth Phoenix, who was not medically cleared to compete, in a match for the WWE Divas Championship. Despite interference from Brie Bella, Layla defeated Nikki Bella to win the WWE Divas Championship for the first time. The following night on ''Raw'', she successfully defended the championship against both Nikki and Brie in a triple threat match.

Modelling

Since winning the Diva Search contest El has also done some modelling work. She has been featured in the magazines ''King'', ''Smooth'', and was the cover-girl for the first issue of ''Liquid''. She also posed for ''FHM'' with the other members of Extreme Exposé. Layla, along with Beth Phoenix and Candice Michelle, appeared in the February 2009 issue of ''Flex Magazine''.

Other media

In April 2007, Layla and other WWE Divas, Kelly Kelly, Brooke, Torrie Wilson, Ashley and Maryse, were filmed for Timbaland's music video "Throw It On Me" featuring The Hives. During the week of 5 November 2007, Layla appeared on five episodes of ''Family Feud'' with other WWE superstars. On 6 February 2008 she appeared on ''Project Runway'' with several WWE Divas as part of the week's challenge. She also appeared on the 13 April 2008 episode of ''Celebrity Fit Club Boot Camp'' as a trainer.

Personal life

El was born and raised in England, and is of Moroccan descent. Her father is of Spanish descent. El's mother died in August 2008. She attended a performing arts college in London. She has previously lived in Miami, Florida, and Los Angeles, California.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''The Face Lift'' (Diving somersault inverted facelock jawbreaker) — 2010–present

''The Layout'' (Neckbreaker)

Signature moves

Arm drag reversal into a pin

Low dropkick to the opponent's face, as a sunset flip counter

Wrestlers managed

The Miz

Jamie Noble

William Regal

Championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked her #13 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2011

World Wrestling Entertainment

WWE Divas Championship (1 time, current)

WWE Women's Championship (1 time)

WWE Diva Search (2006)

Slammy Award for Knucklehead Moment of the Year (2010) –

References

External links

WWE profile

Miami Heat dancer profile

Online World of Wrestling profile

Category:1978 births Category:English expatriates in the United States Category:English female professional wrestlers Category:English people of Moroccan descent Category:English people of Spanish descent Category:English professional wrestlers Category:Living people Category:People from London Category:Professional wrestling dancers Category:WWE Diva Search contestants

ar:ليلى إل ca:Layla El de:Layla El es:Layla El fr:Layla El it:Layla El nl:Layla El ja:レイラ・エル pl:Layla El pt:Layla El ru:Эл, Лейла simple:Layla El fi:Layla El th:เลย์ล่า อีล tr:Layla El

Name	Kelly Kelly
Alt	A close-up photo of a young, Caucasian blonde, who is smiling at the camera. Men in camouflage uniforms are visible in the background.
Names	Kelly Kelly
Height
Weight
Birth date	January 15, 1987
Birth place	Jacksonville, Florida
Resides	Tampa, Florida
Billed	Jacksonville, Florida
Trainer	OVW staff
Debut	June 13, 2006
website	}}

Barbara Jean "Barbie" Blank (born January 15, 1987) 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.

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

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006)

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. 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. 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. 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.

ECW (2006–2008)

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. 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. Her character, an exhibitionist, was introduced performing a striptease for the crowd. 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. 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. Knox began forcing Kelly to accompany him to ringside so he could keep an eye on her, making her his ''de facto'' valet. 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. 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.

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. During the next month, Kelly continuously flirted with Punk and was shown watching his matches from the crowd, until Knox stopped her. 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. 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. 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.

She returned to television on January 16, 2007 and cut a promo announcing she was newly single and bringing back ''Kelly's Exposé''. The following week, she joined forces with Layla and Brooke to form Extreme Exposé. The trio performed a weekly dance segment on ''ECW'' for the next several months, as a successor to Kelly's Exposé segment. 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. 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. 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. 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''. 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. 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. At WrestleMania XXIV, Kelly was a 'lumberjill' for the Divas' tag team lumberjill match. The following month, Kelly was part of the losing team in a five-on-five Divas match at the Backlash pay-per-view.

Raw (2008–2010)

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. 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. During this time, Phoenix was aligned with Hall, and in late September Kelly transitioned into a feud with Hall. 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. The following month at Armageddon, Kelly teamed with Maria, Michelle McCool and James in a winning effort against Hall, Maryse, Victoria and Natalya.

On April 5, 2009, Kelly competed in a Divas Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXV, but the match was won by Santina Marella. 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. The following week, she challenged Maryse for the championship and won by disqualification, allowing Maryse to retain. Kelly lost a subsequent rematch by pinfall two weeks later on June 8. Three weeks later, she competed in a fatal four-way match to determine the number one contender, but the match was won by James. Throughout the remainder of mid-2009, Kelly unsuccessfully competed in several number one contender matches. 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. 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.

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. Throughout early 2010, Kelly was involved in several backstage segments with the guest hosts of ''Raw''. At WrestleMania XXVI, Kelly teamed with Phoenix, Kim, James and Eve Torres in a losing effort to McCool, Layla, Maryse, Fox and Vickie Guerrero. The following night on ''Raw'', the teams faced off in a rematch with the opposite result. 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.

Brand switches and Divas Champion (2010–present)

During the 2010 WWE Draft on April 26, Kelly was drafted to the SmackDown brand. She made her debut on the April 30 episode of ''SmackDown'' by teaming with Beth Phoenix to defeat Lay-Cool (Michelle McCool and Layla). 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. 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. 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. On August 31, Kelly announced that she would be a mentor on season three of ''NXT'', with Naomi as her rookie. Throughout the second half of 2010, Kelly continued to feud with Lay-Cool, and gained an ally in Natalya in October. In November, Kelly's ''NXT'' rookie, Naomi was named runner-up to the winner, Kaitlyn during the season finale.

In December, Kelly started a storyline with Drew McIntyre who had developed a romantic interest in her. She rebuffed his advances on several occasions, stating he was too aggressive and vindictive. 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. 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. 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. 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.

On April 26, Kelly was drafted back to the Raw brand as part of the 2011 supplemental draft. On May 22 at the Over the Limit pay-per-view, Kelly unsuccessfully challenged Brie Bella for the WWE Divas Championship. 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. Her win later garnered her a Slammy Award for Divalicious Moment of the Year. At the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in July, Kelly made her first title defense, successfully defeating Bella in a rematch. 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. Kelly went on to successfully defend her championship against Phoenix at SummerSlam. 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. In a rematch on the October 14 episode of ''SmackDown'', Kelly lost once again. Kelly challenged Phoenix for the Divas Championship at Tables, Ladders & Chairs, but was unsuccessful. At WrestleMania XXVIII, Kelly and ''Extras'' correspondent Maria Menounos defeated Phoenix and Eve in a tag team match.

Other media

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). 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. Six days later, she appeared as the "Soccerette" on the British football show ''Soccer AM''. She appeared a second time on ''Soccer AM'' in 2009. On June 14, 2011 Kelly and The Bella Twins appeared on an episode of ''The Price is Right''.

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

Personal life

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

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

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''K2'' / ''Kelly Kick'' (Leg drop bulldog, sometimes preceded by stepping off the back of an opponent on all fours)

Roll-up — 2011–present

Signature moves

''Kelly Killer''(Handspring back elbow smash)

Stink face

*Tilt-a-whirl headscissors takedown

Neckbreaker

*Hanging figure four necklock

Thesz press followed by multiple punches (sometimes from an elevated position)

*Hurricanrana

Wrestlers managed

Mike Knox

The Miz

Entrance themes

"Holla" by Desiree Jackson (2006–2007)

"Holla (2nd Remix)" by Desiree Jackson (October 6, 2008–present)

Championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked her #15 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2011

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

WWE Divas Championship (1 time)

Slammy Award for Divalicious Moment of the Year (2011) –

References

External links

WWE profile

Online World of Wrestling profile

Category:1987 births Category:American female models Category:American female professional wrestlers Category:American cheerleaders Category:Jewish professional wrestlers Category:Living people Category:Miss Hawaiian Tropic delegates Category:People from Jacksonville, Florida Category:People from Tampa, Florida Category:Professional wrestling dancers Category:Professional wrestling managers and valets Category:Jewish American sportspeople

ar:كيلي كيلي bg:Кели Кели ca:Kelly Kelly cs:Kelly Kelly de:Kelly Kelly es:Barbie Blank fa:کلی کلی fr:Kelly Kelly it:Barbie Blank lv:Kelly Kelly nl:Kelly Kelly ja:ケリー・ケリー no:Kelly Kelly pl:Kelly Kelly pt:Kelly Kelly ro:Kelly kelly ru:Келли Келли simple:Kelly Kelly sk:Kelly Kelly fi:Kelly Kelly sv:Barbie Blank th:เคลลี เคลลี tr:Kelly Kelly uk:Келлі Келлі

Article name	The Bella Twins
Members	Brie BellaNikki Bella
Names	Bella BombersThe Bella TwinsThe Bellas
Heights	each
Weights	each
Billed	Scottsdale, Arizona
Hometown	San Diego, California
Debut	September 15, 2007
Disbanded	April 30, 2012
Promotions	Florida Championship WrestlingWWE
Trainer	Tom Prichard }}

Brianna Monique Garcia-Colace and Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace (born on November 21, 1983) are American twin professional wrestlers. The twins are a professional wrestling tag team under the ring names Brie Bella and Nikki Bella respectively and collectively referred to as The Bella Twins. They are best known for their time with WWE, working on its Raw, SmackDown and ECW brands from 2008 to 2012. They are both former WWE Divas Champions.

Before being promoted to the main WWE roster, The Bella Twins wrestled with Florida Championship Wrestling, where they were trained by Tom Prichard, and competed mainly in tag team competition. Brie made her debut first on ''SmackDown'' in August 2008. As part of her in-ring persona, would disappear under the ring during matches, emerging revived. It was later discovered that she was switching places with her twin, Nikki, while under the ring, in order to gain an advantage. They then competed in tag team matches. Beginning in November 2008, an angle was written in which The Bella Twins developed an on-screen relationship with The Colóns (Carlito and Primo). They were later involved in storyline romances with John Morrison and The Miz in early 2009 and Daniel Bryan in 2010. On April 11, 2011, Brie defeated Eve Torres to win her first WWE Divas Championship and on April 23, 2012, Nikki defeated Beth Phoenix to win her first WWE Divas Championship.

On April 30, 2012 the Bella twins parted ways with WWE.

Early life and career

Brianna and Nicole Garcia were born in Scottsdale, Arizona and raised in San Diego, California in a family of Mexican and Italian Nationality. They played soccer up until college, when they started modeling, acting, and doing promotional work. They made their first national TV appearance on the Fox reality show ''Meet My Folks''. Following this appearance, the Garcia twins were hired to be the World Cup Twins for Budweiser and were photographed holding the World Cup trophy. They then participated in the 2006 "International Body Doubles twins search". They participated in the 2006 WWE Diva Search but did not make the cut. The twins also appeared in Atreyu's music video for "Right Side of the Bed"

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2007–2012)

Florida Championship Wrestling (2007–2008)

They were signed to developmental contracts by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in June 2007 and assigned to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's developmental territory, in Tampa, Florida. On September 15, 2007 the twins debuted in FCW, dubbed The Bella Twins, by defeating Nattie Neidhart and Krissy Vaine with Victoria Crawford as the special guest referee. The duo quickly started a scripted rivalry with Neidhart and Crawford, and had a series of matches against them throughout October 2007. As a part of their on-screen personas, they switched places behind the referee's back if one of them was hurt. They also occasionally competed in mixed tag team matches, teaming with male wrestlers including Kofi Kingston and Robert Anthony. They also made some non-wrestling appearances on Heath Miller's "Happy Hour" promo segment.

Starting in December 2007, they began managing Derrick Linkin, but this storyline was cut short when Linkin was released in January 2008. They then resumed their feud with Neidhart and Crawford, wrestling them throughout much of 2008. After Neidhart was called up to the WWE roster in April 2008, however, Milena Roucka took her place in the feud. They also competed in bikini contests, and wrestled against other competitors including Katie Lea Burchill and Daisy. Their last FCW appearance was on September 2, when they competed in a Divas Battle Royal won by Miss Angela.

Debut and Brand switches (2008–2010)

On the August 29, 2008 episode of ''SmackDown'', Brianna debuted as Brie Bella under a fan favorite character and defeated Victoria. She quickly began a scripted rivalry with Victoria and Victoria's accomplice, Nattie Neidhart, who was now using the ring name Natalya, and had a series of matches against them. In each match Brie would roll out of the ring and go underneath it, emerging and appearing revived, and then win the match. On the October 31 episode of ''SmackDown'' when Brie went under the ring Victoria grabbed her legs, but a second pair of legs kicked her off, implying that a second person was under the ring. The following week on ''SmackDown'', Brie picked up a win against Victoria and then ran under the ring to escape Natalya and Victoria, but Victoria and Natalya both reached for Brie under the ring, resulting in both Nicole and Brie being pulled out. The twins then attacked them and celebrated afterward. Nicole was then introduced as Nikki. The twins had their first official match as a team on the November 21 episode of ''SmackDown'', defeating Victoria and Natalya. They continued competing in tag team matches for the next few months.

Starting in November, they developed an on-screen relationship with The Colóns (Carlito and Primo), appearing in numerous backstage segments with them, and accompanying them to the ring. On the February 13, 2009 episode of ''SmackDown'', John Morrison and The Miz flirted with the Bellas backstage. As Morrison and The Miz were scheduled to have a match against Carlito and Primo that night, a stipulation was added that the winning team would win a date with the Bellas on Valentine's Day. During their date, Primo and Carlito were disguised as waiters and tried to sabotage the date, resulting in the Bellas getting angry with the two. The date provoked a rivalry between the teams of The Miz and Morrison and Primo and Carlito, with them competing for the affection of The Bella Twins, who were seemingly unable to choose between them. On the March 17 episode of ''ECW'', Carlito and Primo, accidentally spat apples in the face of Brie, which was originally aimed at Morrison and The Miz. Nikki started to laugh at Brie's misfortune, and a fight broke out between the two of them, which led to Nikki leaving with The Miz and Morrison, while Brie stayed with Primo and Carlito. This turned Nikki heel in the process. Brie won her first match over Nikki in a six-person intergender tag team match on the March 27 episode of ''SmackDown''. In their first singles match, on the March 31 episode of ''ECW'', Nikki pinned Brie after Morrison and The Miz caused a distraction. On April 15, 2009, The Bella Twins were both drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft. On the April 27 episode of ''Raw'', Brie made her Raw in-ring debut in an eight-Diva tag team match, which her team won. Nikki also made an appearance, reuniting with her twin, as she was under the ring to help out Brie during her match. Nikki then made her official in-ring debut on the May 18 episode of ''Raw'' in a battle royal but was eliminated by Beth Phoenix. On June 29, 2009, they were both traded to the ECW brand. They debuted on ''ECW'' on June 30, 2009 on ''The Abraham Washington Show'', as the special guests. The following Tuesday on ''ECW'' Nikki defeated Katie Lea Burchill, by switching places with Brie behind the referee's back. The following week on ''WWE Superstars'' Brie also defeated Burchill after a similar switch. The Bella Twins were then featured on September 10 episode of ''Superstars'', when Nikki defeated Burchill.

On October 12, 2009, the Bellas were sent back to Raw as part of a tri-branded divas trade, where they predominately appeared in backstage segments with the weekly guest stars and occasionally competed in matches. On the January 4, 2010, episode of ''Raw'', Brie participated in the tournament to determine the new Divas Champion tournament match, but lost to Maryse in the first round. During the match, the twins switched places behind the referee's back so it was Nikki who was pinned. In June 2010, they developed a feud with Jillian Hall, when Brie defeated her after switching with Nikki. The following week, Nikki defeated Hall after switching with Brie. On the July 8 episode of ''Superstars'', the Bellas acted as the special guest referees during a mixed tag team match with Primo and Hall facing Yoshi Tatsu and Gail Kim. During the match, Hall attacked both twins, but lost the match when Kim pinned her and Nikki made a fast count. On the next episode of ''Superstars'', the twins defeated Hall and Maryse in a tag team match.

On August 31, The Bella Twins announced they would be part of season three of ''NXT'', mentoring Jamie. Jamie was the first rookie eliminated on the October 5 episode of ''NXT''. On the October 19 episode of ''NXT'' the Bellas heel turn started as Nikki became upset after Kelly Kelly's rookie Naomi kicked Brie in the face during the match. Nikki attacked Naomi and eventually threw Brie (the legal woman) out of the ring and pin Naomi. Over the rest of the season a similar trend of a more aggressive Nikki continued.

On the November 22 episode of ''Raw'', Brie ran out to accompany Daniel Bryan to his match against Ted DiBiase who had Maryse in his corner. Following Bryan's win, Nikki ran out and the two fought over Bryan's affection only to have Bryan break it up and have both of them hug each other. They began to manage Bryan, frequently accompanying him to the ring.

Divas Championship reigns and departure (2011–2012)

On the January 24 episode of ''Raw'', the twins discovered Bryan kissing Gail Kim backstage. After it was explained to them that Gail was Bryan's girlfriend, the Bellas assaulted her, turning both heel for the first time in their WWE careers. On January 30 at the Royal Rumble, they once again assaulted Gail Kim, and again the following night on ''Raw''.

On the February 7 episode of ''Raw'', they debuted in their first match as heels, teaming with fellow recently-turned heel Melina in a losing effort to WWE Divas Champion Eve Torres, Tamina, and Gail Kim. The Bella Twins began feuding with Eve Torres after they appeared as lumberjills during a WWE Divas Championship match between Eve and Natalya on the February 14 episode of ''Raw''. Following the match, they attacked Eve backstage before Gail Kim and Natalya made the save. The following week, The Bella Twins defeated Eve and Gail Kim in a tag team match after using "''Twin Magic''". The following week, Nikki won a Divas battle royal to become the number one contender for the WWE Divas Championship after Brie switched with her twin sister. Nikki cashed in this title shot on the March 7 episode of ''Raw'', but fell to win. On the March 17 episode of ''WWE Superstars'', The Bella Twins teamed up with Melina and Alicia Fox in a losing effort against Tamina, Gail Kim, Natayla, Eve Torres. The following week on the March 31 episode of ''WWE Superstars'', The Bellas and Melina, defeated Eve, Gail, and Natayla after Brie pinned Eve following another "''Twin Magic''" switch. On the April 11 episode of ''Raw'', Brie Bella defeated Eve to win the WWE Divas Championship from her, marking the first time that either twin had held a championship in the WWE. Brie went on to successfully defend the championship against Kelly Kelly at ''Over the Limit'', after switching places with Nikki again.

The following night on ''Raw'', they teamed with fellow heels Maryse and Melina against Kelly Kelly, Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, and Eve Torres, however, the match ended in a no-contest following an interruption from Kharma. On the May 30 episode of ''Raw'', The Bella Twins were defeated by Kelly Kelly and Eve. Later that night, they interrupted and mocked Kharma when she revealed that she was pregnant and that she was taking a year's leave of absence from the WWE.

On the June 6 episode of ''Raw'', The Bella Twins were defeated in a divas tag team match by Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix after Brie was pinned by Phoenix. Their losing streak continued on the June 13 episode of ''Raw'', when they lost a 7 on 7 divas tag team match teaming with Melina, Rosa Mendes, Alicia Fox, Maryse, and Tamina in a losing effort to Kelly Kelly, Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, Eve Torres, Natalya, AJ, and Kaitlyn. On the June 20 episode of ''Raw'', a special "''Power to the People''" episode, where Brie would defend her title against either Eve, Kelly Kelly, or Beth Phoenix, Kelly was selected by the WWE Universe as her opponent, who defeated Brie and won the Divas Championship. The following week on ''Raw'', Nikki faced Kelly in a Raw Roulette match. A submission match was picked and Nikki lost after tapping out to a Boston crab. After the match, both of the Bellas attacked Kelly until Eve Torres came to the rescue, throwing both Bellas out of the ring. It was later announced that Brie's rematch for the WWE Divas Championship would take place at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view.

On July 17, Brie challenged Kelly for the WWE Divas Championship at the Money in the Bank 2011 pay-per-view, but failed to win. On the August 1 episode of ''Raw'', Brie and Nikki both took part in a battle royal to face Kelly Kelly for the Divas Championship at SummerSlam. They both failed to win but were eliminated last simultaneously at the hands of the victorious Beth Phoenix. On the August 29 episode of ''Raw'', The Bellas' losing streak finally ended when Brie Bella defeated Kelly Kelly after switching places with her sister Nikki. On the September 29 episode of ''WWE Superstars'', The Bella Twins defeated Chickbusters (A.J. and Kaitlyn). On the October 27 episode of ''WWE Superstars'' Eve and Kelly Kelly defeated The Bella Twins, when Kelly pinned Brie. On the November 29 episode of ''SmackDown'', Brie Bella won a Divas "Mistletoe on a Pole" match. After the match, Mick Foley confronted Brie and told her that she have the opportunity to kiss a Superstar of her choice between now and Christmas. At the 2011 annual Tribute to the Troops, The Bella Twins teamed up with Beth Phoenix and Natalya in a losing effort to Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, Eve & Maria Menounos.

They would then enter into a storyline where they pursued Alberto Del Rio. On the January 2 episode of ''Raw'', The Bellas defeated Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres in a tag team match. On January 16 episode of ''Raw'', they were defeated by Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox, since Raw's special guest, Perez Hilton thwarted their attempt at Twin Magic. After the match, Nikki and Brie would go and try to attack Perez but Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox would come to the aid of Perez. The Bella's began to show friction for the second time since joining WWE after both twins had lost to AJ in singles competition. After Brie's match with AJ, Nikki revealed that Brie was rooting for Team Johnny in the 12-man tag team match at WrestleMania XXVIII, whilst Nikki was rooting for Team Teddy, thus furthering their dissension. On the April 6 episode of ''SmackDown'', Nikki Bella (without the assistance of her twin sister Brie), took on the Divas Champion Beth Phoenix. Before the match started, Kelly Kelly came out to distract Phoenix, which then allowed Nikki pick up the win.

On the April 23 episode of ''Raw'', Nikki defeated Beth Phoenix in a lumberjill match for the WWE Divas Championship, ending Phoenix's reign as champion at 204 days. Brie lost Nikki's championship to Layla at Extreme Rules, after attempting Twin Magic. The following night on ''Raw'', they competed in their last match with the WWE, failing to win back the Divas Championship from Layla in a triple threat match. Later that night, WWE announced on their website that the twins had been fired by Executive Administrator Eve Torres. This storyline was reportedly used to facilitate the expiration of their contracts, which the twins had decided not to renew.

Personal lives

Nikki previously dated WWE wrestler Dolph Ziggler while Brie previously dated Richie Kotzen, former guitarist of bands Poison and Mr. Big. As of March 2012, Brie has been in a relationship with WWE wrestler Daniel Bryan.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Bella Buster'' (Sitout facebuster)

''Twin Magic'' (simultaneously switching places usually followed by a Bella Buster or a pinning variation)

Signature moves

*Armbar

Dropkick

*Diving crossbody

Jumping snapmare

Monkey flip

*Snap swinging neckbreaker

*Springboard arm drag

Wrestlers managed

*Carlito and Primo

*John Morrison and The Miz

*Daniel Bryan

Managers

*Carlito and Primo – Brie

*John Morrison and The Miz – Nikki

Entrance themes

"You Can Look (But You Can't Touch)" by Kim Sozzi and Jim Johnston (2009–2012)

Championships and accomplishments

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

WWE Divas Championship (2 times) – Brie (1), Nikki (1)

WWE.com

WWE Emmy for Lead Actress in a Drama – Nikki for ''That Article'' and The Bella's fury over Twitter regarding WWE.com article ''Divas of Doom ... or salvation?''

*WWE Emmy for Supporting Actress in a Drama – Brie for ''That Article''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked Brie #21 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2011

References

External links

Brie's WWE profile

Nikki's WWE profile

Online World of Wrestling profile

Official Website

Category:1983 births Category:American female professional wrestlers Category:American professional wrestlers of Italian descent Category:American professional wrestlers of Mexican descent Category:Articles about multiple people Category:Identical twins Category:Living people Category:People from Scottsdale, Arizona Category:Sportspeople from San Diego, California Category:Twin people from the United States Category:Women's wrestling teams and stables Category:WWE teams and stables Category:WWE Diva Search contestants

ca:Nikki Bella cs:The Bella Twins es:The Bella Twins fr:The Bella Twins ko:벨라 트윈스 it:The Bella Twins nl:The Bella Twins ja:ベラ・ツインズ pl:Nikki Bella pt:The Bella Twins simple:The Bella Twins th:เดอะ เบลล่าทวินส์ tr:Bella Twins

Name	Cody Rhodes
Alt	A Caucasian male wearing short, white, wrestling tights and a white and black jacket holds a wrestling championship in the air above his head. The championship consists of five visible gold plates afixed to a white strap.
Names	Cody RhodesCody Runnels
Height
Weight
Birth date	June 30, 1985
Birth place	Marietta, Georgia
Billed	Marietta, Georgia
Trainer	Dusty RhodesAl SnowBruno SassiRay Lloyd
Debut	June 2006
Website	}}

Cody Runnels (born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Cody Rhodes. Runnels is signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand where he is the current WWE Intercontinental Champion.

Runnels is the half-brother of Goldust as well as the son of Dusty Rhodes, and worked as a referee in his father's promotion during high school. Runnels started wrestling professionally in 2006, using his real name, wrestling for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). While situated at OVW, he won various championships, both in tag team and singles competition, including the OVW Heavyweight Championship. He made his WWE television debut on July 16, 2007, under the ring name Cody Rhodes. In December 2007, Rhodes captured his first title with the company, the World Tag Team Championship with Hardcore Holly, and the two held it for six months.

Rhodes formed a secret alliance with Ted DiBiase during 2008. In the course of a match held on June 29 he turned on Holly by switching sides to join DiBiase, with whom he became World Tag Team champion. The new champions dropped their titles in August, only to win them back a week later. Rhodes and DiBiase were joined by Manu shortly afterwards, forming a faction of multi-generation wrestlers, although this alliance was to be short-lived. In January 2009, Rhodes and DiBiase formed a new alliance, The Legacy, with Randy Orton. Rhodes was moved to the SmackDown brand in April 2010, as part of the Supplemental Draft, and won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Drew McIntyre in September of the same year. In August 2011, Rhodes won the WWE Intercontinental Championship, his first singles championship in WWE, holding it for over seven months until he lost it at WrestleMania 28. He won the title back one month later at Extreme Rules (2012).

Amateur wrestling career

Runnels had a successful high school wrestling career, attending Lassiter High School in Marietta, Georgia. He placed sixth in the division as a sophomore. As a junior, Runnels won the Georgia state tournament at in 2003, and successfully defended the title in his senior year. Runnels had planned to wrestle collegiately at Pennsylvania State University, but decided to become a professional wrestler instead. During his time in high school, Runnels also acted as a referee in his father's Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling promotion. After graduating from high school, Runnels attended an acting school.

Professional wrestling career

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006–2007)

Using his real name, Runnels began wrestling in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in June 2006. Runnels formed a tag team with Shawn Spears in mid-August 2006 and they quickly became embroiled in a feud with The Untouchables over the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. They first captured the championship from The Untouchables on October 18. In November 2006, Runnels and Spears defeated The Untouchables in a tag team match, and won the services of Cherry, The Untouchables' manager. Cherry accompanied Spears and Runnels to ringside, and soon Spears began to fall in love with her, which began interfering with their matches. On November 29, the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship was vacated after a match between The Untouchables and Runnels and Spears ended in a draw. The following week, a rematch between the two teams was held for the vacant championship. During this match Cherry turned on Spears and Runnels, rejoining The Untouchables and helping them regain the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. Two weeks later, on December 20, Runnels and Spears defeated Deuce 'n Domino in a Street Fight to win the championship for the second time. Shortly afterwards, Runnels and Spears became involved in a scripted rivalry with each other, after Spears became jealous of Runnels' success as a singles wrestler. This rift started when Runnels won the OVW Heavyweight Championship from Paul Burchill at a house show on February 17, 2007, only to lose it back to Burchill the next day. Spears went on to win the OVW Television Championship in response. On April 11, the duo lost the Southern Tag Team Championship to the team of Justin LaRouche and Charles Evans. Runnels went on to defeat his now heated rival on July 6, to become the new OVW Television Champion. Exactly one week later, however, Runnels lost the championship back to Spears.

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

Debut and teaming with Hardcore Holly (2007–2008)

On the July 2 episode of ''Raw'', Runnels made his television debut, using the ring name Cody Rhodes, in a backstage segment with his father Dusty Rhodes and Randy Orton, where Orton introduced himself to Rhodes and then slapped Dusty as a sign of disrespect. On July 9, Rhodes slapped Orton in return, and the following week, Rhodes faced Orton in his debut WWE match, but lost. Rhodes appeared at The Great American Bash to prevent Orton from further attacking his father. The next night on ''Raw'', Rhodes challenged Orton to a rematch from the previous week, only to lose again. Orton followed this up by kicking Rhodes' father in the head, similar to how he had, in storyline, nearly ended the careers of Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam.

Rhodes' next storyline was a rivalry with Daivari, after he pinned him on the July 30 episode of ''Raw'', to keep his job. In the midst of this rivalry, he also feuded with The World's Greatest Tag Team, defeating both members, Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin in singles matches. The two feuds combined, when Rhodes, along with Paul London and Brian Kendrick, beat The World's Greatest Tag Team and Daivari in a six-man tag team match. The following week, Rhodes teamed up with Mickie James to defeat Daivari and Jillian Hall, ending their scripted rivalry.

Three weeks later, he began a feud with Hardcore Holly and lost three consecutive matches to him. Rhodes eventually earned Holly's respect, impressing Holly during their matches with his persistence and several near-falls, and the two formed a tag team. They earned a shot at the World Tag Team titles by defeating Paul London and Brian Kendrick and The Highlanders in a WWE.com exclusive match after an Alabama Slam. They fought against the Tag Team Champions Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch at Survivor Series, in what was Rhodes' first on-screen title shot and pay-per-view match, but were unsuccessful. On the November 19, 2007 episode of ''Raw'', Rhodes faced Holly for a fourth time, and beat him for the first time, although they were both attacked by Randy Orton afterwards.

On December 10, 2007, on the ''Raw'' 15th Anniversary special episode, Rhodes along with Hardcore Holly defeated Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch for the World Tag Team Championship, marking Rhodes' first championship in WWE. The following week, Rhodes and Holly retained their title, in their first title defense, against Cade and Murdoch. They also successfully defended the championships against the teams of Santino Marella and Carlito and Paul London and Brian Kendrick. In May 2008, Ted DiBiase began feuding with the duo, threatening to take their titles in his first match as part of the Raw brand.

The Legacy (2008–2010)

At the pay-per-view event, Night of Champions on June 29, Rhodes turned on Holly by revealing himself as Ted DiBiase's partner to help DiBiase win the match, becoming a villain. After holding the championship for just over a month, they dropped it to John Cena and Batista on the August 4 episode of ''Raw''. The following week, DiBiase and Rhodes used their rematch clause to regain the championship. Rhodes and DiBiase were joined by Manu, the son of Afa Anoa'i, in September, forming a stable of multi-generational superstars. On the October 27, 2008 episode of ''Raw'', Rhodes and DiBiase lost the World Tag Team Championship to Kofi Kingston and CM Punk.

During this time, Rhodes, DiBiase and Manu entered a storyline with Randy Orton where Orton constantly criticized and insulted them, and attacked DiBiase on the November 3 episode of ''Raw''. At Survivor Series, Rhodes, along with Orton, was a sole survivor, for Orton's team, in the annual Elimination match. Rhodes and Manu accepted Orton's offer for an alliance in the following weeks, and the trio dubbed themselves "The Legacy"; debuting in a two-on-three handicap match against Batista and Triple H. Orton began scheduling tests for The Legacy members, so they could prove themselves, and over two weeks, both Manu and Sim Snuka were kicked out.

On January 12, Snuka and Manu gave Rhodes the chance to align with them to attack Orton, along with the returning Ted DiBiase, but Rhodes refused. As they ambushed Orton, DiBiase instead joined with Orton and Rhodes to attack Snuka and Manu, and became a member of The Legacy. As part of The Legacy, Rhodes entered the Royal Rumble match in order to help Orton win, and lasted until the final three, before being eliminated by Triple H. Rhodes and DiBiase became involved in Orton's scripted rivalry with the McMahon family, helping him to attack Shane and Stephanie McMahon, and Stephanie's real-life husband, Triple H. Rhodes was also elevated to main event status as a result of joining The Legacy, competing in handicap and six-man tag team matches against Orton's opponents and rivals. On April 26, at Backlash, Rhodes, DiBiase, and Orton defeated Triple H, Batista, and Shane McMahon in a six-man tag team match, which, per the pre-match stipulation, resulted in Orton winning the WWE Championship. Rhodes suffered a minor neck injury in June, but did not need any time off to recover. Throughout mid-2009, Rhodes and DiBiase continued to compete against and attack Orton's rivals, especially Triple H. This led to Triple H reforming D-Generation X (DX) with Shawn Michaels, and DX defeated Rhodes and DiBiase at SummerSlam. Rhodes and DiBiase defeated DX at the following pay-per-view, Breaking Point in a submissions count anywhere match, but were defeated in a Hell in a Cell match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view in October, when Rhodes was pinned following a sledgehammer shot to the head. To sell the injury, Rhodes was taken out of the arena on a stretcher following the match.

Tension within The Legacy became apparent at the 2010 Royal Rumble, when Rhodes attempted to interfere in Orton's match for the WWE Championship. Rhodes was caught by the referee, resulting in a disqualification for Orton, who attacked Rhodes and DiBiase, who had tried to help Rhodes, after the match. On the February 15 episode of ''Raw'', Orton took on Sheamus in a non-title rematch, but was again disqualified after Rhodes and DiBiase interfered. During the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, Rhodes interfered, passing a lead pipe through the cage to DiBiase. DiBiase hit Orton with the pipe and eliminated him from the match. The next night on ''Raw'', Orton attacked Rhodes and DiBiase during a six-man tag team match, and they attacked Orton the following week in retaliation. This led to a triple threat match at WrestleMania XXVI, in which Orton defeated Rhodes and DiBiase.

"Dashing" and masked personas (2010–2011)

As part of the 2010 WWE Supplemental Draft, Rhodes was drafted to the SmackDown brand. He made his debut for the brand on the April 30 episode of ''SmackDown'', by defeating John Morrison. The following week on ''SmackDown'', Rhodes participated in a tournament for the vacant WWE Intercontinental Championship, but lost to Christian in the semi-finals. On June 1, it was announced that Rhodes would be mentoring Husky Harris, a third generation wrestler, in the second season of ''WWE NXT''.

On the June 25 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rhodes began a new narcissistic gimmick, claiming to be the best-looking wrestler in WWE and demanding to be called "Dashing" Cody Rhodes. As part of the gimmick, vignettes began airing in which Rhodes gave 'grooming tips'. As part of the gimmick, Rhodes was extremely protective of his face during matches; if he was hit in the face, he threw a fit and checked his mirror. In September, he attacked Christian along with Drew McIntyre after a match, and the duo also attacked Matt Hardy, forming an alliance. At Night of Champions in September, Rhodes and McIntyre captured the WWE Tag Team Championship in a Tag Team Turmoil match, also including The Hart Dynasty, The Usos, Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov, and Evan Bourne and Mark Henry. At Bragging Rights, Rhodes and McIntyre lost the championship to The Nexus (John Cena and David Otunga). On the October 29 episode of ''SmackDown'', after losing a tag team match, Rhodes and McIntyre dissolved their partnership.

In January 2011, Rhodes faced Rey Mysterio in a match, during which Mysterio hit Rhodes in the face with his exposed knee brace and legitimately broke Rhodes' nose. This prompted a storyline between the two, with Rhodes declaring he was no longer dashing and required facial reconstructive surgery. As part of the storyline with Mysterio, Rhodes was off television for several weeks, missing both the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber pay-per-view events. Upon his return, he wore a clear protective mask over his face, and colluded with his father to attack Mysterio and remove Mysterio's mask on the February 25 episode of ''SmackDown''. Rhodes would go on to use his protective mask as a weapon during matches by headbutting opponents and sometimes took off the mask to use it to hit his opponents.

Rhodes and Mysterio faced off in a match at WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, which Rhodes won. The duo also faced off in a Falls Count Anywhere match at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view in May, which was won by Mysterio. On subsequent episodes of ''SmackDown'' following Wrestlemania XXVII, Rhodes, with the help of assistants, would hand out paper bags to the audience during his promos. Rhodes demanded the audience to put on the paper bags on their heads to cover their ugliness and imperfections, because they offended him. Rhodes also put paper bags over several of his opponents' heads after matches with them.

Intercontinental Champion (2011–present)

Rhodes reformed his alliance with Ted DiBiase on the May 20 episode of ''SmackDown'', and the duo went on to feud with Sin Cara and Daniel Bryan. At the second annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Rhodes participated in the Money in the Bank ladder match, but was unsuccessful as Bryan won the match.

At the August 9, 2011 tapings of the August 12 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rhodes defeated Ezekiel Jackson to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship, his first singles title with the company. He made his first title defense the following week on ''SmackDown'', by defeating Jackson in a rematch. That same night, Rhodes and DiBiase had a verbal confrontation with Orton. The following week, Rhodes attacked DiBiase after the latter lost a singles match to Orton, ending their alliance and resulting in a Intercontinental Championship match between the two at Night of Champions which Rhodes won.

Simultaneously, Rhodes had begun a feud with Orton, with Orton defeating Rhodes on the September 9, 2011 episode of ''SmackDown'', but Rhodes defeated Orton on the September 12 episode of ''Raw'' with the help of Mark Henry's distraction of Orton. On the September 23 episode of ''SmackDown'', Rhodes defeated Orton by disqualification when Orton took Rhodes' mask off and hit him with it. Post-match, Orton attacked Rhodes with the timekeeper's bell, legitimately cutting Rhodes and causing bleeding. The footage was highly edited for some broadcasts. The following week on ''SmackDown'', Rhodes claimed he needed nine staples to close the wound.

At the same time as his feud with Orton, Rhodes was successfully defending his Intercontinental Championship, including in a 10-man battle royal and against Sheamus in a singles match. At the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view on October 2, Rhodes debuted a new white design for the Intercontinental Championship, similar to the classic 1980's design, before successfully defending it against John Morrison. Throughout October, Rhodes continued feuding with Orton, costing him the World Heavyweight Championship and attacking him. At Vengeance, Rhodes was defeated by Orton in a non-title match. On the November 4 episode of ''SmackDown'', Orton defeated Rhodes in a Street Fight to end the feud; in the process, Orton broke Rhodes' mask.

On the November 14, 2011 episode of ''Raw'', Rhodes reappeared without his mask, claiming that Orton had set him free, signalling the end of his masked gimmick. Rhodes was a member of Team Barrett for a traditional Survivor Series match at Survivor Series, in which he and Wade Barrett were the only two survivors and won the match. Rhodes then feuded with ''SmackDown'' commentator Booker T, attacking him from behind on several occasions, and successfully retaining the Intercontinental Championship against him at Tables, Ladders & Chairs and on the January 6, 2012, episode of ''SmackDown''. In the 2012 Royal Rumble match, Rhodes lasted over 40 minutes, and eliminated more wrestlers than other any other competitor with six, before he was eliminated by Big Show. At Elimination Chamber Rhodes pinned Show in the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match, before being eliminated by Santino Marella. Rhodes spent the following weeks highlighting Show's embarrassing moments in previous WrestleManias, often costing Show to lose matches in the process. At WrestleMania XXVIII, Rhodes lost the Intercontinental Championship to Big Show, ending his near eight month reign of 236 days.

Following the loss at WrestleMania, Rhodes would go on a brief losing streak due to Show distracting him during matches. Only four weeks after losing the title, Rhodes would regain the Intercontinental Championship from Show at Extreme Rules in a Tables match.

Other media

In July 2009, Rhodes became one of the faces of the Gillette "Be a Superstar" advertising campaign, along with Chris Jericho and John Cena. "Be a Superstar" was a four-month long interactive campaign, which featured the wrestlers in numerous videos promoting Gillette Fusion products. In August 2009, Rhodes, along with DiBiase, The Big Show and The Great Khali appeared on ''The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien''. On May 26, 2010 it was announced that Rhodes would be guest starring in an episode of ''Warehouse 13'' as "Kurt Smoller", a love interest of character Myka Bering. The episode aired in August 2010.

Personal life

Runnels is the son of Dusty Rhodes as well as the half-brother of fellow WWE superstar Dustin Rhodes, who is better known by his ring name "Goldust". He also has a sister, Kristin Ditto, who is a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. On March 31, 2007, alongside Dustin, he inducted their father into the WWE Hall of Fame. He is also the nephew of professional wrestlers, Jerry Sags and Fred Ottman, and the godson of Magnum T.A.].

His boots featured a Triforce symbol from the ''The Legend of Zelda'' series of video games of which he is a fan; he has stated he replays ''A Link to the Past'' yearly. Runnels is also a comic book fan and has worn wrestling gear inspired by Archangel, a character from X-Men. He cites Omega Red and Cyclops as his favorite fictional characters, along with the Inhumans.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

''Alabama Slam'' (Double leg slam)  – adopted from Hardcore Holly - 2010-present

''Beautiful Disaster'' / Disaster Kick (Springboard kick) - 2010-present

''Cross Rhodes'' (Rolling cutter)  – 2009–present

''Silver Spoon DDT'' (Flowing DDT)  – 2007–2009

Signature moves

Bulldog, sometimes from the second rope

Crossbody, sometimes from the top rope

Dropkick

Dropping down and uppercutting the opponent, as a back body drop counter  – adopted from his brother

Inverted suplex slam

Kick to the midsection of an opponent holding onto the ropes and in a wheelbarrow hold  – adopted from Hardcore Holly

Knee drop

Moonsault

Russian legsweep

Wheelbarrow suplex

Managers

Cherry

Nicknames

"Dashing" Cody Rhodes

Entrance themes

"Out To Kill" by Billy Lincoln (July 2007–June 2008; March 2010–July 2010)

"Priceless" by Jim Johnston (June 2008–January 2009)

"Priceless (remix)" by Jim Johnston (January 2009–May 2009)

"It's a New Day" by Adelitas Way (June 2009–March 2010)

"Smoke & Mirrors" by TV/TV (July 2010–January 2011)

*"Only One can Judge" by Jim Johnston (March 2011–November 2011)

"Smoke & Mirrors (V2)" by Jim Johnston (November 2011–Present)

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

Georgia State Tournament

Sixth at weight class (2002)

Champion at weight class (2003)

Champion at weight class (2004)

Professional wrestling

Ohio Valley Wrestling

OVW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Shawn Spears

OVW Television Championship (1 time)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI Most Improved Wrestler of the Year (2008)

PWI ranked him #35 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2011

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Hardcore Holly (1) and Ted DiBiase (2)

WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times, current)

WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Drew McIntyre

Slammy Award for Outstanding Achievement of Baby Oil Application (2010)

References

External links

WWE profile

WWE Kids profile

Slam! Sports bio

Online World Of Wrestling profile

Category:1985 births Category:American professional wrestlers Category:Living people Category:People from Marietta, Georgia Category:Masked wrestlers

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