Bianca Belair is one of WWE's biggest new stars, having had a meteoric rise to success in the last five years.
Belair joined WWE in 2016, making her debut in NXT where she remained until 2020. From here, she moved to the main roster, first to SmackDown and then to Raw. She has won both brand's Women's Championships, as well as the 2021 Royal Rumble.
Belair is set to defend her Raw Women's Title, which she won at WrestleMania 38, against Bayley in a ladder match at Extreme Rules on Saturday October 8th.
Despite all of her success, there is probably some things about "The EST of WWE" that fans remain unaware of, so GiveMeSport takes you through 10 things you didn't know about Bianca Belair...
She went to three different colleges
Real-life Bianca Blair first attended the University of South Carolina and then Texas A&M University before completing college at the University of Tennessee, her home state. Throughout college, she competed in track and field, becoming an All-American at Tennessee.
She was a CrossFit athlete
“The EST” of WWE is not just a gimmick, with her track and field success being followed by Bianca becoming a CrossFit athlete and a powerlifter. She appeared in Femme Rouge magazine and on CrossFit.com.
Bianca Belair was a CrossFit athlete before joining WWE
She worked a normal 9-5 job prior to joining WWE
Belair’s CrossFit ended due to intercostal chondritis, also known as shifting rib syndrome. After quitting, she took on a normal job in Atlanta, working as a sales representative for a brief period.
A WWE legend played a role in her signing
On a whim, Bianca entered her information into WWE’s prospects database after her CrossFit career ended prematurely. A few weeks later, Mark Henry DM’ed her on Instagram having come across her CrossFit profile. He ended up getting her a try out.
She is a fully homegrown WWE talent
Having only joined WWE aged 27 and with no previous wrestling experience, Bianca is a true success story of WWE’s developmental system, as she moved up the ranks in rapid fashion.
Belair is the current Raw Women's Champion
The story behind her braid
Bianca’s braid has become one of the most important aspects of her presentation and she has her husband, Montez Ford, to thank for it. Belair revealed Ford pushed her to keep it as it helped her stand out and was something she could use in the ring, which of course she has since.
She has spent the most time in a single women’s Royal Rumble match
The EST spent the longest (fitting) time in the 2021 Royal Rumble, with a whopping 56 minutes and 52 seconds spent in the ring.
She holds a second Royal Rumble record
The year prior, while still a member of the NXT roster, Belair eliminated eight other wrestlers from the Rumble. This is a women’s Rumble record she shares with Shayna Baszler, who also had eight eliminations in 2020.
Bianca Belair won the Smackdown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 37
She created history at WrestleMania 37
On the first night of the two-night WrestleMania, Bianca defeated Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Women’s Championship in the main event. This made the two women the first black females to ever main event WrestleMania. It was also the second women’s main event after 2019.
She owns a shop with her husband
Bianca Belair and Montez Ford own the Nicole Allen shop (Nicole being Bianca’s middle name). The shop sells merchandise of both wrestlers, much of which Bianca designs herself.