1. They Were Part Of The 2006 Diva Search -- And They Didn't Make The Finals
WWE's Diva Search ran annually from 2004 to 2007, and many of the contestants -- winners and losers alike -- ended up employed by WWE in some form or fashion. It's the 2006 Diva Search, though, that boasts the most impressive alumnae -- not only were future Divas' Champions Layla El and Maryse Ouellet finalists (with Layla winning the competition), but so was current Total Diva Rosa Mendes (under her real name, Milena Roucka). Two other finalists -- Rebecca DiPietro and Amy Zidian -- were also briefly employed by the company. Even the contestants who didn't make the finals made a mark in WWE. Brooke Adams was hired, becoming part of ECW's Extreme Expose dance troupe with Layla and Kelly Kelly. Finally, there were two sisters -- The Garcia Twins -- who just missed out on making the finals. They persevered, though -- in 2007, they were signed to a developmental contract, and after a year in Florida Championship Wrestling, they came to Smackdown as Nikki and Brie Bella.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
