The term "Diva Search" has become somewhat of a curse among wrestling fans but it produced its fair share of successful female performers. Candice Michelle, Maryse, Michelle McCool and Eve Torres are all former Women's or Divas champions. With that said, it is the 2006 winner who ranks as one of the most underrated Divas in WWE history thanks for her ability to steal the spotlight from the females she is expected to play second-fiddle to. Whether it was Kelly Kelly or Michelle McCool, Layla stood out in the partnership and has quietly become one of the longest-tenured and most entertaining Divas of this generation. With no in-ring experience when she made her debut immediately following her Diva Search win, Layla floated around the roster, competing in bikini contests, bra and panties matches and performing as part of Extreme Expose with Kelly and Brooke Adams. After turning heel and engaging in a feud with Kelly, Layla began to find her legs as a heel. Her pairing with the great William Regal shortly thereafter introduced her to Raw fans, who had not had a great deal of exposure to the former Miami Heat dancer to that point. It was not until she began teaming with Michelle McCool as LayCool, however, that Layla firmly established herself as one of the most valuable performers. While Michelle was the worker of the duo, Layla was the talker who would get under the skin of opponents but then hide behind her partner when it came time to fight. As the team progressed and gained more and more heat, however, Layla was constantly evolving her ring game. She became a very talented wrestler and did not look out of place sharing the ring with the likes of Mickie James, Beth Phoenix and Natalya. LayCool dominated women's wrestling for the better part of two years, becoming the Mean Girls of WWE. They were annoying, conceited and the perfect heels to counter some of the wildly talented babyfaces on the roster. They were the duo that fans wanted to see get beat up and, more times than not, they got just that. Like every great act, its time came and at Extreme Rules 2011, Layla defeated McCool in a Loser Leaves WWE match. A year later, she would return from a knee injury to capture the Divas title from Nikki Bella. Like Jazz before her, Layla's ability to be the star of the Divas division has been hindered significantly by injuries, especially over the last few years. Now, she finds herself serving as the brand new dance partner for Fandango, likely leading to a feud with Summer Rae when the leggy blonde returns from filming the latest WWE Studios release. While it remains to be seen if she will ever return to action as a full-time in-ring competitor, one thing is for certain: Layla has been a tremendous asset for WWE and one that exceeded every expectation ever set for her by fans or management.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
