6 Wrestlers Discovered In The Most Unusual Of Places
5. Bianca Belair (CrossFit)
Belair slayed her big chance at TakeOver: Phoenix (January 2019) against Shayna Baszler. Her 15-minute cracker of a match was one of the card's highlights, and it capped a stunning three-year rise for somebody who almost slipped WWE's net. Had it not been for Mark Henry's decision to scour CrossFit profiles, she might never have become NXT gold.
It was ol' 'Sexual Chocolate' who got her in.
Henry spotted Bianca killing the competition at a CrossFit showcase and quizzed others on who she was. Two weeks later, he slid into her Twitter DMs to ask if she'd ever be interested in giving pro wrestling a whirl. Lord only knows what Belair was thinking at that point. It's not every day 400lbs+ wrestlers pop up in a private message.
Bianca agreed to give the tryout a shot and the rest is history. Henry had successfully head-hunted her from the fitness world, recognising her talent and marketable look.