8 Things WWE Fans Need To Know About Candice LeRae
5. A Wealth Of Experience
Though LeRae has been a staple on the global indie circuit for several years now, the true depth of her experience often goes unmentioned. We know all about her PWG dalliances, and her tag team with Joey Ryan, but the 32-year-old has been doing this since 2002, which gives her five years over Ember Moon - NXT's next most experienced women's wrestler.
Starting out in Southern California, Candice initially plied her trade for Empire Wrestling Federation and the International Wrestling Council. She met fellow future Mae Young Classic participant Princesa Sugehit in the 2004 ChickFight tournament, and fast became a mainstay in her territory, before finally going national in 2007.
LeRae wrestled two matches for ROH that August, but didn't stick. Future independent forays saw her work such companies as Combat Zone Wrestling, Shimmer Women Athletes, and the National Wrestling Alliance. She returned to ROH in December 2016, played a semi-regular role for Japan's oddball DDT promotion that same year, and even squeezed a single TNA appearance into 2013. Despite this, signing with WWE will be the first time she has inked a deal with a major promotion, though her tenure on the smaller stages will no doubt serve her well.