Candice LeRae Dawson (born September 29, 1985) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...

. , she is signed to

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

, where she performs on the SmackDown

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

under the

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name or nickname used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons ...

Candice LeRae. She was the inaugural WWE Women's Speed Champion and a former

NXT Women's Tag Team Champion The NXT Women's Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling Women's professional wrestling championship, women's tag team championship created and promoted by the United States, American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It w ...

. Dawson began her professional wrestling career in 2002, working for the

Empire Wrestling Federation The Empire Wrestling Federation (EWF) is an professional wrestling promotion, independent wrestling promotion based in Covina, California. It is owned and operated by Jesse Hernandez. The EWF is also tied to Hernandez's wrestling school, ''The Scho ...

(EWF) promotion until 2006. Over the following years, she competed in various promotions on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit (often shortened to the indie circuit or the indies) is the collective name of independently owned promotions which are deemed to be smaller and more regionalized than major national promotions. ...

, including

Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion founded in 1999 by John Zandig. Commonly associated with the 2000s hardcore wrestling genre, early CZW shows showcased a brand of wrestling dubbed by the p ...

(CZW),

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (abbreviated as TNA Wrestling or TNA) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment, a Canadian media company owned by busines ...

(TNA),

Shimmer Women Athletes Shimmer Women Athletes (often referred to and stylized as SHIMMER) was an American, Chicago-based independent women's professional wrestling promotion which held its first event on November 6, 2005. Established by Dave Prazak and run by both ...

DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name is an initialism of Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's original name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the p ...

, and

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Los Angeles, California. As of 2024, it is on an extended hiatus. It was created by pro wrestlers Disco Machine, Excalibur, Scott Lost, Joey Ryan, Super ...

(PWG), where she is a one-time PWG World Tag Team Champion, making her the only female title holder in the promotion's history. Other titles she held include the

Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended "24/7", as in ...

and the

FWE Women's Championship Family Wrestling Entertainment, also known as FWE, was an independent circuit, independent professional wrestling promotion. The company was based and ran shows in New York. They hosted a show about every four months. History Family Wrestling En ...

. After competing at the inaugural Mae Young Classic in 2017, Dawson signed with WWE in early 2018 and debuted for the NXT brand, where she became involved in her husband

Johnny Gargano John Anthony Nicholas Gargano (born August 14, 1987) is an American professional wrestler. , he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand and is one-half of #DIY with Tommaso Ciampa. Gargano is known for his time in NXT, where ...

's feuds before becoming a singles competitor. In 2020, Dawson joined Gargano, Indi Hartwell, and

Austin Theory Austin Tyler White (born August 2, 1997) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and Bodybuilding, bodybuilder. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring nam ...

to form the villainous faction The Way, until it dissolved the following year. She left the company in May 2022 but returned in September that year.

Early life

Candice Dawson was born and raised in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...

. She grew up watching professional wrestling with her two brothers and fell in love with the profession. In addition to her two brothers, Dawson has many male cousins, and was often the only girl when they would play sports together. After being in a marching band where she played flute and piccolo, Dawson went to an unspecified college and earned a degree in

culinary arts Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

, and worked at

Universal Studios Hollywood Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and Amusement park, theme park located in Universal City, California, near Hollywood, Los Angeles. It is one of the oldest and most famous Hollywood film studios still in use. Its official marketin ...

as a

baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

for a few years. Numerous outlets list her as being born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. According to Dawson, this misconception is due to a decision made by an indie promoter early in her wrestling career. The promoter in question did not perceive Dawson as a viable

heel The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exerted ...

, so in an attempt to generate

heat In thermodynamics, heat is energy in transfer between a thermodynamic system and its surroundings by such mechanisms as thermal conduction, electromagnetic radiation, and friction, which are microscopic in nature, involving sub-atomic, ato ...

, she was billed as a Canadian.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2002–2005)

LeRae spent the first two years of her career wrestling for the

(EWF) and the International Wrestling Council. She appeared as a substitute in a round one match at the ChickFight tournament in 2004, replacing the injured Miss Chevius, but lost in the first round to Princess Sugey. During 2005, LeRae was a mainstay in the EWF, facing wrestlers including Hurricane Havana, Kid Omega, and

Amazing Kong Kia Michelle Stevens (born September 4, 1977) is an American actress and semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with TNA Wrestling under the ring name Awesome Kong. She also worked with Ring ...

. She continued competing for the

promotion Promotion may refer to: Marketing * Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...

throughout 2006, while also wrestling for All-Pro Wrestling and Ground Zero Wrestling. 2007 saw LeRae branch out to the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

, where she competed for Insanity Pro Wrestling and

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011; the promotion was subs ...

(ROH). LeRae had two matches for ROH in August 2007, losing to

Sara Del Rey Sara Ann Amato (born November 13, 1980) is an American professional wrestling trainer and retired professional wrestler, best known by her ring name Sara Del Rey. She was a mainstay for Chikara, Ring of Honor (ROH) and Shimmer, but also appeare ...

and

Daizee Haze Emily Sharp (born May 11, 1983) is an American former professional wrestler known under the ring name Daizee Haze. She is best known for her time on the independent circuit, where she performed for numerous promotions such as Chikara (professiona ...

dark match Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that o ...

es on August 10 and 24, respectively. LeRae began wrestling for the Alternative Wrestling Show (AWS) promotion in December 2007. In May 2009, she participated in a tournament for the AWS Women's Championship; she defeated Kitana Vera and

Christina Von Eerie Christina Maria Kardooni (born August 28, 1989) is an American professional wrestler, known professionally as Christina Von Eerie. She has worked for various promotions, including the American Global Force Wrestling (GFW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla ...

en route to the final, where she defeated Erica D'Erico and Morgan in a three-way match for the vacant championship. She successfully defended the title against Carla Jade, Nikki, and Von Eerie until September 6, when she lost the championship to Von Eerie. She also appeared for the

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...

(NWA), and unsuccessfully challenged Amazing Kong for the NWA Women's Championship in 2008.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2006–2016)

LeRae debuted in

(PWG) in 2006, when she put together a

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to in ...

to face a team managed by

Jade Chung Jennifer Chung (born November 6, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler, professional wrestling manager, ring announcer, and model (person), model. She worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), as a ring announcer under the ring name Jad ...

in an

eight-man tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder m ...

, with fellow future WWE superstars

Seth Rollins Colby Daniel Lopez (born May 28, 1986), better known by the ring name Seth Rollins, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand and ...

Chris Hero William Christopher Spradlin (born December 24, 1979), better known by his ring name Chris Hero, is an American professional wrestler and trainer. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer. Hero has worked for a number of indepen ...

, and

Kevin Owens Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. As of April 2025, he is on hiatus due to a neck injury. Steen began his ...

where her team was victorious. In April 2007, she returned as the

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, ''valet de chambre'' was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "va ...

Human Tornado Craig Williams (born May 1, 1983), better known by his Stage name, ring name, Human Tornado, is an American semi-retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. His Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, character was that of a ...

. Her first main storyline in the company began later that year in September; Tornado had been abusing LeRae, who stood up for herself and cost Tornado a match at the 2007 Battle of Los Angeles. After the match, Tornado began to attack LeRae, who was saved by

. As a result, Hero and LeRae united to take on Tornado. In January 2008, Tornado,

Claudio Castagnoli Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Death Riders and a former AEW World Trios Championship, AEW World Trios Champion. He also per ...

, and

Eddie Kingston Edward Moore (born December 12, 1981), better known by the ring name Eddie Kingston, is an American professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is out of in-ring action because of a leg injury, but continues to mak ...

defeated LeRae, Hero, and

Necro Butcher Dylan Keith Summers (born July 13, 1973), better known by the ring name Necro Butcher, is an American professional wrestler. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA Mid-South, Pr ...

in a six-person match, which meant that LeRae was forced to face Tornado in a singles match the following night. LeRae lost the match by disqualification when Hero, who was banned from ringside, came to the ring to aid her.

LuFisto Genevieve Goulet (born February 15, 1980), better known by the ring name LuFisto, is a French Canadian professional wrestler. Professional wrestling career Independent circuit (1997–present) LuFisto began training when she was 17 years old in ...

entered the feud in March when she teamed with Tornado in a loss to LeRae and Hero. The following night, LeRae defeated LuFisto in a singles match. LeRae continued to be involved in the storyline between Hero and Tornado over the next few months. LeRae spent the rest of the year in intergender competition, facing wrestlers including

Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989), known by the ring name Adam Cole, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of The Paragon (professional wrestling), ...

Tommaso Ciampa Tommaso Whitney (born May 8, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Tommaso Ciampa () and ...

Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his ring name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Paragon stable and is a former one-time AEW I ...

, John Morrison, T. J. Perkins and Chuck Taylor. In 2009, LeRae entered a feud with

when LeRae defeated Von Eerie in the first women's match in PWG in more than a year. Throughout early 2010, they teamed with a variety of male wrestlers to face each other, until LeRae defeated Von Eerie in a match in June to end the feud. At ''Kurt RussellReunion 2'' in January 2011, LeRae was on the winning side of an eight-person tag team match. At PWG's ''DDT4'' event on April 3, 2011, LeRae won a Joey Ryan invitational

gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

to advance to a number one contenders match for the

PWG World Championship The PWG World Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) professional wrestling promotion. It was introduced in 2003 as the PWG Championship. The inaugural champion was Frankie Kazarian. The c ...

against Ryan later that same night, which she lost. She wrestled only sporadically in PWG in 2012 and 2013, mainly in six and eight-person tag team matches, which included being on the winning side of an eight-person tag team match at ''Kurt RussellReunion 3'' in January 2012. LeRae began teaming with Joey Ryan in October 2013, with a loss to

The Young Bucks The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...

(Matt and Nick Jackson), and in January 2014 they participated in the 2014

Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament The Dynamite Duumvirate Tag Team Title Tournament (''DDT4'') was an annual professional wrestling tag team tournament produced by Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) between 2007 and 2015. The inaugural tournament was contested for the vacant PWG World ...

, but were eliminated in the first round by

and

Kevin Steen Kevin Yanick Steen (born May 7, 1984) is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Kevin Owens. As of A ...

. On March 28, 2014, at ''Mystery Vortex 2'' LeRae unsuccessfully challenged Adam Cole for the PWG World Championship. On July 27, LeRae and Ryan defeated The Young Bucks in a Guerrilla Warfare match to win the

PWG World Tag Team Championship The PWG World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the tag team division of the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) promotion. It was created and debuted on January 25, 2004, at PWG's Tango & C ...

. Known as the

World's Cutest Tag Team World's Cutest Tag Team was an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Candice LeRae and Joey Ryan. They are former one-time Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) World Tag Team Champions. History Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2013–2015) ...

, LeRae and Ryan made their first title defense on August 29 in a

three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a storyline. ...

, defeating The Inner City Machine Guns (

Rich Swann Richard Anthony Swann (born February 15, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. he is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He is a former Impact World Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Championship (2020–2021), ...

and

Ricochet A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...

) and the team of

Christopher Daniels Christopher Daniel Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American retired Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he works as the Head of Ta ...

and

Frankie Kazarian Frank Benedict Gerdelman (born August 4, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and musician signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), performing under the ring name Frankie Kazarian. He is also known for his wo ...

. The following night, LeRae entered the 2014 Battle of Los Angeles tournament, where she defeated Rich Swann in the first round before losing to

in the quarter-finals. LeRae and Ryan finished out the year with successful title defenses against Chuck Taylor and Johnny Gargano in October, and Daniels and Kazarian in December. LeRae and Ryan lost the championships to Monster Mafia (Ethan Page and Josh Alexander) on May 22, 2015, in the opening round of the 2015 DDT4. LeRae's final PWG match took place at ''Mystery Vortex IV'', where she made a surprise appearance in a losing effort against Trent? on December 16, 2016.

DDT Pro-Wrestling (2016–2017)

LeRae debuted for Japanese promotion

(DDT) on January 3, 2016, teaming with Joey Ryan to defeat Golden Storm Riders (

Daisuke Sasaki is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT), where is a former two-time DDT Universal Champion. In addition to that, in DDT, he is also a former three-time KO-D Openweight Champion, one-time DDT Extreme Champi ...

and Suguru Miyatake). On January 10, LeRae teamed with the Golden Storm Riders in a losing effort against Happy Motel (Antonio Honda,

Konosuke Takeshita is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to American Wrestling promotion, promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Don Callis Family and one-half of the tag team Protoshita with Kyle Fletcher. He is a former AEW ...

and Tetsuya Endo). The following day, LeRae teamed with Sasaki once again, this time defeating T2Hii (Kazuki Hirata and

Sanshiro Takagi , better known by his ring name , is a Japanese professional wrestler and promoter who works for the Japanese wrestling promotion CyberFight, where he serves as executive vice president. He is one of the founding members and current chairman of ...

). LeRae once again toured with DDT in March 2016, unsuccessfully challenging Sasaki and

Shuji Ishikawa is a Japanese people, Japanese Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, currently signed to All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), where he is a former Triple Crown Heavyweight Champion, World Tag Team Championship (AJPW), World Tag Team Champio ...

for the

KO-D Tag Team Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team championship owned by the Japanese promotion DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT). The title was established in 2001. The current champions are Astronauts (Fuminori Abe and Takuya Nomura). They won the titles by defe ...

along with Joey Ryan on March 26 and defeating

Makoto Oishi is a Japanese professional wrestler working for Dramatic Dream Team (DDT). Oishi started his career in Kaientai Dojo, where he became a Strongest-K Tag Team, Independent World Junior Heavyweight and UWA World Middleweight Champion, at one ti ...

and Danshoku Dino the following day. LeRae returned to DDT in January 2017, losing to Sasaki on January 3, but teaming with Kouki Iwasaki and Kazusada Higuchi to defeat T2Hii (Sanshiro Takagi, Kazuki Hirata and

Toru Owashi is a Japanese professional wrestler, better known by his ring name . He is best known for his work in DDT Pro-Wrestling, where he is a former KO-D Openweight Champion and two-time KO-D Tag Team Champion. Sumo career Initially aspiring to b ...

) on January 9. During her time with DDT, LeRae also infamously won the company's Heavymetalweight Championship by pinning Ryan in a

dream sequence A dream sequence is a technique used in storytelling, particularly in television and film, to set apart a brief interlude from the main story. The interlude may consist of a flashback, a flashforward, a fantasy, a vision, a dream, or some other ...

. LeRae has also competed for DDT's all-female sister promotion

Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling is a Japanese joshi puroresu or women's professional wrestling, women's professional wrestling promotion founded in 2012 as a sister promotion of DDT Pro-Wrestling. Initially running alongside other shows such as live music and other Japanese id ...

(TJPW), defeating

Yuka Sakazaki is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is known for her tenure with Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, where she is a three-time Princess of Princess Champion, and a record-tying four-time Princess Tag Team ...

in her debut on January 4, 2016 and losing to Mil Clown exactly one year later on January 4, 2017.

Other promotions (2011–2018)

In 2011, LeRae began competing for NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, where she developed a feud with Buggy. Candice LeRae Nov 2014

In September 2013, LeRae debuted for

(CZW), teaming with Greg Excellent in a loss to

Cherry Bomb A cherry bomb (also known as a globe salute or kraft salute) is an approximately spherical exploding firework, roughly resembling a cherry in size and shape (with the fuse resembling the cherry's stem). Cherry bombs range in size from in diame ...

and Pepper Parks. She returned to CZW in February 2014, losing a singles match to

Kimber Lee Kimberly Ann Frankele (born June 27, 1990), better known by her ring name Kimber Lee, is an American professional wrestler. She is known for her work on both the American and international independent circuits, most notably as part of The Kimber ...

. At ''Proving Grounds'' on May 10, she unsuccessfully challenged

Shane Strickland Stephon Strickland (born September 30, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Swerve Strickland. He also appears on the independent circuit. Strickl ...

for the CZW Wired Television Championship. LeRae first began appearing for Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE) in late 2013 as the mystery tag team partner of Joey Ryan at the ''Open Weight Grand Prix Final'' event. On October 3, LeRae and Ryan defeated

Ivelisse Vélez Ivelisse Milagro Vélez (born September 21, 1988), better known by her mononymous ring name Ivelisse, is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in Lucha Underground, where she twice held the Lucha Underground Tr ...

and

Tommy Dreamer Thomas James Laughlin (born February 13, 1971) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, promoter better known by the ring name Tommy Dreamer. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestli ...

at ''Refuelled Night One'' following interference from

Drew Galloway Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June, 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. Galloway began his career in 2001 in the United Kingdom wit ...

. The next night at ''Refuelled Night Two'', LeRae and Ryan defeated Christina Von Eerie and Carlito. Later the same night, LeRae issued a challenge to Ivelisse Vélez, and defeated her to win the

for the first time. She successfully defended the title against

Veda Scott Veda Scott is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and color commentator. They have wrestled for various American promotions, including Ring of Honor (ROH), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Shimmer Women Athletes, and Ab ...

at ''No Limits'' in February 2015. The following month, LeRae and Ryan lost to Scott and

Paul London Paul Michael London (born April 16, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he performs as a wrestler and a producer. He is best known for his tenure in WW ...

in a

mixed tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ...

, in which LeRae lost the FWE Women's title to Scott. LeRae appeared for

(TNA) at Turning Point on November 21, 2013, in a losing effort to

TNA Knockouts Champion The TNA Knockouts World Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship owned by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). The championship debuted on October 14, 2007, at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view (PPV) event and the inau ...

Gail Kim Gail Kim-Irvine (born February 20, 1977) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenures in TNA Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In TNA, she was the inaugural and record setting seven-tim ...

. On May 10, 2014, LeRae and Joey Ryan competed in the 2014

Women Superstars Uncensored Women Superstars United (WSU), formerly known as Wrestling Superstars Unleashed and Women Superstars Uncensored, was an American women's professional wrestling promotion based in New Jersey which has been inactive since 2020. Founded in 2006, W ...

(WSU) Queen and King of the Ring tournament, defeating the teams of

Drew Gulak Drew Gulak (born April 28, 1987) is an American professional wrestler currently performing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he was a former one-time WWE Cruiserweight Champion and eight-time WWE 24/7 Ch ...

and Kimber Lee, and J. T. Dunn and Shelly Martinez to advance to the final, before being defeated by

Matt Tremont Matthew Tremont (born March 9, 1989) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, best known for his work in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW). He is also known for his appearances for his own promotion, Hardcore Hustle Organisation (H2O), as wel ...

and

Mickie Knuckles Mickie Lee Knuckles (born May 16, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for work on the independent circuit, particularly Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, Chikara, H2O - Hardcore Hustle Organisation, ICW No ...

. The following month, on June 7, 2014, she won Dream Wave Wrestling's Tag Team Championship with Ryan, but they lost the title the next day. LeRae competed at

' ''Volume 62'' taping in April 2014, losing to

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

. She returned to Shimmer in October, losing to

Nikki Storm Nicola Glencross (born 21 April 1989) is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nikki Cross and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction. In WWE, she is a former one- ...

and Kay Lee Ray in singles matches on ''Volume 68'' and ''Volume 70'', respectively. LeRae appeared for

Full Impact Pro Full Impact Pro (FIP) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is currently part of the World Wrestling Network (WWN) along with Shine Wrestling. Sal Hamaoui founded the company and serves as the president, while Trevin Adams is the ...

(FIP) on June 22, 2014, teaming with Ivelisse Vélez to unsuccessfully challenge The Lucha Sisters (

Mia Yim Stephanie Hym Lee (née Bell; born April 16, 1989), better known by the ring name Mia Yim, is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Michin ( , ). Bell is also kno ...

and

Leva Bates Leva Bates ( ,) born May 21, 1983, is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with All Elite Wrestling. She also had a successful tenure on the independent circuit, most notably for Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also ...

) for the

Shine Tag Team Championship The Shine Tag Team Championship is the tag team championship (professional wrestling), championship contested in the professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion Shine Wrestling. Inaugural Championship Tournament (2014) Th ...

. She then made her debut for

Shine Wrestling Shine Wrestling (stylized as SHINE Wrestling and often referred to simply as SHINE) is an American, New York based independent women's professional wrestling promotion. It is the sister promotion to Shimmer Women Athletes and airs events on In ...

at ''Shine 20'' on June 27, defeating Neveah. LeRae made her first appearance on the December 14, 2016, episode of ''

Ring of Honor Wrestling ''Ring of Honor Wrestling'' (also known as ''ROH Honor Club TV'', and often shortened as ''ROH Wrestling TV'', ''ROH TV'', ''ROH TV on HonorClub'', or ''ROH on HonorClub'') is an American professional wrestling television series produced by Rin ...

'', in a losing effort against

Deonna Purrazzo Deonna Lynn Purrazzo (born June 10, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Purrazzo began training in December 2012, and then started wrestling in various independent promotions the following y ...

WWE

Beginnings in NXT (2017–2020)

On the May 3, 2017, episode of '' NXT'', LeRae made her televised in-ring debut for

, participating in a #1 contender's battle royal for Asuka's

NXT Women's Championship The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on NXT, the promotion's developmental brand. The current champion is Jacy Jayne, who is in her fi ...

, but was unsuccessful after she was eliminated by

Billie Kay Jessica McKay (born 23 June 1989) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Jessie McKay. She is known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Billie ...

. In July, she was announced as one of the participants for the Mae Young Classic tournament. LeRae defeated Renee Michelle in the first round and Nicole Savoy in the second round, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals by

Shayna Baszler Shayna Andrea Baszler ( ; born August 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and a former kickboxer and mixed martial artist. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she became a former List of NXT Women's Champions, two-time and lon ...

. On January 16, 2018, WWE announced that LeRae had signed a contract with the company. She was inserted into her husband

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

with then- NXT Champion Andrade "Cien" Almas and his manager

Zelina Vega Thea Megan Trinidad Büdgen (born December 27, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Zelina Vega and is the current Women's United States Champion in he ...

as an equaliser from Vega's interferences and attacks during their matches. This led to a match between the two on the April 18 episode of '' NXT'', which LeRae won. Two weeks later, now working as an active competitor, LeRae lost to

Bianca Belair Bianca Nicole Crawford (née Blair; born April 9, 1989) is an American professional wrestler and fitness and figure competitor. she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under t ...

, suffering her first singles loss. In July, LeRae competed against

Kairi Sane is a Japanese professional wrestler and actress. she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name . From 2012 to 2017, she wrestled for the Japanese promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom under the ring name . E ...

and

Nikki Cross Nicola Glencross (born 21 April 1989) is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brand under the ring name Nikki Cross and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks faction. In WWE, ...

in a triple-threat #1 contender's match, which Sane won. After a few months of investigation, it was revealed that Gargano was the mystery attacker of

Aleister Black Tom Büdgen (born 19 May 1985) is a Dutch professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Aleister Black. Before signing with WWE, Büdgen was known for his extensive work on the indep ...

, a storyline in which Nikki Cross was the witness. This sparked a match between LeRae and Cross, which Cross won. After a short hiatus, in what was her first appearance on the main roster, LeRae competed in her first women's

Royal Rumble match The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic battle royal match in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the ...

at the

Royal Rumble The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after, and centered on, the Royal Rumble match, a modified Battle royal (professional wre ...

on January 27, 2019, entering at # 17 but was eliminated by

Ruby Riott Dori Elizabeth Prange ( ; born January 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Ruby Soho, and is a former member of The Outcasts stable. She is also known ...

. A few months later on April 7, LeRae made her WrestleMania debut as she competed in the second WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal during the

WrestleMania 35 WrestleMania 35 was a 2019 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards, event produced by WWE. It was the 35th annual WrestleMania and took place on April 7, 2019, at MetLife ...

pre-show, where she was eliminated by Asuka. On the April 11 episode of ''NXT'', that was taped on NXT TakeOver: New York, LeRae returned to ''NXT'', as she defeated

Aliyah ''Aliyah'' (, ; ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel or the Palestine (region), Palestine region, which is today chiefly represented by the Israel ...

in her first match back. In the end of May, LeRae aligned with

Io Shirai is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name (stylized in all caps) and is the current Women's World Championship (WWE), Women’s Wo ...

who was feuding with

and her allies

Jessamyn Duke Jessamyn Laurel Duke (born June 24, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. As a wrestler, she worked with WWE as part of their NXT brand. She formerly competed for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and In ...

and

Marina Shafir Marina Shafir (; born 14 April 1988) is a Moldovan professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. As a wrestler, she is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a member of Death Riders, a villainous stable formerly known as Bla ...

. The alliance between the two ended after a month, after Shirai lost to Baszler for a second time, despite LeRae's attempts to help her during their

steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick m ...

. This led to a match between the two, that took place at NXT TakeOver: Toronto on August 10, where Shirai defeated LeRae. In September, LeRae was inserted in a fatal four-way match to determine the #1 contender to Shayna Baszler's NXT Women's Championship, which she won after pinning

. LeRae received her title match on the October 2 episode of ''NXT'', but lost. On November 23, at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, she competed in the first-ever Women's WarGames match as part of

Rhea Ripley Demi Bennett (born 11 October 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler. As of July 2017, she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Rhea Ripley. She is a List of Women ...

's team, where LeRae and Ripley secured the victory against Baszler's team. The next night at

Survivor Series Survivor Series, branded as Survivor Series: WarGames since 2022, is a professional wrestling event produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving ( ...

, LeRae competed as part of Team NXT, in the first-ever 5-on-5-on-5 Women's Survivor Series elimination match, where she was one of the survivors alongside Rhea Ripley and Io Shirai.

The Way (2020–2022)

On January 26, 2020, at the

, LeRae competed in the women's Royal Rumble match at #9, but was eliminated by Bianca Belair. On the April 8 episode of ''NXT'', LeRae helped Johnny Gargano (who turned heel in February) defeat

, thereby turning

. On the April 29 episode of ''NXT'', LeRae debuted a new look, titantron and entrance theme as she defeated

Kacy Catanzaro Kacy Esther Catanzaro (born January 14, 1990) is an American professional wrestler and a former gymnast and obstacle racer. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Katana Chance. Alongside Kayden Carter, ...

. Gargano and LeRae began appearing together more frequently as a power couple as they feuded with

and Keith Lee. At TakeOver: In Your House on June 7, LeRae,

Dakota Kai Cheree Georgina "Charlie" Crowley (born 6 May 1988) is a New Zealand professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in the WWE, where she performed under the ring name Dakota Kai. Prior to her signing with WWE, Crowley performed under t ...

and Raquel González lost to Mia Yim,

Tegan Nox Steffanie Newell (born 15 November 1994) is a Welsh professional wrestler. She performs on the independent circuit under the ring name Nixon Newell. She is best known for her tenures in the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, where s ...

and

Shotzi Blackheart Ashley Louise Alfaro (née Urbanski; born March 14, 1992), better known by the ring name Shotzi Blackheart, is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Shotzi and is a fo ...

. On July 8 at

The Great American Bash The Great American Bash is a professional wrestling event held during the summer and has been produced by the American promotion WWE since 2004; since 2020, it has been held as an annual event for WWE's developmental brand, NXT. Created by Dus ...

, LeRae defeated Yim in a Street Fight. On the September 23 episode of ''NXT'', LeRae competed in a battle royal to determine the #1 contender for Io Shirai's NXT Women's Championship, which she won by eliminating Blackheart. LeRae teamed up with Gargano the following week in a "Champions vs. Challengers" tag team match against Shirai and

Damian Priest Luis Martínez (born September 26, 1982) is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Damian Priest and is a former one-time World Heavyweight Champion. He is also know ...

, where the former were victorious. At

NXT TakeOver 31 NXT TakeOver 31 was the 31st NXT TakeOver professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. Unlike all previous TakeOvers, which aired exclusively on the W ...

on October 4, LeRae failed to win the title. On the October 14 episode of ''NXT'', LeRae was successful in gaining yet another NXT Women's Championship match at NXT: Halloween Havoc with a consecutive win over Blackheart. Facing off against champion

in a renamed

Tables, Ladders and Chairs match A tables, ladders, and chairs match, often abbreviated as TLC, is a type of professional wrestling match that originated within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). The TLC match is a variation of a ladder match, which is modified to co ...

on October 28, LeRae once again failed to win the title, despite having been assisted by Indi Hartwell (then presented as a masked figure), who was stopped by Halloween Havoc host Blackheart. An incensed LeRae felt that Blackheart cost her the Women's Championship, so she swore revenge by stealing and destroying Blackheart's toy tank in front of her, leaving Blackheart an emotional wreck and kicking off a feud between the two. On the November 18 episode of ''NXT'', it was announced that LeRae would lead one of the two women's teams (Team Candice) against that of Blackheart (Team Shotzi) in the second-ever women's

WarGames match WarGames is a specialized steel cage match in professional wrestling. The match usually involves two teams of four or more wrestlers locked inside a steel cage that encompasses two rings placed side by side. The cage may or may not have a roof, de ...

at NXT TakeOver: WarGames on December 6, where LeRae's team was victorious. The following week on ''NXT'', LeRae was featured in a segment alongside Gargano, Hartwell, and

, in which they started referring to themselves as The Way – a

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

consisting of the four. On the January 22, 2021, episode of ''205 Live'', LeRae and Hartwell defeated the team of Cora Jade and

Gigi Dolin Priscilla Lee Kelly (born June 5, 1997) is an American professional wrestler and former reality television personality. She is best known for her tenure in WWE where she performed under the ring name Gigi Dolin. She is a former record-tying two- ...

in the quarterfinals of the Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament, which marked the first time that a women's match has ever taken place in the brand's history. On the May 4 episode of ''NXT'', she and Indi Hartwell defeated

Ember Moon Adrienne Palmer (née Reese; born August 31, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Athena. She primarily appears in AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where she is the ...

and

in a Street Fight to win the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship. On July 6, the pair would drop the titles to the newly-formed team of

and Zoey Stark at the Great American Bash after the returning

attacked LeRae, costing her and Hartwell the championship. The Way would officially disband later that year, following the announcement of LeRae's pregnancy, the expiration of Gargano's contract with WWE, and Theory's call-up to the Raw

. LeRae remained under contract with WWE while on

maternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" and "paternity leave ...

until May 6, 2022, when her contract expired after deciding not to renew it.

Various alliances (2022–present)

On the September 26, 2022, episode of '' Raw'', LeRae returned to WWE as a

face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

, defeating Nikki A.S.H.. On January 28, 2023, at the

, LeRae competed in the women's Royal Rumble match at #12, but was eliminated by

Iyo Sky is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name (stylized in all caps) and is the current Women’s World Champion in her first reign. She is also a former two-time WWE W ...

. After Hartwell's promotion to the main roster, LeRae reunited with Hartwell. On January 27, 2024, at the

, LeRae competed in the women's Royal Rumble match at #4, but was eliminated by Damage CTRL. At Elimination Chamber: Perth, LeRae and Hartwell challenged the

WWE Women's Tag Team Champions The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling Women's Tag Team Championship, women's tag team Professional wrestling, championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion, promotion WWE. It is th ...

The Kabuki Warriors for the titles in a losing effort. On the March 11 episode of ''Raw'', LeRae showed a more aggressive side and in particular, taunted Maxxine Dupri over the death of her real-life brother, turning

. On the night 2 of the 2024 WWE Draft, LeRae was drafted to

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on USA Network in the United ...

, with Indi Hartwell, together. At King and Queen of the Ring, LeRae and Hartwell lost another title match against the new tag team champions

and

Jade Cargill Jade Cargill (born June 3, 1992) is an American professional wrestler. she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand. She is a former two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion. She is also known for her career in All Elit ...

. During the ''

Speed In kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a non-negative scalar quantity. Intro ...

'' tapings on October 4, 2024 (aired on October 9), LeRae defeated

IYO SKY is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name (stylized in all caps) and is the current Women’s World Champion in her first reign. She is also a former two-time WWE W ...

to become the inaugural WWE Women's Speed Champion. On November 1, Hartwell was released from WWE, ending their team. At Survivor Series: WarGames, LeRae,

Nia Jax Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nia Jax ( ). Fanene signed to WWE in early 2014 and was first assigned to th ...

Tiffany Stratton Jessica Lynn Woynilko (born May 1, 1999) is an American professional wrestler and former gymnast. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Tiffany Stratton and is the current WWE Women's Champion in he ...

and

The Judgment Day The Judgment Day is a Heel (professional wrestling), villainous professional wrestling Stable (professional wrestling), stable performing in WWE on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand. The group is composed of Finn Bálor, Domini ...

(

Liv Morgan Gionna Jene Daddio (born June 8, 1994) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Liv Morgan. She is one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions wi ...

and Raquel Rodriguez) lost to Sky, Bayley,

Naomi Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (born 1977 ...

and

in a

. On February 1, 2025, LeRae entered the Women's Royal Rumble at #23, but was eliminated by

Trish Stratus Patricia Anne Stratigeas (; born December 18, 1975), better known by the ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, yoga instructor, actress and former fitness model. She is signed to WWE. An inductee of the 2013 WWE Hall ...

. On the April 11 taping of ''Speed'' (airing April 16), LeRae lost the Women's Speed Championship to NXT's Sol Ruca, ending her reign at 189 days (194 days recognized by WWE). On the May 23, episode of ''SmackDown'', Candice LeRae aligned herself with

and

Other media

She made her

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

debut as a downloadable character in ''

WWE 2K19 ''WWE 2K19'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K. It was released worldwide on October 9, 2018, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the twentieth game in the ''WWE'' series, th ...

'' and returned for ''

WWE 2K20 ''WWE 2K20'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It was released worldwide on October 22, 2019, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the twenty-first installment of the ...

'', ''

WWE 2K22 ''WWE 2K22'' is a 2022 professional wrestling sports video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. It is the twenty-second overall installment of the video game series based on WWE, the eighth game under the ''WWE 2K'' banner, a ...

'', '' WWE 2K23'' and '' WWE 2K24''.

Personal life

Dawson married fellow professional wrestler

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

on September 16, 2016. They have been featured in a short-documentary on their dynamics as a wrestling couple. On August 12, 2021, the two announced that LeRae was pregnant with their first child. The child, Quill Gargano, was born on February 17, 2022. Dawson is an avid fan of

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

movies, as well as

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

team the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...

. She has three brothers, one of whom was adopted by her parents when she was in high school.

Championships and accomplishments

* Alternative Wrestling Show ** AWS Women's World Championship (2 times) ** AWS Women's Title Tournament ** 2nd Annual Women's Tournament (2013) ** 3rd Annual Women's Tournament (2013) *

( 1 time) * Dreamwave Wrestling ** Dreamwave Tag Team Championship (1 time) * Family Wrestling Entertainment **

(1 time) * Fighting Spirit Pro Wrestling ** FSP Tag Team Championship (1 time) *

( 1 time) – with Joey Ryan * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...

'' ** Ranked No. 18 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the '' PWI Female 50'' in 2016 * Smash Wrestling ** Gold Tournament (2015) *

** NXT Women's Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Indi Hartwell ** WWE Women's Speed Championship (1 time, inaugural) ** WWE Women's Speed Championship Tournament (

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:LeRae, Candice Living people American female professional wrestlers NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Professional wrestlers from California 21st-century American women 21st-century female professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers PWG World Tag Team Champions Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions Year of birth missing (living people) WWE Women's Speed Champions