Kayla Klingensmith (' Inlay; born May 23, 1997) 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 Raw

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 ...

Kiana James. James is currently inactive due to a leg injury she suffered in June 2024. She is a former one-time

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 ...

Early life

Kayla Inlay was born in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...

. She completed her secondary education at East High School and later graduated from

Morningside University Morningside University is a private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside University has 21 buildings on a campus ...

in 2019 with a degree in science.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2021–2022)

Inlay trained to become a professional wrestler at the Flatbacks Wrestling school in

Apopka Apopka is a city in Orange County, Florida. The city's population was 54,873 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. ''Apopka'' comes from Seminole word ''Ahapopka'' for "potato-eating ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

under

Tyler Breeze Mattias Clement (born January 19, 1988) is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under the ring name Tyler Breeze as a member of the UpUpDownDown channel and as a writer for the NXT brand. He also wrestles on the independent ...

and

Shawn Spears Ronnie William Arneill (born February 19, 1981), better known by his ring name Shawn Spears, is a Canadian Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and trainer. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the WWE NXT, NXT WWE brand extension, ...

. On the September 21, 2021 episode of ''

AEW Dark ''AEW Dark'', or simply ''Dark'', is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), running from October 8, 2019, to April 25, 2023, on AEW's YouTube channel. ...

'', she made her in-ring debut under the name Xtina Kay, losing to

The Bunny Laura Dennis (born September 3, 1987), better known by the ring names Allie and The Bunny, is a Canadian professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling from 2013 to 2019, where she is a former two-time Impact Knockout ...

WWE

NXT (2022–2024)

Inlay made her

debut under her real name on the February 1, 2022 episode of '' NXT'', losing to Sarray. Inlay was repackaged as Kiana James and took on a

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 ...

businesswoman gimmick, debuting in the NXT Women's Breakout Tournament on May 17, losing to

Roxanne Perez Carla Gonzalez (born November 5, 2001) is an American professional wrestler. , she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Roxanne Perez. She is a former two-time NXT Women's Champion, and a former NXT Women' ...

in the first round. James would have her first televised win on the June 24 episode of ''

NXT Level Up ''WWE NXT Level Up'', also known as ''NXT Level Up'' (stylized as '' NXT LVL UP''), is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by the American promotion WWE, running from February 18, 2022, to December 27 ...

'' by defeating Brooklyn Barlow. On the July 19 episode of ''NXT'', James competed in a 20-woman battle royal to determine the number one contender for the

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 ...

, eliminating

Fallon Henley Theresa Schuessler (born September 25, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. , she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Fallon Henley, and is a member of the Fatal Influence stable. She is a former one ...

but was eliminated by

Nikkita Lyons Faith Marie Jefferies (born August 5, 1999) is an American professional wrestler, taekwondo practitioner, and musician. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT and Evolve brands under the ring name Nikkita Lyons. Jefferies has als ...

. James then feuded with Lyons after insulting her looks but lost to her on the August 9 episode of ''NXT'' and in a tag match alongside Arianna Grace against Lyons and

Zoey Stark Theresa Serrano (born January 25, 1994) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she works under the ring name Zoey Stark. She is a former 1-time NXT Women's Tag Team Champion. Professional wrestling career Independe ...

on the September 13 episode of ''NXT''. James would have a short feud with

Dana Brooke Ashley Mae Sebera (born November 29, 1988), is an American professional wrestler and former bodybuilder, gymnast, fitness competitor, and model. She is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where she performs under the ring name Ash b ...

on ''

Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

'', defeating her on November 3. James would start a feud against Henley with whom she would bet her parents' bar against the offer that James offered her. On the November 29 episode of ''NXT'', James defeated Henley. At

NXT Deadline Deadline (stylized as DEADL1NE) is a professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Established in 2022, it is held annually in December for the promotion's developmental brand, ...

, James competed in the Women's

Iron Survivor Challenge 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. ...

to determine the number one contender to

Mandy Rose Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her career in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose, and was ...

's NXT Women's Championship, which was won by Perez. On the December 27 episode of ''NXT'', James ended her feud with Henley after losing to her in a Battle for the Bar. At ''NXT'': New Year's Evil on January 10, 2023, James competed in a 20-woman battle royal to determine the number one contender to Roxanne Perez's NXT Women's Championship, being eliminated by

Lyra Valkyria Aoife Cusack (born 23 October 1996) is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Lyra Valkyria. She is a former one-time and the inaugural W ...

. On February 5, at NXT Vengeance Day, James and Fallon Henley defeated

Katana Chance 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, s ...

and

Kayden Carter Allyssa Lyn Lane (born May 20, 1988) is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Kayden Carter. Alongside Katana Chance, she is a one-time NXT Women's Tag Team Champion, ho ...

to win the

NXT Women's Tag Team Championship The NXT Women's Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It was defended on the company's developmental brand, NXT, and was briefly featured on the ...

, making it the first title in James' career, and turning

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 ...

in the process. On April 1, at NXT Stand & Deliver, James and Henley lost the tag titles to

Alba Fyre Kayleigh Kerr (Birth name, née Rae; born 11 August 1992) is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Alba Fyre and is a membe ...

and

Isla Dawn Courtney Stewart (born 2 February 1994) is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Isla Dawn. She was one-half of The Unholy Union with Alba Fyre, with whom she was a one ...

. On the April 25 episode of ''NXT'', After James and Jensen were defeated by Josh Briggs and Fallon Henley, James walked out on Jensen causing Jensen to go back to Briggs and Henley, thus reverting James back to a heel. On the May 9 episode of ''NXT'', in the first round of the tournament for the vacated NXT Women's Championship, James was eliminated by

. James would then succeed in winning a fatal four-way number one contender's match for the title on the August 29 episode of ''NXT''. The following week, she would be defeated by champion

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 ...

. Onward, she would begin a short rivalry with new NXT Women's Champion

Becky Lynch Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987), better known by the ring name Becky Lynch, is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand and is the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion in her ...

, even as so far as to aid Tiffany Stratton in their attacks. They eventually lost to Lynch and Lyra Valkyria in a tag team match on the September 19 episode of ''NXT''. She then started a feud with Roxanne Perez, after attacking her when she lost to Asuka on the October 10 episode of ''NXT'', only for

Shotzi Ashley Louise Alfaro (Birth name, 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 ...

to emerge from commentary and fend off James. The following week, James lost to Shotzi. That same night, Perez challenged James to a

Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal 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. ...

Devil's Playground 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. ...

on Night 1 of ''NXT'': Halloween Havoc, in which Perez was victorious. On the November 14 episode of ''NXT'', James interfered in Perez's qualifying match for the Women's Iron Survivor Challenge at

, helping

Lash Legend Anriel Howard (born May 6, 1997) is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Lash Legend. Howard is a former college and professional basketball player who played for the S ...

gain the victory. Two weeks later, James lost her qualifying match against

Kelani Jordan Lea Mitchell (born October 22, 1998) is an American professional wrestler and former artistic gymnast. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kelani Jordan. She is a former one-time and inaugural NXT Wome ...

, with Perez causing the distraction. At NXT Deadline on December 9, James defeated Perez in a

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 ...

, with assistance from

Izzi Dame Franki Carissa Strefling (born July 13, 1999) is an American professional wrestler and former professional volleyball player. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Izzi Dame and is a member of The Culling ...

. At NXT Stand & Deliver on April 6, 2024, James and Dame teamed up with

Jacy Jayne Taylor Grado (born June 2, 1996) is an American professional wrestler. , she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT (WWE brand), NXT WWE brand extension, brand under the ring name Jacy Jayne, and is the current NXT Women's Champion in he ...

in her feud against

Chase University Chase University, formally known as Andre Chase University and usually shortened as Chase U, is a professional wrestling stable that performs in WWE on the NXT brand. The stable's gimmick is that of an educational university, with stable founder ...

Thea Hail Madison Knisley (born September 9, 2003) is an American professional wrestler and gymnast. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Thea Hail. Early life Madison Knisley was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ...

, who teamed up with Fallon Henley and Kelani Jordan, where the latter team won in a

six-woman 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 ...

. On the following episode of ''NXT'', James and Dame defeated Henley and Jordan in a tag team match in James' final match for NXT.

Raw (2024–present)

At the Night 1 of the WWE Draft on the April 26, 2024 episode of ''

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 ...

'', James was drafted to the Raw

. On the June 3 episode of '' Raw'', James defeated

Natalya Natalya () is the Russian form of the female given name Natalia. The name Natasha (), being originally a diminutive form of Natalya, became an independent name outside the Russian-speaking states since the late 1800s. People with the given name ...

in her main roster debut match. On the June 17 episode of Raw, James competed in a triple treat money in the bank qualifying match which was won 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 ...

. In April 2025, James reveals she has been dealing with a knee injury in what has been a long recovery.

Championships and accomplishments

( 1 time) – with

* ''

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. 166 of the top 250 female singles wrestlers in the '' PWI Women's 250'' in 2023

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Kiana 1997 births 21st-century female professional wrestlers 21st-century American professional wrestlers American female professional wrestlers African-American professional wrestlers Living people Morningside University alumni NXT Women's Tag Team Champions Professional wrestlers from Iowa Sportspeople from Sioux City, Iowa 21st-century American sportswomen