Lacey Evans recently shocked the WWE Universe when she announced that she was expecting a child. The announcement originally came as part of her storyline with Ric and Charlotte Flair. But after it became apparent that The Sassy Southern Belle was actually pregnant in real life, the storyline was scrapped, and it appears that Evans has been taken off TV.
Of course, Evans isn't the first woman who has announced that she is expecting a child on live programming. Over the past few years, fans have seen several real and storyline pregnancy announcements on Monday Night RAW.
It appears that many current and former WWE stars have been able to start a family and return to their wrestling careers over the past decade. As a result, WWE has had both pregnant champions and titleholders who are active mothers.
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#5. WWE Champion as a mother: Asuka
Asuka is the current RAW Women's Champion, as she won the title when Becky Lynch relinquished it last May. Asuka emerged victorious in the 2020 WWE Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, and the title was her prize.
For almost a year, Asuka has reigned supreme in the WWE women's division. Ironically, Lynch revealed some personal information about the former NXT Women's Champion after she gave Asuka the title. It appears that Lynch was happy to hand her title over to Asuka because she admitted that the development represented everything that The Man herself wants to be.
"Passing that championship onto Asuka meant a lot. She really, really deserves it. And another element that people missed, because it’s not really advertised, is that she’s a working mom. She's proven that you can do it all. You can be a badass and go off and have a family, you can come in and still kick more ass, have a YouTube show and be entertaining as all hell."
Asuka has kept her personal life as private as possible throughout the course of her career, but the Irish star revealed that The Empress of Tomorrow is a mother. The champion has successfully juggled the challenges she faces as both a wrestler and a parent.
#4. WWE Pregnant Champion: Maria Kanellis
Maria Kanellis made history in 2019 when she became the first-ever pregnant Champion in WWE history. The former Diva Search contestant forced her real-life husband Mike Kanellis to lie down for her so that she could win the 24/7 Championship.
This history-making moment gave Maria her first championship in WWE career. It also led to an interesting storyline between Maria and her husband, as the win created a power struggle in their on-screen relationship. But the former star didn't keep the title for long because many other stars aimed to dethrone her.
Ultimately, her own husband took the title. When Maria visited her doctor, Mike capitalized and pinned his unsuspecting wife. Female referee Jessika Carr pretended to be the nurse at the hospital before she revealed her referee shirt and counted the pin for Mike. This title change remains one of the most shocking wins in the history of the 24/7 Championship.
The storyline was later dropped, and WWE released the couple, along with several other stars, in April 2020.
#3. WWE Champion as a mother: Tamina Snuka
Tamina Snuka has been part of WWE's main roster for more than a decade after she made her debut alongside The Usos in 2010. The daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka hasn't been able to make the same kind of impact in the company as several of her peers, but she's still a former champion.
Tamina had to wait a long time before she won her first title. But eventually, she held the 24/7 Championship in October 2019. Tamina pinned Carmella to win her first WWE title, but this reign lasted less than a minute because R-Truth quickly pinned her to win the gold.
Much like current WWE star Lacey Evans, Snuka opted to start a family before she pursued a career in the wrestling business. She has balanced her public and personal life, as she has been able to travel the world and raise her children at the same time.
The former 24/7 Champion has two teenage daughters from her first marriage. Named Maleata and Milaneta, her daughters are 19 and 17, respectively
#2. WWE Pregnant Champion: Becky Lynch
Maria Kanellis was the first-ever pregnant champion that the WWE Universe had ever seen, but she isn't the only woman to hold a title and expect a child at the same time.
In 2020, Becky Lynch announced that she was expecting her first child alongside fellow WWE star Seth Rollins. At the time, Lynch was the RAW Women's Champion. She defeated Shayna Baszler to successfully retain the championship just a few weeks before this revelation.
Lynch was forced to relinquish the championship because she was unable to defend the title. She subsequently handed it over to Asuka, who won the Money in the Bank Match the previous night. As a result, Lynch is just the second female wrestler in WWE history to have held a title while pregnant.
Lynch has since welcomed her daughter, Roux into the world. But while Rollins recently made his return to WWE programming and ended his paternity leave, Lynch's absence has continued. Rumors continue to circulate regarding the former champion and her potential return to the company. For now, she is focusing on her responsibilities as a mother.
#1. WWE Champion as a mother: Candice Michelle
Candice Michelle joined WWE through the annual Diva Search before she became the first former contestant to win the Women's Championship. Michelle was pushed as a top star near the end of her career before she was released in 2009, ending her five-year run with WWE.
Michelle later went on to start a family with her husband, Ken Gee Ehrlich, and the couple welcomed their first daughter, AkiAnne Rose in 2010. Their second child, Ryumi Grace arrived in 2012, and Aloha Von Ehrlich completed the family back in 2015.
Though Michelle announced her retirement from the business in 2017, she made a brief return to WWE roughly ten years after her release.
Michelle was part of a backstage segment alongside Kelly Kelly and Melina when she attacked Kelly and pinned her to win the 24/7 Championship. Like several other 24/7 Champions, Michelle only held the title for a few seconds, as WWE Hall of Famer Alundra Blayze forced her to tap out a few moments later. Still, Michelle will go down in history as a champion who also raised three daughters.