'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The EST of NXT has now become the EST of WWE since her appearance at WrestleMania was the beginning of her promotion to the main roster. Bianca Belair has made quite the impact on NXT over the past few years, but now she's finally joined her husband Montez Ford on Monday Night RAW.
Whilst NXT has become its own entity in recent years and is now live on a Wednesday night on the USA Network, there are still a number of WWE fans who overlook the developmental brand. So, they might not know much about Bianca Belair, following her promotion this past week.
Belair has been kicking down doors and shattering glass ceilings for a number of years. Here are some facts every fan needs to know about Monday Night RAW's latest acquisition.
Trending
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
#5 She makes her own ring attire and has her own shop
Bianca Belair has always had a flair for standing out from the crowd. Whilst many female wrestlers are able to design their attire and take it to WWE's seamstress to have it made, Belair is able to create the entire thing herself.
The former NXT star shares many of her creations on her own Instagram page called @NicoleAllenShop. Many fans have become aware of the fact that The EST of WWE has many talents outside of the squared circle, which she shares via social media.
The shop is owned by both Bianca and her husband Montez Ford, and it allows WWE fans to buy some of Bianca's creations from her directly. The shop mainly consists of jewelry, bags and even custom-made children's clothes.
It's definitely worth a look for any fans of the EST of WWE who would like a custom-made shirt from the star.
#4 Graduated from University in 2012 but wasn't able to officially graduate until 2019
Belair had quite a busy life before she was signed by WWE, given that she pursued a CrossFit career, something that came to an end due to Belair's shifting rib syndrome.
Belair was an All-SEC and All-American in track and field at The University of Tennessee before she began a career in CrossFit and was then recruited by WWE. This meant that even though Belair officially graduated back in 2012, she had to wait for seven years before she was able to make it official by walking out with her class.
It was something that Belair was unable to do whilst she was pursuing other careers. But when she was officially signed to NXT and grounded, she knew that she would be able to go back and make her graduation official.
The seven-year wait meant that when Belair went back to graduate last year, she was able to do it alongside her husband Montez Ford, which allowed the couple to share an important moment in her life, together.
#3 Belair worked a 9-5 job before she applied to WWE on a whim
After excelling in Track and Field throughout university-life and then going on to pursue a career as a CrossFit competitor, Belair lost her entire direction when her dream came to an end because of the Shifting Rib Syndrome which is more formally known as intercostal chondritis.
Knowing that there was no surgery to fix this and that it signaled the end of her career, she was pushed into a 9-5 job to survive and was working as a sales representative at a favoring company in Atlanta when she decided to apply for WWE on a whim.
She spoke to ESPN after she was added to the Mae Young Classic back in 2017 and revealed that she was settling into everyday life at that point and was beginning to accept that this was her life.
"I was just settling, I was trying to live the life I felt was the hand I was dealt. I thought there would be something bigger, but this is what it is."
#2 Mark Henry messaged her on social media regarding a tryout
As already noted, Bianca Belair's dreams of becoming a cross-fit competitor were left behind the wake of her health issues, which meant that she was forced to step into a 9-5 job.
"I have shifting rib syndrome. There's no treatment, there's no surgery, there's really nothing you can do for it. I went to a million doctors and chiropractors, and nobody could tell me what was wrong. I was really defeated," said Belair.
Belair knew that she was destined for more and decided that she wanted to be a WWE Superstar, but she told ESPN that as if by fate it was a message from former WWE Champion Mark Henry that helped bring her to WWE's attention.
"Have you ever thought about being a WWE wrestler? I can get you a tryout, but you have to do the rest of the work."
The above was the message that she received from The World's Strongest Man, a man that she states she is still indebted to.
"Every single day I'm here to prove [Mark] right and show him that what he saw in me is there, It's been a challenge, but I'm extremely grateful to be here and am excited for what's to come."
#1 Bianca Belair admitted that she had a crush on Montez Ford when she first met him
The EST of WWE is currently married to RAW Tag Team Champion Montez Ford, but the couple only came together when they met at WWE's Performance Center. Belair and Ford came from very different backgrounds, but when she came to WWE and first met one-half of The Street profits, she told Lilian Garcia on Chasing Glory that the couple had an immediate connection and she had a crush on him.
"For me it was. I remember seeing him and just thinking, I have friends here and they can be witnesses, ‘Wow, that’s a beautiful man.’ I had an immediate crush on him. He got hurt for a while and he disappeared for a little while, for a couple months when I first started. It was kinda just, it was an immediate connection. We’ve kind of been inseparable ever since. We got married, and it’s just crazy, because we come from two completely different sides of the world. He was a marine, he was in the military. I was just living life and going to college and working in Atlanta. If it hadn’t of been for WWE, and coming into wrestling, I found my husband through wrestling, and wrestling has brought me so much joy and my husband and it's brought me this career that I can’t imagine myself doing anything else. Man, I’m just blessed.”
The couple announced their engagement in 2017 before finally walking down the aisle a year later.
