Throughout the history of the WWE, many Superstars have been known to have interesting careers prior to joining the professional wrestling business. Some of them make you question why they even transitioned into this line of work, and others make you feel extremely sorry for them.
This particular category, ironically enough, doesn't really fall into either of those definitions.
Cheerleading has always been a good way to spot top level talent that could become pro wrestlers, and it's no surprise that all five women on this list have been successful in the WWE with four of them winning a world title. The question is, will any of you be surprised by the Superstars that feature on this list? Probably not.
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But that's not the point. The point is that these women are all extremely multi-talented and have been able to adapt to an entirely new lifestyle with flawless ease. They're all in terrific shape and they are true role models when it comes to the kind of dedication that is required to become a solidified member of the WWE roster.
If you want motivation, then look towards these girls. With that said, here are five WWE female superstars who used to be cheerleaders.
#1 Eve Torres
Eve Torres is certainly in the running for the title of most underrated female wrestler of all time. During her run with WWE, she showed a range of talents, with her in-ring skill improving every week alongside her phenomenal character development.
Hell, she was even in regular main event segments at one point during a great run as an authoritative heel.
But what some people may not know is that she originally started out as a cheerleader. Torres was a part of the Los Angeles Clippers dance team prior to coming to the WWE, with the company clearly seeing something in Torres when it came to her presence and ability.
Either way, we're just thankful that we had a few years of seeing her compete on a regular basis.
Can you feel the glow?
#2 Naomi
This one may not come as too much of a surprise, especially when you consider how Naomi burst onto the scene on the main roster. The former SmackDown Women's Champion has been around for a long time now in WWE, with fans only really starting to learn more about her in the last few years, courtesy of shows like Total Divas.
Before being one-half of the Funkadactyls, however, Naomi was actually a cheerleader for the Orlando Magic in the NBA. If that wasn't enough, she was also a backup dancer for none other than Flo Rida.
So if you ever wonder to yourself why her gimmick is based around a raving clubber, now you know. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S.
#3 Carmella
How good has Carmella been since the brand split? Very good is the answer. The Princess of Staten Island has stunned a lot of fans when it comes to her character work, in addition to her growing in confidence inside the squared circle.
Nobody really gave her a chance when she was first drafted, but it's fair to say that she's proven them all wrong.
Some of that doubt may come from her background, with Carmella spending a lot of time as a cheerleader before becoming a professional wrestling. She spent some time with the New England Patriots of the NFL, as well as being a Laker Girl with the Los Angeles Lakers for a few years.
If you're wondering what that sound is, it's thousands of wrestling fans frantically searching her up on Google. Onto another Superstar who was written off in the summer.
#4 Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss is the most well-rounded Superstar on SmackDown Live and that's just a fact. She's come on leaps and bounds since her promotion from NXT, and it truly is staggering to see how quickly she's been able to surpass pretty much every other female on the blue brand's roster.
Seriously, there's nobody more deserving when it comes to holding the SD Women's Championship.
If you know much about her past, then you'll be aware that Bliss was an extremely talented cheerleader, even reaching Division I status in college. She was also on the cover of American Cheerleader magazine as you can see above, making her one of the more talented members of this list when it comes to the profession.
Everything she does turns to gold - fact. We conclude with a blast from the past.
#5 Layla
Layla was never really given any credit when it comes to how good she was, both in and out of the ring for WWE. She jumped through every single hoop they asked her to, and she turned into one of the better performers that we've seen over the course of the last decade or so.
Sure she wasn't exactly part of the most talented era in women's wrestling history, but she certainly stood out above the rest.
As a multi-time champion it'd be great to see her back in the ring one day, but what we'd instead like to focus on for the time being is her past. Layla was once a cheerleader for the Miami Heat before coming to WWE and as a result of her service to the team, she actually received a championship ring when the Heat won the 2006 NBA Finals.
Not too shabby.
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