5 WWE women you may not know were beauty queens

#4. Former WWE 24/7 Champion Maria Kanellis

Although Maria Kanellis was a tomboy growing up, she participated in and won several beauty pageants and bikini competitions before joining WWE in 2004.

In an interview with The Providence Journal, Kanellis disclosed that her mother helped her participate in these competitions. She also stated that taking part in these pageants gave her confidence.

"She was a very good mother. She knew I had a dream and she had the strength to help me follow it. If I wouldn’t have done those competitions, I wouldn’t have the confidence to do what I do today," she said.

The former 24/7 Champion also revealed that although she made no money from participating in these bikini competitions, she gained experience.

"I would spend seven hours on the road driving to Knoxville, Tenn., or Louisville, Ky., so I could do bikini competitions. Usually, you made no money doing it, but it was a lot of fun and gave me experience in front of a crowd," she told WWE.com.

The former beauty queen spent nearly six years in World Wrestling Entertainment before leaving in 2010. She later returned to WWE in 2017 and spent another three years before the company released her from her contract in April 2020 due to budget cuts. She is currently active in IMPACT Wrestling.