Early Life

Leah Van Dale was born on October 23, 1987, in Spencer, Massachusetts. Her father, Paul Van Dale, is a former professional wrestler who appeared in WWE as a jobber. Before she turned to pro wrestling, Van Dale was a cheerleader for the New England Patriots and a member of the Los Angeles Lakers dance team.

NXT Career

In June 2013, Van Dale signed a contract with WWE and joined the NXT roster. She adopted the ring name Carmella and formed a trio with Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady (later known as Big Cass).

Carmella, Amore, and Cassady made some appearances on the main roster together, with Carmella serving as Amore and Cassady’s manager when they took on The Revival for the NXT Tag Team Championship.

Miss Money In The Bank

On July 19, 2016, Carmella was brought to Smackdown as part of that year’s WWE draft. She turned heel shortly after and feuded with Nikki Bella. Carmella found friends in Natalya and Tamina; the three of them referred to themselves as The Welcoming Committee.

On June 18, 2017, Carmella was crowned the winner of the inaugural Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match. Carmella held the briefcase for 287 days, the longest period that a WWE superstar has ever held the MITB briefcase.

Carmella cashed in her contract on April 10, 2018, during an episode of Smackdown Live. Thanks to some interference from the IIconics, Carmella was able to pin Charlotte Flair and become Smackdown Women’s Champion. She defended her title against Charlotte at Backlash, and then feuded with Asuka, defeating the Empress at Extreme Rules to retain her title.

Carmella lost the Smackdown Women’s Championship at Summerslam 2018, bringing her reign to an end at 131 days.

Friendship With R-Truth

Carmella then allied with R-Truth, who initially only got close to her because he wanted to win the Smackdown Women’s Championship. With the introduction of the WWE 24/7 Championship, Carmella and R-Truth became the center of various comedic segments and feuds for the title.

Carmella helped R-Truth hold onto the WWE 24/7 Champion in addition to becoming a four-time champion herself. Their alliance was ended abruptly when the two were split up in the 2019 WWE draft. Carmella would spend the next few months teaming up with Dana Brooke.

The Untouchable Carmella

In September 2020, WWE began airing vignettes foreshadowing a mysterious female competitor. On October 2, Carmella was revealed to be the subject of those vignettes; she began using the moniker “Untouchable” and had a new theme song to match the gimmick. Carmella then feuded with Smackdown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks but was unable to beat her for the title.

Carmella later teamed up with fellow heel Zelina Vega. The two of them defeated Nikki ASH and Rhea Ripley to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship on the November 22, 2021, episode of Raw. They held the titles until Wrestlemania 38, where they were defeated by Naomi and Sasha Banks.

On May 1, 2023, Carmella announced that she was expecting her first child.