Throughout the 2000s, the women of WWE were often in what was basically a series of matches based on skimpy costumes. That included quite a lot of cheerleading outfits as they went at it. That was when WWE was more about how ladies looked rather than real wrestling which thankfully has evolved. However, cheerleaders do carry an aura about them that makes them something notable for wrestling. Stacy Keibler was famous as a Baltimore Ravens cheerleader before she became a star. And you can barely watch a single Naomi match without hearing of her history as a cheerleader for the Orlando Magic. A few others are known as well as a beautiful woman in high school was naturally pushed to be a cheerleader.

However, most of today’s ladies in wrestling were athletes in school who ignored cheerleading for actual sports. There’s also the rise of international stars where cheerleading isn’t a huge thing. Yet it’s surprising to find some female wrestlers do have background in cheerleading, from just high school to even professional. True, some look the part but others are gals you may not have expected to be that type but have experience there. Here are 15 female wrestlers you probably didn’t know have cheerleading pasts and how that drive pushed them on in wrestling as well.

15 15. Layla El

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You have to give credit for a lady with little experience for wrestling became such a huge success. Layla had a dancing career, including working for Carnival Cruises before spending time as a cheerleader for the Miami Heat and dancing for Kayne West. In 2006, WWE offered her a contract based on that. That was followed by her becoming part of the Extreme Expose “dance posse” that emphasized looks. But Layla surprised by turning into a good worker while also a terrific lady on the mic with her arrogant heel persona.

She is historic as the final holder of the original Women’s title when she and Divas champion Michelle McCool formed a partnership. LayCool was soon the hottest women’s act, a pair of arrogant divas fans loved to hate with had great outfits and fun promos while co-holding the Divas title. Finally retiring in 2015, Layla seems happy with regarded by her past and that some cheerleaders can make it big in wrestling.

14 14. Taryn Terrell

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A woman who looks like a supermodel, Terrell has had to fight the perception of being just looks in wrestling. It’s not helped by her tendency to flaunt herself in everything from risqué magazine ads to fully nude on the HBO series “Treme.” Thus, the knowledge she was a cheerleader in high school and college shouldn’t be a huge shock even as she matched it with bodybuilding. But Terrell has overcome doubters with her ring work. She started off in WWE with the Diva Search and training in FCW but never really got a chance to do more than the eye candy type of matches.

Her tenure in TNA was rough at first with a flat heroic character but got better taking on the persona of an arrogant heel. She holds the record for the longest Knockouts championship reign ever and has taken on several of TNA’s top ladies in her time. She made a brief return to the company in 2017 but is back on the indies yet proving she’s far more than just a pretty face.

13 13. Lana

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A throwback to the days when Americans could play “evil Russians,” Lana has been a breakout for WWE bigger than most expected. While she was a ballet dancer in her youth, she got national attention in 2005 when she joined the FSU fans who would cheer in the stands dressed as cowgirls. This got some exposure leading to her doing various modeling work. With that hot beauty, it was no surprise WWE offered her a contract when they were still in “Diva” mode for women. She then broke out working a great Russian accent with Rusev as her “cold but hot” gal in skirts got her a major following.

She did get in hot water spoiling a storyline involving Ziggler and Summer Rae when she tweeted about her and Rusev engaged for real. But she continues to impress with her drive and how those long legs are good for not just cheering but getting majorly ahead in wrestling.

12 12. Liv Morgan

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Liv Morgan got into wrestling early, even doing backyard fighting with her four brothers and younger sister and cited Lita as one of her key influences. She described herself as a tomboy, complete with baggy pants and attitude to match. But surprisingly, Morgan was a competitive cheerleader, using some of her self-trained wrestling experience for the moves and falls. She used that when signing for WWE, trained in NXT as a “fan” attacking Tyler Breeze before challenging Asuka.

Currently, she’s doing well on SmackDown as part of the team with Ruby Riot and Sarah Logan who are taking off as a heel trio. Thus, Morgan is living her dream of being in the WWE at last, including the Royal Rumble and the “tomboy” showing a great drive and promise that should elevate her well in the future.

11 11. Dana Brooke

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Sadly, Dana Brooke’s stock in WWE has taken a bit of a fall. She showed real promise in NXT as a tough gal and that shows in her background. She was always athletic and in high school split time between gymnastics and cheerleading, showing an affinity for taking tumbles and working through pain. A leg injury forced her to move onto bodybuilding and that got her into wrestling. With her tough demeanor and strength, she had real promise, elevated to the RAW brand as Charlotte’s aide. However, the rise of Alexa Bliss seems to have deflated Brooke’s own standing as Bliss is far better a wrestler and promo than Brooke. Brooke herself is now with Titus Worldwide and not much else, a shame for a tough gal who can take a good fall not able to rise as many had hoped.

10 10. Rebel

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In terms of ability, Tanea Brooks should be a much bigger deal. Very skilled, Rebel has won over fans on the indies and has a good vibe to her in person. An Oklahoma native, she may have thrown her family by journeying to Dallas and becoming a Cowboys cheerleader. She even appeared on the cover of their swimsuit calendar to get more attention. That might seem an odd move toward wrestling but she and Christy Hemme were long-time friends and Hemme talked about getting into it.

In 2014, Brooks joined OVW but her timing was poor as the place was ceasing women’s wrestling just as she was joining. She then moved to TNA as part of the Menagerie as her Rebel character had some good drive. She left in 2017 and is currently back in OVW but many feel an NXT offering should be in the future as this lady knows how to rock a rebellious style despite her cheerleading past.

9 9. Charlotte Flair

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As the daughter of Ric Flair, Charlotte may have seemed destined to get into wrestling. But in truth, she seemed to resist it a bit although she had obvious athleticism. In high school and college, she showed that with her great drive and a top volleyball player. But she also found time to get some cheerleading in to show off her great legs and form in a top way. But somehow, wrestling just seemed her destiny, coming out in NXT to build on her dad’s name. Finding her own character helped as an arrogant heel to succeed first in NXT and then in WWE. With multiple titles, Charlotte has lived up to her father majorly and carved her own path as one of the best female workers around. She came in a time when WWE was letting go of the typical “Diva costume” matches but a cheerleader still fit her well.

8 8. Alexa Bliss

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For a woman barely over five feet tall, Alexa Bliss has exploded in success in WWE. It’s no surprise she was involved in athletics as a teenager, including softball and kickboxing. But Bliss was also a good cheerleader, even reaching division I status in college. However, the pressures of being thin enough for cheerleading caused Bliss to suffer a dangerous eating disorder and thus turned to bodybuilding to recover from it.

At first your typical cookie-cutter blonde, Bliss’ attitude and great promos won over fans in NXT and got her the boost to the main roster. Since then, she’s become one of the hottest and most skilled stars around, the only woman to hold both the RAW and SmackDown Women’s titles, twice even. Her promos and her fun style always get attention and proving that she’s a survivor no matter her size.

7 7. Santana

A major star on the indie circuit, Santana Garrett was raised in Orlando and was always a fun and athletic lady. She used that in high school as a cheerleader and gymnast to learn to stretch out her body and showcase some fun moves. That led to major success when she underwent training and soon rising up on the indie circuit. She’s a hit in SHINE, winning both the heavyweight and tag team titles and wowing with her flying moves and Stars Peak finisher. She had a long stint in TNA with LAX, usually a valet role but still impressing with her mixing it up in fights and challenging in the Knockouts division.

Many consider her one of the best female wrestlers yet to be snatched up by NXT although she’s made a couple of non-contracted appearances and the Mae Young Classic. Back in TNA now, Santana shows that a lady with such skills can do great even without the fame of WWE behind her.

6 6. Kelly Kelly

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True, she was often derided as an example of how women in WWE in the 2000s were based solely on looks. But what looks they were. With her All-American girl next door looks, fantastic legs and long blonde hair, it should be no real shock that Kelly was a cheerleader in high school. She was actually a gymnast first but an injury cut that short and thus pushed her more into cheerleading. After training in OVW, she became famous in ECW for the gimmick of stripping down for matches to push an “extreme” angle. That was toned down with Kelly soon getting a run as Divas champion. She’s toned herself down but remains in contact with WWE and even had an appearance in the women’s Royal Rumble.

5 5. Carmella

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A proud native of Boston, Leah van Dale has a degree in marketing from the University of Massachusetts to prove she’s no dummy. But her hot side is on full display as proven by the fact she was a cheerleader for the New England Patriots from 2007 to 2010. She followed that up with a stint as a Laker Girl, thus boasting being a cheerleader for both NFL and NBA, a rare feat. Her early work in WWE included being the manager for Enzo and Cass in NXT and at first the typical Diva. But she’s taken off as an arrogant heel, backed by James Ellsworth and making history as the winner of the first women’s Money in the Bank match. Between her nice outfits and her moonwalk, Carmella still shows her skills off. She also continues to back the Patriots in their various Super Bowl runs and enjoys showing those moves on with her ring work.

4 4. Sable

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Marc Mero was a good worker in his prime although hampered by gimmicks. In WCW, he was made up like a nutty Little Richard to become Johnny B. Badd but that led to success with some titles. In 1996, he managed to land a major million dollar contract bigger than what most WWE stars were getting at the time. Mero only had a brief run as IC champion but his biggest contribution was the introduction of wife Rena.

A stunning blonde, she was first a valet for Triple H who he verbally abused to Marc defended her. A cheerleader in high school, Rena won further fame as a model while also dabbling in softball and gymnastics. Yet the moment she debuted on WWE TV, she had fans going for her big time. With her hot body in tight leather and great drive, she took off, reviving the women’s division. Her ego got her in trouble, leading to her exit in 1999 but she returned later. Now happily retired, Sable remains a great example of a cheerleader who got a great push in wrestling.

3 3. Nikki Cross

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You don’t think of Scotland as having a lot in cheerleaders. Indeed, the U.K. doesn’t go as big on that as in the U.S. So it’s a bit surprising Nikki Cross has a history there. Nicola Glencross is smart, a history major from the University of Glasgow and wears her Scottish pride well. She always had an affinity for athletics as a qualified fitness instructor and personal trainer. But Cross managed to work in some cheerleading in her youth as well, thinking it was a good way to learn more on building her body and learning more flexibility. That’s because her first love was always for wrestling and she has been clicking in NXT as a powerhouse worker. While she hasn’t won the title yet, she’s always in the mix and proved herself in a great feud with Asuka. So while some may be surprised to find this gal was a

2 2. Alicia Fox

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It’s well known how the Divas were often used more for short costume matches than real hard women’s wrestling. Thus, Alicia Fox quite often was doing matches dressed in a variety of outfits, including a couple of “cheerleader” battles. As Victoria Crawford, she had some experience as a cheerleader in high school before moving into being a model. In fact, her younger sister, Christina, went the other way, briefly a wrestler but now a cheerleader for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Alicia, meanwhile, has gone on to great success in WWE, a Divas champion, a sassy manner and a popular face thanks to the “Total Divas” TV show. Currently, she’s rehabbing an injury but Fox proved she could be a cheerleader as well in real life as in the ring.

1 1. Victoria

This one might be a real surprise to many. While other Divas in the 2000s were emphasizing their looks, Victoria was taking off nicely with her tough attitude. Presenting herself as a nutcase, she took off with her hot drive and dark aura to win the Women’s title. She and Trish Stratus has a memorable feud where they beat the hell out of each other to prove their toughness. Victoria kept up her tough antics before jumping to TNA to become a star in the Knockouts division and multiple champion there as well.

You’d expect her history of athletics but amazingly, she was a cheerleader in high school and college. Indeed, she even took place in a massive cheer at halftime of the 1989 NFL Pro Bowl. She eventually moved into bodybuilding to find success that led to wrestling. Just so odd that a lady who appeared to be one of the least likely “cheerleader” types in the Divas landscape was actually nearly a pro one.