Beatrice St. Clere Priestley (born 22 March 1996) is an English-New Zealand

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

, best known by the ring name Bea Priestley. She is currently signed to

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

, where she performs on the

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create ...

under the ring name Blair Davenport. From 2017 until 2021, she wrestled for

World Wonder Ring Stardom World Wonder Ring Stardom (スターダム女子プロレス), often referred to simply as Stardom (stylized as ST★RDOM), is a Japanese '' joshi puroresu'' or women's professional wrestling promotion based in Tokyo, Japan. Stardom was founded i ...

and she also made appearances in

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV ...

serving as

Will Ospreay William Peter Charles Ospreay (born 7 May 1993) is an English professional wrestler who is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion in his first reign and leader of the ...

’s valet. She is also known for her appearances in

All Elite Wrestling All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE. AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, ...

World of Sport Wrestling ''World of Sport Wrestling'' (frequently shortened to ''WOS Wrestling'') was a British professional wrestling television series and occasional professional wrestling promotion, promotion. It was promoted as a re-launch of the popular wrestling ...

, Defiant Wrestling, and

Progress Wrestling Progress Wrestling (stylized as PROGRESS) is a British professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2011 by comedian Jim Smallman, events and comedy promoter Jon Briley, and later, actor Glen Robinson (professionally known as Glen ...

Professional wrestling career

Early career

Priestley began training at

New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling New Zealand Wide Pro Wrestling (NZWPW) is a professional wrestling promotion based in Petone and later Wainuiomata in New Zealand. The promotion entered a hiatus in 2018, when former NZWPW wrestler, Jay Marshall left the promotion to start Capi ...

's developmental facility under

Travis Banks Travis Bligh (born 15 February 1987), better known by his ring name Travis Banks, is a New Zealand professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE on their NXT UK brand. He is also known for competing in promotions such as Fight C ...

, and debuted for the company as Amy St. Clere when she was 16 years old. After four years, during which time she also wrestled for Impact Pro Wrestling as Beatrice Priestley and the Hughes Academy as Tammy Leigh, Priestley moved to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England, to further her career, training in

's developmental program 'The Projo.'

Progress Wrestling (2016–2019)

Priestley made her debut for

on 13 March 2016, being defeated by Elizabeth. In December 2016, Priestley participated in the tournament to crown the first ever

Progress Women's Champion Progress Wrestling (stylized as PROGRESS) is a British professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2011 by comedian Jim Smallman, events and comedy promoter Jon Briley, and later, actor Glen Robinson (professionally known as Glen J ...

where Priestley lost to the eventual winner

Toni Storm Toni Rossall (born 19 October 1995), better known by the ring name Toni Storm, is a New Zealand-Australian professional wrestler. She is currently signed to AEW, where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. She previously worked for WWE ...

. Throughout the year of 2017 and 2018, Priestley would mainly compete in six-man tag team matches and even feuding with Millie McKenzie.

What Culture Pro Wrestling / Defiant Wrestling (20162019)

Priestley debuted for What Culture Pro Wrestling (WCPW) on 27 July at Loaded #5, losing to

Nixon Newell Steffanie Rhiannon Newell (born 15 November 1994) is a Welsh professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Tegan Nox. Newell previously wrestled on the British independent circuit under ...

, but she defeated Newell the following day. On 24 August Priestley and Newell faced off once again, this time in a Last Woman Standing match to crown the first ever WCPW Women's Champion, won by Newell. Priestley unsuccessfully challenged Newell once again at Loaded #19, this time by disqualification. After the match, Priestley's Pacitti Club stablemates The Swords of Essex put Newell out of action and Priestley stole her title, declaring herself "the true Women's Champion". Priestley lost her stolen WCPW Women's Championship to the returning Newell at WCPW True Destiny in February, who had replaced

Tessa Blanchard Tessa Blanchard (born July 26, 1995) is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling, where she became the first female wrestler to win the Impact World Championship and is also a former Impact Knockouts ...

in the match. One day later Priestley regained the WCPW Women's Championship, defeating Nixon Newell in a No Disqualification match. On 16 June 2017 Priestley was unable to compete, and her replacement

Viper The Viperidae (vipers) are a family of snakes found in most parts of the world, except for Antarctica, Australia, Hawaii, Madagascar, and various other isolated islands. They are venomous and have long (relative to non-vipers), hinged fangs tha ...

lost the title by pinfall to

Kay Lee Ray Kayleigh Rae (born 11 August 1992), better known as Kay Lee Ray, is a Scottish professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Alba Fyre. Rae began her wrestling career in 2009 and c ...

. After that, Priestley would feud with Viper until the last episode of Loaded, where Priestley defeated Viper to end the feud. On 17 June 2018 Priestley defeated Millie McKenzie to regain the Defiant Women's Championship. On 3 December 2018 Priestley lost the title to Kanji in a Gauntlet match involving Kay Lee Ray, Lana Austin, Little Miss Roxxy, and Millie McKenzie.

World Wonder Ring Stardom (2017–2021)

On 14 October 2017 Priestley made her debut for the

promotion by entering the Goddesses of Stardom Tag League tournament. Days before the final of the tournament Priestley unsuccessfully challenged

for the SWA World and

World of Stardom Championship The is a women's world professional wrestling championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. The title, which is situated at the top of Stardom's championship hierarchy, was introduced on June 26, 2011, and the inaugural champio ...

in Stardom event in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. She ended up winning the tournament along with

Kelly Klein Kelly Klein (born January 28, 1986), is an American professional wrestler who is currently a free agent. She is best known for her time in Ring of Honor, where she was a record three-time Women of Honor World Champion. Professional wrestling ...

. Following the tournament, Priestley and Klein unsuccessfully challenged Oedo Tai (

Hana Kimura was a Japanese joshi puroresu professional wrestler. She worked for native companies in her country such as World Wonder Ring Stardom from 2016 to 2020, and Wrestle-1, in addition to having made appearances for foreign companies such as Ring of H ...

and

Kagetsu (born on June 24, 1992), better known by his ring name , is a Japanese retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Stardom, JWP, Sendai Girls and various independent promotions. Professional wrestling career Independ ...

) for the

Goddess of Stardom Championship The is a professional wrestling tag team Championship (professional wrestling), championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom professional wrestling promotion, promotion. Title history On August 2, 2011, Stardom held a press conference t ...

. In her six month stay in Stardom, Priestley made it to the finals of the 2018 Cinderella Tournament, before losing to the eventual winner Momo Watanabe. On 4 May 2019, at ''Golden Week Stars 2019 Queen's Quest Produce'', Priestley defeated

for the

. In January 2020, Priestley paired with Oedo Tai member

Jamie Hayter Paige Wooding (born 23 April 1995) better known by the ring name Jamie Hayter is an English professional wrestler who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is the current AEW Women's World Champion in her first reign. S ...

to capture the

, the first foreign tag team to hold the championships. She would later join the villainous Oedo Tai faction after betraying Queen's Quest stable-mate

Momo Watanabe (born March 22, 2000) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Since making her debut on November 16, 2014, she became a two-time Artist of Stardom Champion, one-time Goddess of Stardom Cha ...

. On 20 July 2020, Stardom stripped the tag titles from Priestley and Hayter, as the duo could not defend the titles in Japan due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. Priestley made her return to the company on 19 September, where she attacked Saya Iida in her match against Natsuko Tora, and later attacked

and

Utami Hayashishita (born September 14, 1998) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion, Since making her debut on August 12, 2018, she became a one-time World of Stardom Champion, two-time Goddesses of Stardom Ch ...

. On 3 October at Yokohama Cinderella, Priestley defeated Watanabe to win the vacant

SWA World Championship The is a women's professional wrestling championship promoted by the Japanese World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Though the Japanese name of the title translates to "SWA World Championship", the title is also being internationally referred to ...

World of Sport (2018–2019)

At 5 May 2018 tapings of the newly-revived ''

'', Priestley failed to win the vacant WOS Women's Championship in a three-way match against

and

. She unsuccessfully challenged Ray for the title on subsequent episodes in a battle royal and a singles match against Ray after being attacked by

. On 19 January 2019, on a WOS house show tour, Priestley won the title in a singles match when she successfully pinned Viper. On 2 February 2019 Priestley lost the title to Viper after that she left the promotion.

All Elite Wrestling (2019–2020)

On 22 January 2019 it was reported that Priestley was close to signing a contract with

(AEW) after turning down a

contract. It was announced on the edition of 27 February 2019 of "Road To

Double Or Nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either the subject doubled to twice the amount as the original ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It ...

" that Priestley would be joining the company, and would be making her debut at Fight for the Fallen on 13 July 2019, where she would team with

Shoko Nakajima is a Japanese female professional wrestler, who wrestles for Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. She is also known for her appearances in Chikara, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, DDT Pro-Wrestling and All Elite Wrestling. Professional wrestling ca ...

to defeat

Britt Baker Brittany Baker (born April 23, 1991) is an American professional wrestler and dentist. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Britt Baker where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. Born in Punxsut ...

and

Riho is a Japanese professional wrestler and idol currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is a former AEW Women's World Champion. She was trained by Emi Sakura and debuted for her Ice Ribbon promotion in May 2006, at the age of nine. S ...

. She entered an on-screen feud with

after legitimately concussing Baker after kicking her in the back of the head- which was her first offensive move barely 3 seconds into her participation in the match. Ending their feud, where Baker openly referred to Priestley as "un-professional", Priestley eventually lost the conclusive singles match of this feud to Baker at Full Gear. Priestley appeared on 11 December 2019 edition of

Dark Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown. Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low lu ...

, where she was defeated by "the Alien"

Kris Statlander Kristen Stadtlander (born August 7, 1995) is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Kris Statlander. She is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling, and has also performed on the independent circuit. She is currently ...

. On 11 March 2020 episode of Dynamite, Priestley returned and teamed with AEW Women’s Champion

Nyla Rose Nyla Rose (born August 3, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and actress signed to All Elite Wrestling, where she is a former AEW Women's World Champion. She also starred in the 2016 Canadian television series '' The Switch''. Rose beca ...

to defeat the team of

Hikaru Shida is a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, actress, and model, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she is a former and the longest-reigning AEW Women's World Champion. On February 25, 2021, she became the longest reign ...

and

. After the match she attacked

and called her shot at the AEW Women’s Championship. Priestley was released from AEW on 13 August 2020 due to being unable to travel from her home in Japan due to restrictions from COVID-19.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2020–2021)

On 16 October 2020, Priestley made her debut appearance in

, where she interfered in her boyfriend

's match against

Kazuchika Okada (born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Okada is a five-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion where his fourth reign with the championship is the longest in history at 720 days. He also h ...

in the

G1 Climax The is a professional wrestling tournament held each August by the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotion. Though it has sometimes been held as a single-elimination tournament, it is usually (and currently) held as a round-robin, with winners ...

WWE (2021–present)

On 24 June 2021, it was reported that Priestley signed a contract with

, where a vignette aired promoting Priestley's arrival to

NXT UK ''NXT UK'' is a professional wrestling television programme that was produced exclusively in the United Kingdom by the American promotion WWE. It aired on BT Sport and 5Action (previously known as Paramount Network). In the United States, th ...

with her new ring name revealed to be Blair Davenport. Davenport would score a winning streak over several opponents such as

Xia Brookside Xia-Louise Brooks (born 16 October 1998) is an English professional wrestler and valet. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed on the NXT UK brand under the ring name Xia Brookside. She has also worked for World Wonder Ring ...

Nina Samuels Samantha Allen (born 17 October 1988) is an English professional wrestler. She is most well known for her time in WWE where she performed on the NXT UK brand under the ring name Nina Samuels. Professional wrestling career British Empire Wre ...

, Emilia McKenzie and many more until she seized an opportunity to challenge

Meiko Satomura Meiko Satomura (里村明衣子, Satomura Meiko, born November 11, 1979) is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is currently signed to the American promotion WWE performing on the NXT brand and the Japanese promotion Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestlin ...

for the

NXT UK Women's Championship The NXT UK Women's Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship that was created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It was defended on the NXT UK brand division, a sister brand of WWE's developmental territory NXT ba ...

. On the 6 January 2022, episode of NXT UK, Davenport failed to capture the title from Satomura, marking her first loss in NXT UK. On the 23 August 2022, episode of NXT 2.0, Davenport made her in-ring debut in the brand and collected her first win over

Indi Hartwell Samantha De Martin (born 17 August 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler, best known by the ring name Indi Hartwell. She is signed to WWE, performing on the NXT brand, and was a member of The Way. She is a former NXT Women's Tag Team C ...

, and was then confronted by the NXT Women’s Champion

Mandy Rose Amanda Rose Saccomanno (born July 18, 1990) is an American professional wrestler, television personality, and fitness and figure competitor. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Mandy Rose. Rose began ...

and the NXT UK Women’s Champion

, which set up a triple threat match to unify both the

and the

NXT Women's Championship The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on April 5, 2013, t ...

at the Worlds Collide pay-per-view on September 4, where Davenport lost when she was pinned by Rose.

Personal life

Priestley was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was 14 years old. She underwent surgery to remove it at 18 years old. Since 2017, Priestley had been in a relationship with fellow professional wrestler

. In 2019, the couple revealed they were planning on moving to Japan due to both of their wrestling schedules there. The couple split in late 2021.

Championships and accomplishments

* What Culture Pro Wrestling / Defiant Wrestling ** WCPW/Defiant Women's Championship (2 times) * Fight Forever Wrestling ** Fight Forever Women's World Championship (1 time) * ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...

'' ** Ranked No. 20 of the top 100 female singles wrestlers in the

PWI Women's 100 ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publis ...

in 2019 ** Ranked No. 37 of the top 100 female singles wrestlers in the ''PWI Women's 100'' in 2020 ** Ranked No. 29 of the top 50 tag teams in the '' PWI Tag Team 50'' in 2020 *

** WOS Women's Championship (1 time) *

Artist of Stardom Championship The is a professional wrestling six-woman tag team championship owned by the World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. The title was first announced during Stardom's year-end event on December 24, 2012, and two days later its name was revealed as the ...

( 1 time) – with

Natsuko Tora (born January 30, 1991) is a Japanese professional wrestler currently signed to World Wonder Ring Stardom promotion. Tora is a two-time Artist of Stardom Champion as well as one-time Goddess of Stardom Champion. Professional wrestling career ...

and Saki Kashima **

(

2 times "2 Times" is a song co-written and recorded by British Italian-based singer Ann Lee. It was released in 1999 as the lead single from her debut album, ''Dreams'' (1999). The single entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside ...

) – with Jamie Hayter (1) and

Konami , is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets. Konami has casino ...

(1) **

Goddesses of Stardom Tag League The is a professional wrestling round-robin tag team tournament held annually by the Japanese professional wrestling promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom. It was created in 2011. The Goddesses of Stardom Tag League are held under a multi-point ...

(2017) – with

( 1 time) ** Trios Tag Team Tournament (2019) – with

and

( 1 time) ** Stardom Year-End Award (1 time) *** Special Merit Award (2020)

References

External links

* *
World Wonder Ring Stardom profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Davenport, Blair 1996 births English expatriate sportspeople in Japan English female professional wrestlers English people of New Zealand descent Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan Living people New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in England New Zealand female professional wrestlers Professional wrestling managers and valets Sportspeople from Harrogate 21st-century professional wrestlers World of Stardom Champions Goddess of Stardom Champions Artist of Stardom Champions SWA World Champions