Trinity Fatu
(
née McCray; born November 30, 1987) is an American
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 ...
and dancer. 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
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...
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 Naomi.
In August 2009, Naomi signed with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to its past
developmental territory
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
(FCW), where she was the inaugural
FCW Divas Champion. In August 2010, she competed in the all-female
third season of ''
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- ...
'', where she came in second place. In January 2012, she made her main roster debut alongside
Cameron, forming
The Funkadactyls. Since July 2013, Naomi has appeared as one of the main cast members of the
reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...
series ''
Total Divas
''Total Divas'' is an American reality television series that aired from July 28, 2013, to December 10, 2019, on E!. The series gave viewers an inside look into the lives of female WWE wrestlers from their work within WWE to their person ...
''.
In February 2017, Naomi won the
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
The WWE SmackDown Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main ros ...
at the
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...
event, becoming the first African-American woman to capture the title. She would then become the inaugural winner of the
WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal
The WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal was a professional wrestling battle royal held at WrestleMania by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The winner of the match received the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal Trophy. The inaugur ...
at
WrestleMania 34
WrestleMania 34 was the 34th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 8, 2 ...
the following year and the
WWE Women's Tag Team Champion
The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is the only women's tag team championship for WWE's main roster, thus is defended across bot ...
alongside
Sasha Banks
Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks.
Banks previously wrestled o ...
at
WrestleMania 38
WrestleMania 38 was the 38th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event was held as a two-night eve ...
in 2022.
Early life
Trinity McCray was born in
Sanford, Florida. She also starred as a background dancer for rapper
Flo Rida.
Professional wrestling career
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
Developmental territories (2009–2011)
In August 2009, Fatu signed a contract with WWE, where she reported to their then-
developmental territory
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
(FCW). She and
Alex Riley
Kevin Robert Kiley Jr. (born April 28, 1981) is an American professional wrestler and commentator best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Alex Riley. He was a participant in the second season of ''NXT''.
Professional wrestling ...
lost to
AJ Lee
April Jeanette Mendez (born March 19, 1987) is an American author and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE under the ring name AJ Lee. She is currently an executive producer and color commentator for WOW – Wo ...
and
Brett DiBiase in a mixed tag team match in October. On June 20, 2010 Naomi defeated
Serena Deeb
Serena Deeb (born June 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is well known for her first stint with WWE, appearing on the SmackDown brand and also known for her time with the devel ...
on ''FCW TV'' to become the inaugural
FCW Divas Champion. On the August 29 episode of ''FCW TV'', Naomi competed in a match against Lee, where both the Queen of FCW title and the FCW Divas Championship were on the line, which ended in a double count-out. In 2010 Naomi joined the
all-female third season of ''
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- ...
'', with
Kelly Kelly
Barbara Blank Coba (born Barbara Jean Blank; January 15, 1987), known professionally as Barbie Blank and by her ring name Kelly Kelly, is an American professional wrestler and model.
Blank has a background in gymnastics and cheerleading, a ...
as her pro.
Naomi debuted on the September 7 episode of ''NXT'', where she teamed with Kelly to face fellow rookie
Maxine and
Alicia Fox
Victoria Crawford (born June 30, 1986) is an American retired professional wrestler and former model known for her time with WWE under the ring name Alicia Fox.
Crawford debuted on '' SmackDown'' on June 13, 2008, using the Alicia Fox name and ...
in winning effort after Naomi pinned Maxine.
On the September 21 episode of ''NXT'', she teamed with Kelly and Jamie Keyes, defeating
Layla
"Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded by Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' (1970). Its contrasting movements were compos ...
,
Michelle McCool
Michelle Leigh Calaway (née McCool; born January 25, 1980) is an American retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with WWE, where she is a former two-time WWE Divas Champion and a two-time WWE Women's Champion.
McCool ...
, and
Kaitlyn.
On the October 26 episode of ''NXT'', Naomi defeated Maxine in a singles match.
On November 30, Naomi lost the competition to Kaitlyn, placing second in the season. On the January 23, 2011, Naomi lost the championship to Lee on ''FCW TV''.
The Funkadactyls (2012–2014)
![Funkasaurus and the Funkettes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Funkasaurus_and_the_Funkettes.jpg)
On the January 9, 2012, Naomi made her main roster debut on ''
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'' alongside
Cameron as
valets
A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "valet ...
for
Brodus Clay
George Murdoch (born February 21, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and cable news personality known by his ring/stage name Tyrus. As a wrestler, he is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is the reigning NWA World ...
, with the duo dubbed
The Funkadactyls.
On the
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
pre-show on December 16, Naomi scored a victory in a
Santa's Little Helpers
battle royal
Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
, earning a match against
Divas Champion
The WWE Divas Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship in WWE. The championship was created by WWE in 2008, and was introduced as part of the WWE brand extension via a storyline by then SmackDown General Manager Vickie Gue ...
Eve Torres
Eve Torres Gracie (born Eve Marie Torres on August 21, 1984) is an American actress, dancer, model, martial arts instructor, and former professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with WWE, where she was the first ever three-time WWE ...
later that night, where she lost.
On the March 15, 2013, episode of ''
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...
'', The Funkadactyls were attacked backstage by
The Bella Twins
The Bella Twins were a professional wrestling tag team who performed on WWE and consisted of identical twin sisters Brie Bella and Nikki Bella (real names Brianna and Nicole). Each of the Bella Twins are a former WWE Divas Champion. Brie is the f ...
. The Funkadactyls, Clay, and
Tensai
Matthew Jason Bloom (born November 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler and professional football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is the head trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Bloom ...
, collectively known as Tons of Funk, were originally set to face Team Rhodes Scholars (
Cody Rhodes
Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AE ...
and
Damien Sandow
Aron Steven Haddad (born August 3, 1982) is an American professional wrestler best known for wrestling with WWE under the ring name Damien Sandow. He is also known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and the independent circuit unde ...
) and the Bella Twins in an eight-person mixed tag team match at
WrestleMania 29
WrestleMania 29 (billed in print ads as WrestleMania NY/NJ) was the 29th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 7, 2013, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. N ...
, but after the match was cut due to time constraints, it instead took place the following night on ''Raw'', with Tons of Funk coming out victorious.
On the August 26 episode of ''Raw'', Naomi was ringside for a match between
Natalya Natalya (russian: Наталья) is the Russian form of the female given name Natalia.
The name Natasha (russian: link=no, Наташа), being originally a diminutive form of Natalya, became an independent name outside the Russian-speaking state ...
and
Brie Bella
Brianna Monique Danielson (née Garcia-Colace; born November 21, 1983), known professionally as Brie Bella, is an American professional wrestler and TV personality. She is currently signed to WWE working as an ambassador.
She and her twin N ...
alongside the cast of ''
Total Divas
''Total Divas'' is an American reality television series that aired from July 28, 2013, to December 10, 2019, on E!. The series gave viewers an inside look into the lives of female WWE wrestlers from their work within WWE to their person ...
'', also including Cameron, Nikki Bella,
Eva Marie
Natalie Eva Marie Nelson (born September 19, 1984) is an American actress, fashion designer, model, and professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenures in WWE, from 2013–2017 and 2020–2021, where she performed under the ring name ...
, and
JoJo, which ended with Divas Champion AJ Lee coming out and cutting a
worked shoot promo
Promo or promos may refer to:
Promotions and advertising
*Promo (media), a form of commercial advertising used to promote television or radio programs
*Promo (professional wrestling), a televised interview in which a wrestler's on-screen personali ...
directed at the women. On the September 15, Naomi competed against Natalya, Brie Bella, and Lee in a
fatal four-way match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Gimmick, gimmick matches" in the Glossary of professional wrestling terms, jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. So ...
for the Divas Championship at
Night of Champions, where Lee retained the title. The cast of ''Total Divas'' went on to defeat Lee, Alicia Fox,
Aksana, Kaitlyn,
Rosa Mendes
Milena Leticia Roucka (; born October 25, 1979) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler, valet and model. She was known for her time in WWE under the ring name Rosa Mendes. She managed former WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Epico from 2011 ...
,
Tamina Snuka
Sarona Moana Marie Reiher Snuka-Polamalu (born January 10, 1978) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Tamina. She is a one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Cha ...
, and
Summer Rae
Danielle Louise Moinet (born November 28, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, model, actress, ring announcer, and former American football player. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Summer Ra ...
in a
traditional elimination tag team match at
Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
.
On December 15 at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Naomi, Cameron and Tensai abandoned Clay due to his attitude.
In February 2014, Naomi suffered a
legitimate displaced fracture of the
orbital bone during a match against Aksana on ''Raw''. She returned on the March 17 episode of ''Raw'', teaming with Cameron to defeat Lee and Snuka in a tag team match. On April 6 at
WrestleMania XXX
WrestleMania XXX was the 30th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on April 6, 2014, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana and was the first WWE ...
, Naomi competed in the
Vickie Guerrero
Vickie Lynn Benson (formerly Guerrero, née Lara;Guerrero, Eddie. ''Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story'', p. 53. born April 16, 1968) is an American professional wrestling personality and manager. She is best known for her t ...
Invitational match for the Lee's Divas Championship, where Lee successfully retained her title. At
Money in the Bank, Naomi lost to the new Divas Champion
Paige in a title match. On the July 7 episode of ''Raw'', Naomi and Cameron lost to Lee and Paige in a tag team match, which caused a brawl to ensue between Cameron and Naomi.
Naomi and Cameron faced off on the
Battleground pre-show, during which the former lost. Naomi went on to secure a victory over Cameron on the September 15 episode of ''Raw''. At
Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
, Naomi participated in a traditional elimination tag team match, where she eliminated Cameron before eventually pinning Paige to get the win for her team in a clean sweep.
Divas Revolution (2014–2016)
In December 2014, Naomi became involved with
The Usos
The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They ar ...
' feud with
The Miz
Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz.
Mizanin first gained fa ...
, which involved The Miz offering to help further Naomi's musical career, much to her husband Jimmy Uso's dismay. On the December 16 episode of ''Super SmackDown'', Naomi competed against
Nikki Bella
Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace (born November 21, 1983), known professionally as Nikki Bella, is an American professional wrestler and television personality. She is currently signed to WWE as an ambassador.
In 2007, Bella signed with WWE a ...
for the Divas Championship, where she lost the match after Jimmy Uso caused a distraction due to his anger of The Miz being present. After Alicia Fox joined The Miz and Mizdow, Naomi and the Usos competed against the three in a series of
mixed tag team matches, where Naomi's team repeatedly lost. On March 29, she accompanied The Usos during their match on the
WrestleMania 31
WrestleMania 31 was the 31st annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area town of Santa Clara, California. Nine ...
pre-show, in which they unsuccessfully challenged Kidd and Cesaro for the WWE Tag Team Championship.
On the April 13 episode of ''Raw'', Naomi unsuccessfully competed in a
battle royal
Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
to determine the number one contender to the Divas Championship. After the bout, Naomi attacked Paige for eliminating her to ultimately win the match, turning
heel. As Paige had been injured by the attack, Naomi was granted a match against Bella for the title at
Extreme Rules, where she failed to win after interference from Brie Bella. In May, Naomi attacked The Bella Twins alongside the returning Tamina.
The duo went on to compete in a tag team match against The Bella Twins at
Payback
Payback may refer to:
* Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance
Payback may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shadow ...
, during which Naomi and Tamina won. On the May 18 episode of ''Raw'', Naomi competed in another championship match against Nikki Bella, where Bella retained the title after Tamina caused a disqualification. After Paige returned, a triple threat match was made between Naomi, Paige, and Nikki Bella at
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...
, however she once again failed to capture the title.
![Team B](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Team_B.A.D._Blonde_WrestleMania_32.jpg)
On the July 13 episode of ''Raw'', after weeks of the Divas division being dominated by The Bella Twins and their ally Alicia Fox,
Stephanie McMahon
Stephanie McMahon Levesque (born Stephanie Marie McMahon; ; September 24, 1976) is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is the current chairwoman and co-chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the world's largest prof ...
called for a "
Divas Revolution
Throughout its history, women have served in various onscreen roles in the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. In the 1990s, WWE (then known as the World Wrestling Federation) introduced the term Diva to refer to its female performe ...
," subsequently introducing the debuting
NXT Women's Champion
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 ...
Sasha Banks
Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks.
Banks previously wrestled o ...
to align with Naomi and Tamina, dubbed Team B.A.D., as well as
Charlotte Flair
Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (born April 5, 1986) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. She is currently inactive.
She is a second-genera ...
and
Becky Lynch
Rebecca Quin (born 30 January 1987) is an Irish professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE under the ring name Becky Lynch where she performs on the Raw brand. Lynch is one of WWE's most recognizable and highest-paid wrestlers. Twitter name ...
to align with Paige, leading to a brawl between the three teams.
The three teams faced off in a
three team elimination match on August 23 at
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
, which was won by Team PCB. At the 2015 ''
Tribute to the Troops
''WWE Tribute to the Troops'' is an American annual professional wrestling event held by WWE and Armed Forces Entertainment. Since 2003, the show airs as a television special during the month of December (specifically during the holiday season), ...
'' in December, Team B.A.D. and Paige defeated Brie Bella, Charlotte, Fox, and Lynch in an eight-woman tag team match. On the February 1, 2016, episode of ''Raw'', Banks left the team, which caused Naomi and Tamina to attack her. Naomi and Tamina later lost to Banks and Lynch in a tag team match at
Fastlane. On the
WrestleMania 32
WrestleMania 32 was the 32nd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on April 3, 2016, at the AT&T Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. This was the last Wre ...
pre-show, Naomi and Tamina teamed up with
Lana
Lana may refer to:
*Lana (given name)
*Francesco Lana de Terzi (1631–1687), Italian Jesuit priest and scientist
*Lana (wrestler), professional wrestler and pro wrestling manager
*''Wild Energy. Lana'', a 2006 Ukrainian fantasy novel
Sciences
*L ...
,
Emma, and Summer Rae in a
10-Diva tag team match against Brie Bella, Paige, Fox, Eva Marie, and Natalya, where Naomi's team was defeated. In early May, Naomi became inactive due to a torn ankle tendon.
SmackDown Women's Champion (2016–2017)
Naomi was drafted to the
SmackDown brand on July 19 as part of the
2016 WWE draft
Sixteen or 16 may refer to:
*16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17
*one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016
Films
* ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film
* ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film ...
. She then debuted a new
gimmick, which included a new look and entrance, dubbed "The Glow", turning
face
The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...
in the process. On August 21 at
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
, Naomi competed in a six-woman tag team match alongside Becky Lynch and
Carmella against Natalya,
Alexa Bliss
Alexis Cabrera (née Kaufman; born August 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Alexa Bliss. In 2013, Bliss signed a contract with WWE and was a ...
, and Nikki Bella, where Naomi's team was defeated after Bella pinned Carmella. On September 11 at
Backlash
Backlash may refer to:
Literature
* '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi
* ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston
* Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character
* ''Backla ...
, Naomi competed in a
six-pack elimination challenge to determine the inaugural
WWE SmackDown Women's Champion, where she would eliminate Bliss before she herself was eliminated by Natalya. On November 20, Naomi competed as part of the SmackDown women's team against the Raw women's team at the
Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
pay-per-view, where Naomi's team was defeated.
After three months of inactivity, Naomi returned on the January 24, 2017, episode of ''SmackDown'', in a confrontation SmackDown Women's Champion Bliss. On February 12, she competed against Bliss at
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...
, where she was victorious, becoming the SmackDown Women's Champion for the first time in her career as well as the first African-American woman to capture the title.
The following Tuesday, she relinquished the title due to a legitimate injury she sustained during the match.
On April 2, Naomi made her in-ring return in a six-pack challenge in her hometown of
Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
at
WrestleMania 33
WrestleMania 33 was the 33rd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 2, 201 ...
, where she made Bliss submit, successfully regaining the SmackDown Women's Championship. Two days later, Naomi defeated Bliss in a rematch to retain the championship.
On June 18, Naomi defeated Lana to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship at
Money in the Bank.
She then went on to retain the title over Lana two more times on the June 27 and July 4 episodes of ''SmackDown'', the latter of which involved a seven-second submission victory. In June, Naomi debuted a customized title belt with
glow-in-the-dark lights of various colors. On August 20 at
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
, Naomi dropped the SmackDown Women's Championship to Natalya, ending her reign at 140 days. On November 19 at
Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
, Naomi competed in a five-on-five elimination tag team match, where she eliminated Raw team captain Alicia Fox, before she herself was eliminated by Sasha Banks, with her team ultimately losing the match.
Various storylines (2018–2022)
![Naomi with WrestleMania trophy (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Naomi_with_WrestleMania_trophy_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On January 28, 2018, Naomi competed in the inaugural women's
Royal Rumble match
The Royal Rumble match is a professional wrestling match based on the classic Battle Royal match in which a number of wrestlers (traditionally 30) aim at eliminating their competitors by tossing them over the top rope, with both feet touching the ...
at the
namesake pay-per-view, entering at number 20 and lasting 06:49 before she was eliminated by
Nia Jax
Savelina Fanene (born May 29, 1984) is an Australian-born American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Nia Jax from 2014 to 2021 and became a one-time Raw Women's Champion and tw ...
. On the
WrestleMania 34
WrestleMania 34 was the 34th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on April 8, 2 ...
kick-off show, Naomi went on to win the inaugural
WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal
The WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal was a professional wrestling battle royal held at WrestleMania by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The winner of the match received the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal Trophy. The inaugur ...
by eliminating
Bayley.
In June, Naomi competed in her first
Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First contested at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate Money in the Bank pay-per-view was established ...
at the
namesake pay-per-view, won by Alexa Bliss. On October 28, she took part in the first all-women's pay-per-view,
Evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
, competing in a women's battle royal match, which was won by Jax. In November at
Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the se ...
, she competed in a traditional elimination tag team match as part of Team SmackDown, where she was the first woman eliminated from the match by Tamina.
Naomi then entered a feud with
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 ...
after Rose started flirting with Naomi's real-life husband,
Jimmy Uso
The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are b ...
, to "ruin Naomi's life", which involved Rose hinting at kissing Uso as well as Naomi attacking Rose in a hotel room to which Rose invited Uso. At
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
on January 27, 2019, Naomi and Rose eliminated each other during the women's Royal Rumble match. The two exchanged victories over each other in February. That same month, Naomi teamed up with Carmella in a six-team
Elimination Chamber match
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...
for the inaugural
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship
The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is the only women's tag team championship for WWE's main roster, thus is defended across bot ...
at the
namesake pay-per-view, where they were the first team eliminated. During the
2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up
The 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up was the thirteenth WWE draft – and the last to be branded as the Superstar Shake-up – produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between the Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brands. Instead of ...
on April 15, Naomi was drafted to the
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
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 ...
. She unsuccessfully competed in the women's Money in the Bank ladder match at the
namesake pay-per-view the following month.
At
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
on January 26, 2020, Naomi returned from a hiatus by entering the Royal Rumble match at number 18, lasting 22 minutes before being eliminated by
Shayna Baszler
Shayna Andrea Baszler ( ; born August 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, kickboxer and former mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand. Baszler is a former two-time and longest ...
. She later attributed her time away to health issues and a relative's death. The following month, Naomi lost to Bayley in a match for the SmackDown Women's Championship at
Super Showdown
WWE Super ShowDown (originally stylized as Super Show-Down) was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, an American-based promotion. It was broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE's livestreaming service, the ...
.
In April at
WrestleMania 36
WrestleMania 36 was the 36th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic ...
, Naomi competed in a five-way elimination match for the same title, during which she was eliminated by Sasha Banks. In September, she underwent surgery to remove a
fibroid.
As part of the
2020 Draft in October, Naomi was drafted back to the Raw brand. She returned at
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named afte ...
in January 2021 during the 30-woman Royal Rumble match, entering at number 2, where she was eliminated by Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax. She teamed with Lana to compete in a
Tag Team Turmoil match during the first night of
WrestleMania 37
WrestleMania 37 was the 37th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place as a two-night ...
to determine the No. 1 contenders for the Women's Tag Team Championship, where the duo was defeated. In August 2021, Naomi became part of the SmackDown roster. She subsequently began a feud with
Sonya Deville
Daria Rae Berenato (born September 24, 1993) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sonya Deville. She is also a former on-scre ...
, who was an authority figure. The feud developed due to the Naomi's persistence in asking for matches, irritating Deville. Naomi and Deville eliminated each other from the Royal Rumble match at the
namesake event in January 2022. Naomi teamed up with
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Jean Rousey (; born February 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, actress, former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand and is the current SmackDown Women ...
to defeat Deville and Charlotte Flair at
Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...
the next month.
Partnership with Sasha Banks (2022)
On the second night of
WrestleMania 38
WrestleMania 38 was the 38th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event was held as a two-night eve ...
, Naomi teamed with Sasha Banks to compete in a four-way tag team match for the
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship
The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is the only women's tag team championship for WWE's main roster, thus is defended across bot ...
, in which they defeated the respective teams of Liv Morgan and
Rhea Ripley
Demi Bennett (born 11 October 1996) is an Australian professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Rhea Ripley and is a member of The Judgment Day. She was also the inaugural N ...
, Natalya and Shayna Baszler, and titleholders Carmella and
Queen Zelina to become the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions.
During the May 16 episode of ''Raw'', Naomi and Banks legitimately
walked out of the show's venue over a creative dispute after a meeting with CEO
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...
.
WWE released an official statement on the issue, in which the company stated Banks and Naomi "walked into WWE Head of Talent Relations
John Laurinaitis
John Hodger Laurinaitis (born July 31, 1962), also known by his former ringname Johnny Ace, is an American retired professional wrestler and business executive.
He has wrestled for such promotions as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), All Japan ...
' office with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk and walked out". This caused a change to the show's main event that originally involved both women.
Naomi and Banks were suspended indefinitely and the title was
vacated
A vacated judgment (also known as vacatur relief) makes a previous legal judgment legally void. A vacated judgment is usually the result of the judgment of an appellate court, which overturns, reverses, or sets aside the judgment of a lower court. ...
.
Other media
Video games
* Naomi made her in-game debut in ''
WWE '13
''WWE '13'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by THQ for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. It was released on October 30, 2012, in North America and November 2, 2012, in United Kingdom. It is the fourteent ...
'' as a
non-player character along with her then-tag team partner Cameron, appearing during Brodus Clay's entrance and winning celebration, as well as in ''
WWE 2K14
''WWE 2K14'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released on October 29, 2013, in North America, October 30, 2013, in Japan, October 31, 2013, in Austr ...
''. She later appeared as a playable character in ''
WWE 2K15'', ''
WWE 2K16
''WWE 2K16'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. It is the sequel to ''WWE 2K15'', and was succeeded by ''WWE 2K17''. ...
'', ''
WWE 2K17
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 ...
'', ''
WWE 2K18
''WWE 2K18'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports. It is the nineteenth installment in the WWE game series (fifth under the ''WWE 2K'' banner) and a follow-up to '' WWE 2K17''. It was released wor ...
'', ''
WWE 2K19
''WWE 2K19'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K Sports. It was released worldwide on October 9, 2018, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the twentieth overall game in the ''WW ...
,'' ''
WWE 2K20
''WWE 2K20'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It was released worldwide on October 22, 2019, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is the twenty-first installment o ...
,
WWE 2K Battlegrounds'' and ''
WWE 2K22
''WWE 2K22'' is a 2022 professional wrestling sports video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It is the twenty-second overall installment of the video game series based on WWE, the ninth game under the ''WWE 2K'' banne ...
''.
Television
* Since July 2013, Naomi has been a main cast member of the reality television series ''Total Divas'' produced by WWE and
E!.
In May 2014, Naomi released her first single song entitled "Dance All Night", and the accompanying music video was released on WWE's
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
channel. She was not part of the second half of season three that aired January 2015 to March 2015 but returned as a main cast member for season four. She did not appear during the show's fifth season but once again returned as a main cast member for the sixth season.
Film
* In 2017, fatu starred in
WWE Studios
WWE Studios Inc. (formerly known as WWE Films) is an American film studio owned by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. WWE Studios movies frequently mix well-known actors and actresses in lead roles with WWE wrestlers, and teams with exist ...
film ''
The Marine 5: Battleground'', playing the role of a gang member named Murphy.
Others
* Naomi made her modeling debut at
New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...
alongside
Sasha Banks
Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks.
Banks previously wrestled o ...
in September 2022.
Personal life
Trinity and longtime boyfriend Jonathan Fatu, better known by the ring name
Jimmy Uso
The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are b ...
, were married in
Maui on January 16, 2014. Through their marriage, she is a member of the
Anoaʻi family
The Anoaʻi family ( ) is a family of professional wrestlers originating from American Samoa. Family members have comprised several tag teams and stables within a variety of promotions. Famous members of the family include Rosey, WWE Hall of Fam ...
, a Samoan-American wrestling dynasty. The couple resides in
Pensacola, Florida.
She is the stepmother to Fatu's two children.
Filmography
Championships and accomplishments
175px, Naomi is a two-time ">SmackDown Women's Champion
*
Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
**
FCW Divas Championship
The FCW Divas Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their women's division. A tournament was he ...
(
1 time)
**
FCW Divas Championship Tournament (2010)
* ''
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 Publi ...
''
** Ranked No. 7 of the top 50 female wrestlers in the
''PWI'' Female 50 in 2015
* ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
''
** Most Welcome Heel Turn (2015)
* ''
Wrestling Observer Newsletter
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...
''
**
Worst Feud of the Year (2015)
Team PCB vs. Team B.A.D.
Sasha Banks and Naomi, originally known as Team B.A.D., were an American professional wrestling tag team that performed in WWE, where they are former WWE Women's Tag Team Champions.
The inceptive variation of the team began and ended as a duo ...
vs. Team Bella
The Bella Twins were a professional wrestling tag team who performed on WWE and consisted of identical twin sisters Brie Bella and Nikki Bella (real names Brianna and Nicole). Each of the Bella Twins are a former WWE WWE Divas Championship, Divas ...
**
Worst Worked Match of the Year (2013)
*
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 ...
**
WWE SmackDown Women's Championship
The WWE SmackDown Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling world championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two women's world titles for WWE's main ros ...
(
2 times)
**
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship
The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is the only women's tag team championship for WWE's main roster, thus is defended across bot ...
(
1 time) – with
Sasha Banks
Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado (born January 26, 1992) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sasha Banks.
Banks previously wrestled o ...
**
WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal
The WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal was a professional wrestling battle royal held at WrestleMania by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The winner of the match received the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal Trophy. The inaugur ...
(
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
)
**
Slammy Award
The Slammy Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced in 1986, there have been 13 e ...
(1 time)
*** Best Dance Moves of the Year (2013) – with
Cameron as
The Funkadactyls
**
WWE Year-End Award (1 time)
*** Most Underrated Superstar of the Year (2018)
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Naomi (wrestler)
1987 births
African-American female professional wrestlers
American cheerleaders
American female dancers
American dancers
American female models
American female professional wrestlers
Anoa'i family
Living people
National Basketball Association cheerleaders
Professional wrestling dancers
Sportspeople from Sanford, Florida
21st-century African-American sportspeople
21st-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women
21st-century professional wrestlers
WWE SmackDown Women's Champions
WWE Women's Tag Team Champions
FCW Divas Champions