Carmella (wrestler)

For the former WWE Diva Search contestant and Playboy model, see Carmella DeCesare.
Carmella

Carmella in March 2015
Birth name Leah Van Dale
Born October 23, 1989[1]
Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Resides Tampa, Florida, United States
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Carmella
Leah Van Dale
Billed height 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Billed weight 110 lb (50 kg)
Billed from Staten Island, New York[2]
Trained by Sara Amato
Paul Van Dale
WWE Performance Center
Debut September 2013

Leah Van Dale (born October 23, 1989) is an American professional wrestler, model, and fitness trainer. She is signed to WWE, where she wrestles in its developmental territory NXT under the ring name Carmella.

Early life

Van Dale grew up in a small town outside of Worcester, Massachusetts. She attended the University of Rhode Island and later transferred to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in marketing. After graduating, she became a cheerleader for the New England Patriots for three terms, ending in 2010.[3] She successfully auditioned for the Los Angeles Lakers dance team, appearing as a Los Angeles Laker Girl from 2010 to 2011.[3]

WWE (2013–present)

In June 2013, Van Dale signed a contract with WWE.[3] She was sent to the company's developmental program NXT Wrestling in late September.[3] On December 16, 2013, she announced that her new ring name was Carmella. She made her debut on the September 4, 2014, episode of NXT, portraying a hairdresser in a segment with Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady.[4] Two weeks later on NXT, Carmella appeared in another segment with Amore and Cassady at the WWE Performance Center, announcing that she had lost her job as a hairdresser due to Amore and Cassady's actions, and asked for a job at NXT.[5] She made her in-ring debut on the October 16 episode of NXT, fighting local wrestler "Blue Pants".[6][7] Carmella defeated Blue Pants on two occasions, but lost to her on the January 1, 2015, episode of NXT after Amore accidentally caused a distraction.[8]

Other media

Van Dale has been featured in several publications, including Esquire, Maxim, and Muscle and Fitness.

Personal life

Van Dale is a certified fitness instructor and personal trainer. She is the daughter of Paul Van Dale, a former professional wrestler who worked as a jobber for WWE in the 1990s and also wrestled independently.[3] Van Dale's favorite wrestling personalities whilst growing up were Miss Elizabeth and Trish Stratus.[9]

In wrestling

References

  1. ↑ "Carmella". Online World of Wrestling.
  2. ↑ Van Dale, Leah. "Carmella – @CarmellaWWE: Hairstylist – Gorgeous hair is the best revenge Princess of Staten Island Instagram: @CarmellaWWE". Twitter. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Johnson, Mike. "New WWE Signing". PWInsider. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
  4. ↑ Namako, Jason. "WWE NXT Results – 9/4/14 (Tag Tournament Finals)". WrestleView. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  5. ↑ Namako, Jason. "WWE NXT Results – 9/18/14 (Hideo Itami in-ring debut)". WrestleView. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  6. ↑ Parry, Josh. "WWE News: NXT spoilers for Oct. & November – Full Results from Thursday's TV taping at Full Sail University". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Trionfo, Richard. "WWE NXT report: one move to win a match; a Diva debuts; Zayn versus Kidd; and an update on Mojo Rawley". PWInsider. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  8. ↑ James, Justin (January 4, 2015). "James's WWE NXT report 1/1 - Week 133: Itami & Balor vs. The Ascension, NXT tag champs, Charlotte promo; Overall Reax". Pro Wrestling Torch.
  9. ↑ Saxton, Byron (January 22, 2015). "10-Count: Carmella". WWE. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  10. ↑ Howell, Nolan (November 27, 2014). "NXT: Kidd and Balor battle and brawl". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  11. ↑ Van Dale, Leah. "Princess of Staten Island". Twitter. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  12. ↑ "WWE NXT results: Rhyno returns after 10-year absence at Full Sail University". Sky Sports. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  13. ↑ "iTunes – Music – WWE NXT: Fabulous (Carmella) – Single by CFO$". iTunes. October 16, 2014.

External links