For as long as most wrestling fans can remember, WWE has recruited most of their female talent from outside of the professional wrestling business. While some talents like Asuka and Bayley have prior experience from the independent circuit, the vast majority of the roster has had no experience inside of the ring before signing their WWE contract.
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While being trained entirely by the WWE Performance Centre is not a bad thing, not every single woman who trains with WWE is going to achieve success. Thankfully, the cream always rises to the top and those that are meant to succeed as a wrestler prevail, while those that struggle are not as fortunate.
10 Succeeded - Charlotte Flair
Despite being the daughter of one of the wrestlers considered to be the greatest of all time, Charlotte Flair was not pegged to be a professional wrestler from birth. In fact, she has stated that she only started a career out of respect for her late brother, Reid.
Only starting her career in 2012, Charlotte quickly rose through the ranks in both NXT and WWE to the point where she has become one of the most decorated women in wrestling history. Due to her natural athleticism and exposure to wrestling over her lifetime, there was little doubt that Charlotte's career would be a success.
9 Failed - Lacey Von Erich
While Lacey may have the Von Erich name, she has not been able to achieve the same level of success as her family members. Many of the Von Erich family members achieved incredible success on a regional and national scale, but Lacey struggled throughout her career.
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With minimal success as a member of The Beautiful People in Impact Wrestling, Lacey was known more for her looks than her wrestling ability. Following only a few short years as an active performer, Lacey left the business to little fanfare.
8 Succeeded - Trish Stratus
As one of the most infamous fitness model to wrestler transition stories, Trish Stratus is the mould for what many female wrestlers have strived to achieve. At a time when women's wrestling was not given the time of day, Trish helped shatter expectations and became one of the most popular wrestlers of her generation.
Joining WWE in 1999 with no wrestling experience, she spent her career growing as a performer and eventually got to the top of her game as one of the most decorated WWE Women's Champions in history. Without Trish's success story, there would be no blueprint for other women to follow in the future.
7 Failed - Dana Brooke
Apart from her appearances in the 24/7 Championship saga, it would be easy to forget Dana Brooke's long WWE career since she struggled to make much of note. Despite her consistent attempts at improving inside the ring, she still has a long way to go in impressing fans.
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After being called up from NXT very quickly in 2016, Dana has struggled to find her footing and maintain consistency on the main roster. With little charisma and only muscles to show off inside the ring, fans have not turned up for her and she continues to disappoint.
6 Succeeded - Maryse
Fans of current WWE programming know Maryse as an extension of her husband, The Miz. However, long-time fans know that she also had a very successful in-ring career, despite not having any previous experience before joining the Diva Search in 2006.
While WWE's split women's divisions were still growing, Maryse helped establish the Diva's Championship division on Smackdown. With her charisma and commitment to her character, she became very popular and enjoyed a solid career before initially leaving the company in 2011.
5 Failed - Rosa Mendes
When fans learn that Rosa Mendes was employed by WWE for eleven years, it always comes as a surprise. Initially joining WWE during the 2006 Diva Search, Mendes had never shown interest in becoming a professional wrestler before, but she was signed to a developmental deal during the contest.
In all of those years with the company, Mendes only had a handful of televised matches with the company, and never seemed to improve. Due to this, she was kept in the background for most of her career, which is why it is surprising to most that she was able to escape being released for so long.
4 Succeeded - Mandy Rose
When WWE revived their Tough Enough reality show in 2015, there were few bright spots in the cast. However, Mandy Rose stuck out immediately as someone that could succeed in WWE, even though she had no prior wrestling experience, and those initial thoughts were proved correct.
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After struggling through her rookie year in NXT, Rose started to blossom into a solid performer the more she competed inside the ring. During her final year with WWE, she became one of the most decorated NXT Women's Champions in history and seemed poised for a great career before she was released in 2022.
3 Failed - JoJo
Total Divas was never meant to be a reality show about people without wrestling experience trying to make it in WWE as a wrestler. If it had stuck with the concept of just being about following the lives of women in wrestling, things would have been great. However, things went sideways when one of their cast members was pushed inside of the ring.
JoJo Offerman was a part of the first season of Total Divas despite not having any affiliation with the wrestling business before. However, someone thought it was a good idea for her to get in the ring, which only proved just how wrong she was for the business. Thankfully, her in-ring career only lasted three televised matches.
2 Succeeded - Maria Kanellis
As a member of the 2004 Diva Search, many fans wrote Maria Kanellis off from becoming a success in wrestling due to her not having any experience before the competition. However, she has proven time and time again that she belongs in the business, and has achieved success in many different promotions.
While her success may not be as a champion, she has become a great mouthpiece and manager for several wrestlers, particularly through her work in Ring of Honor. Managing her husband Mike Kanellis to several championships, Maria has proven that she should not have been judged that way.
1 Failed - Aksana
Aksana had the kind of wrestling career that was so easy to miss that there are very few fans who would remember her by name. In fact, it is incredibly hard to pinpoint any matches she was involved in that were noteworthy for being good.
With a background in competitive bodybuilding, Aksana joined WWE developmental in 2009, and struggled through any time she was placed on television. With such little experience and no charisma, fans cared very little for her until she departed the company in 2014.
