Much has been made on how WWE has helped women’s wrestling to a new level in the last several years. In reality, WWE is just building on the success already made by TNA and SHIMMER, among others. The company has been pushing women in wrestling and doing their best to gather some top stars while creating major mainstream success like Becky Lynch. Of course, it’s not perfect, yet it’s still telling how women in WWE seem a lot better than in the “Diva” days.
Related: The 10 Best Women On The Current WWE Roster, Ranked By In-Ring Skills
That’s why it’s fun to think of all the top women in wrestling that fans forget worked for WWE. Many were just brief appearances, from squash matches to short runs that went nowhere yet showing potential. That potential was later reached in either AEW or TNA as WWE amazingly didn’t realize how to use these women right. Here are ten ladies some fans forget worked for WWE yet hit true success elsewhere.
10 Deonna Purrazzo
It’s amazing how Deonna Purrazzo claims WWE thought she “wasn’t ready for television” when she’s in her second reign as TNA Knockouts Champion. Purrazzo helped revive women’s wrestling in ROH before a stint for TNA. She joined WWE in 2014 as a Rosebud before becoming a jobber in NXT and the main roster to Nia Jax and others.
She also had a stint with NXT UK before being part of the massive talent cut in 2020. Purrazzo is proving WWE wrong with her success in TNA as she was ready for TV after all.
9 Ivelisse
Sadly better known for controversies like part of a lawsuit against Lucha Underground and a horrible match with Thunder Rosa in AEW, Ivelisse is a talented worker. She had tried out for Tough Enough in 2011, but a leg injury kept her out. She bounced back to join FCW as Sofia Cortez, which led to a stint in NXT.
Related: 10 Women You Totally Forgot Competed On WWE NXT
Ivelisse claimed her reporting the actions of Bill Demott got her released after a few months. She bounced around from Lucha Underground to TNA to AEW to make WWE just the first stop on a long road for this lady.
8 Rebel
One of the best parts of Britt Baker’s act in AEW is Rebel as her long-suffering assistant, who Baker insists on calling “Reba.” Tanea Brooks was already known to TNA fans for her work with the Menagerie and later showing her stuff in OVW.
In 2019, she popped up on NXT, teaming up with Amber Nova in a losing effort to Kira Sane and Io Shirai. That was her only appearance before jumping to AEW, where her backstage role soon turned into a scene-stealing turn with Baker, which has done more for her profile than a brief WWE run would have.
7 Kris Statlander
After nearly a year off due to injury, Kris Statlaner made a massive return to AEW to feud with Britt Baker. The former stuntwoman was the first graduate of Curt Hawkins’ wrestling school and a few indies. In 2019, Stadtlander appeared on SmackDown, teaming with Karissa Rivera against the Iiconics.
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Just a few months later, she made her debut on AEW to lead to much bigger success. Yet it’s intriguing how Stadtlander is among the current AEW stars WWE let slip through their fingers.
6 Big Swole
Big Swole is a powerhouse wrestler whose strengths are obvious, taking off nicely in AEW with her build and terrific feud with Britt Baker. She had started in 2015 and in 2016 got a few tryout bouts with WWE. She appeared in 2016 as Aerial Monroe, where she lost to Nia Jax in a RAW squash match.
Swole also competed in the Mae Young Classic, losing in the first round to Zeuxis. Swole has done far better in AEW to show how WWE might have missed a good competitor to add to the ranks.
5 Tessa Blanchard
Tessa Blanchard has gained a lot of controversy over some past comments and her departing TNA in 2020. That’s sadly burned bridges, so both WWE and AEW are reluctant to sign her on. In reality, Blanchard did have a stint with WWE in May of 2016, losing to Alexa Bliss on RAW. She later faced Nia Jax and Carmella, both losing efforts.
Related: 10 Times TNA Had A Better World Champion Than WWE
Blanchard also competed in the Mae Young Classic, losing to eventual winner Kari Sane. While Blanchard’s talent was clear, her various issues may have meant WWE avoided problems hiring her full-time.
4 The Beautiful People
For several years, Angelina Love and Velvet Sky were two of TNA’s top Knockouts. They held the tag titles, and each has had multiple runs as Knockouts champion. For all that, it’s ignored that each woman worked for WWE at some point. Love was showing potential in the mid-2000s with Dee South Wrestling but the branch shut down before she could go further.
Meanwhile, Sky mainly was an extra or a plant for a dance routine amid a couple of SmackDown matches. Sky is now with the NWA while Love is working for ROH yet still has a fun connection.
3 Taryn Terrell
Currently working for the NWA, Taryn Terrell is best known for her excellent work in TNA. She was one of the longest-reigning Knockouts champions and known for her great drive in the ring. But even TNA fans may forget Terrell began her career with WWE as Tiffany in 2007.
Related: 7 Former TNA Knockouts Who Found Success Away From The Ring
She started out with FCW then moved to the new ECW brand. That even included her becoming its general manager for a time. She was tried out on SmackDown and competed in the battle royal at Wrestlemania XXV before being released in 2010. Terrell did far better in TNA to leave her brief WWE stint behind her.
2 Britt Baker
Right now, Britt Baker is arguably the hottest woman in wrestling. The AEW Women’s champion has taken off wonderfully as an arrogant heel, and fans adore her work in the ring. So it’s easy to forget that Baker had her first big break on RAW in 2016.
It was a squash match against Nia Jax, with Baker not even getting a proper ring introduction. WWE got heat by showing the video of the match after Baker won the AEW title, as if mocking the new champion, but given her huge success, the doctor has easily gotten the last laugh.
1 Killer Kelly
Recently on TNA Impact, Killer Kelly started out in Portugal before bouncing around the indies, including Pro Wrestling: EVE and Westside XTreme Wrestling. In 2018, Kelly debuted at the United Kingdoms Championship tournament that was the precursor to NXT UK. She also competed in the Mae Young Classic, losing to Meiko Satomura.
Kelly made one appearance on NXT UK where she lost to Dakota Kai but was mostly unused before being released by WWE in 2020. Right now, Kelly is better known for her Twitch video game channel than a regular job but might get back into the mix soon.
