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On the September 26th episode of WWE Raw, Triple H gave us all another shocking return from his NXT past, when Candice LeRae came out as a surprise opponent for Nikki A.S.H. It was the first time WWE fans got to see LeRae in a wrestling ring since last year, before she departed after becoming pregnant. In that past year LeRae and husband Johnny Gargano became parents to a boy named Quill.
Both Gargano and LeRae had let their WWE contracts run out. With Gargano recently returning to WWE Raw as well, it seemed only a matter of time before LeRae joined him. The pair were a major part of the black and gold era of NXT. While Gargano may have been one of its biggest stars, Candice LeRae, though dependable and talented, always hovered in the midcard. Now that she’s on Raw, maybe now she’ll get the respect she deserves.
Candice LeRae’s Early NXT Success
You might be shocked to hear it, but Candice LeRae has been wrestling for twenty years. She rose to prominence in Pro Wrestling Guerilla, where you might be shocked again to know that she became known as an expert intergender wrestler. Adam Cole, Tommaso Ciampa, John Morrison, Roderick Strong, and even her husband, Johnny Gargano, faced LeRae in the ring. While other women wrestlers like Tessa Blanchard and Jordynne Grace are known for intergender matches, they are women of a bigger size. At only 5’2” and 110 pounds, it makes LeRae’s ability to keep up with the men very impressive.
It would have been great to see this crossover into LeRae’s NXT career. That didn’t happen, but LeRae still enjoyed success in NXT, though never at the top of the women’s card. In a division with Asuka, Shayna Baszler, and Kairi Sane, it was hard to break through. Still, she was a valuable member of the midcard, battling the likes of Zelina Vega, Bianca Belair, and Nikki Cross.
RELATED: Candice LeRae to Challenge for NXT Women's Championship at TakeOver
Candice LeRae Was Fantastic In The Way
Whereas Johnny Gargano was collecting gold in NXT, Candice LeRae never won the NXT Women’s Championship. It was during the last months of her NXT career where Candice found her biggest success and most entertaining storylines. In 2020, Candice LeRae became part of a faction with Gargano, Indi Hartwell, and Austin Theory. Known as The Way, the group were heels, but they were more funny and entertaining than evil.
LeRae, with her smile and girl next door looks, might look like the perfect babyface, but more than once she has played a heel. She was great in The Way, though she often felt like the least important member, with Gargano as the leader, Austin Theory as the one with all the promise, and Indi Hartwell’s eventual brilliant long term romantic storyline with Dexter Lumis. Still, LeRae and Hartwell would go on to become the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions, which would be Candice’s only championship under the WWE banner.
RELATED: Indi Hartwell Says Candice LeRae Makes The Wrestling World A Better Place
WWE Has A Plethora Of Stars For Candice LeRae To Face
When Candice LeRae left NXT and WWE as the Black and Gold era was ending for the rebranded NXT 2.0, fans wondered if her time in wrestling was over. She was in her mid 30s and a new mom, and while everyone had an opinion on whether her husband would return to WWE or go to AEW, LeRae didn’t get the same attention.
Fortunately, Triple H is now in control of WWE’s creative direction. While LeRae was never a champion in Triple H’s NXT, he saw her potential and kept her very active on the show for the years that she was there. LeRae succeeds best by being able to turn whatever she’s given into gold. Want her to be a smiley babyface, she can do it. Want her to be a mean heel, she can scare the hell out of you. Want her to work in a tag team and help someone else shine, she can do that too.
RELATED: Candice LeRae Makes Her WWE Return And Debuts On Raw
Now that Candice LeRae is on Raw, she has the chance to shine again herself for an audience who may not know a lot about her. Her debut was very promising. While Raw is jam packed with female talent right now, LeRae won’t have to start on the ground floor. She’s worked with most of them on NXT. On the main roster all of those old feuds will feel fresh again.
It would be so fun to see her get a chance to do intergender matches again, but it’s unlikely to happen. Imagine her against Austin Theory though. How fun would that be? Still, it’s time for Candice LeRae to get the attention and respect she deserves. She’s a veteran who has gone up against the best women and men in the business. She has the look and the talent to be a success. It’s up to her and Triple H’s vision to see how far she can go.
