Wrestler of the Week: Naomi
RondaRousey.com’s Wrestler of the Week series profiles significant wrestlers from the past and present.
Naomi might be the WWE wrestler who’s made the most successful transition from the Divas to Women’s Evolution Era. From dancer to valet to women’s champion, let’s look at Naomi’s years-long rise to prominence in the women’s division.
Naomi signed with WWE’s developmental territory FCW in 2009 and was introduced to a larger portion of the WWE fanbase in the third season of NXT. NXT at this time was far from the WWE Network wrestling-focused brand it is today; instead, it was a game show on SyFy (and then WWE.com) for up-and-coming WWE Superstars and Divas that included some wrestling matches. Even from her introductory video, Naomi’s athleticism—honed by her past as a cheerleader and dancer—set her apart from the other women on the show. She didn’t have a lot of in-ring experience
When Naomi was called up to the main roster, it was clear her dancing ability was still considered the best way she could entertain the WWE Universe. She and Cameron, as the Funkadactyls, debuted as valets to “The Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay. They mostly performed alongside Clay and later Tensai (then known as Sweet T) as the four-person team Tons of Funk, but they also had some tag matches on their own, especially against The Bella Twins.
In 2013, Naomi also started becoming known for her personality—though still not shown much on regular WWE programming—by watchers of the WWE E! reality television show Total Divas. Viewers saw her clash with Cameron and got a glimpse at her real-life relationship with Jimmy Uso. In 2014, their marriage was featured on the show and later acknowledged as a part of the onscreen wrestling world as well. Years later, Naomi and Uso would continue to charm audiences when paired together (as “Day One Glow”) in both seasons of the Mixed Match Challenge.
At the beginning of 2014, it looked like Naomi might come into her own as a solo performer in WWE. She competed in several matches against AJ Lee and Paige when they held the Divas Championship but always came up short of the gold. Naomi still managed to set herself apart though, especially after the split of The Funkadactyls. She and Cameron brawled after losing a match, interfered in each other’s singles matches, and after taking some time off to have surgery on a broken orbital bone, Naomi gained the definitive victory in the feud.
After some time spent alongside her husband and brother-in-law during their feuds in the tag team scene, Naomi briefly set out on her own again when she attacked Paige for eliminating her in a battle royal for #1 contender to the Divas Championship. She injured Paige badly enough to take her title shot against Nikki Bella but still couldn’t manage to win the title.
Although it didn’t end up bringing her gold, Naomi’s ensuing alliance with Tamina, and then Sasha Banks when she was called up from NXT, increased her profile as the Women’s Revolution began. The Team B.A.D. (Beautiful and Dangerous) trio worked together from before SummerSlam 2015 until February 2016 and became fan favorites. When Banks decided to split from the group, Naomi and Tamina attacked her, but they couldn’t follow their aggression up with a win in a tag match against “The Boss” and Becky Lynch.
After the 2016 WWE brand split, Naomi finally broke out as a singles wrestler on SmackDown LIVE. Her in-ring skills kept improving and she added the “Feel the Glow” element to her persona and gear, which allowed her to use her skills as an entertainer from years of cheerleading and dance (as well as wrestling) in a way that felt like an unforced, fun expression of who she was as a performer.
Naomi also won her first championship on the WWE main roster, the SmackDown Women’s Championship, from Alexa Bliss at Elimination Chamber. She soon had to relinquish the belt due to injury, but she returned to the ring at WrestleMania 33 in her hometown of Orlando, Florida, to regain it in a sincerely heartwarming WrestleMania moment. Naomi retained the championship against Bliss, then in defenses against Charlotte and Lana, before dropping the belt—which she had by that time customized to glow in the dark—to Natalya at SummerSlam 2017, after a 140-day reign.
Since losing the championship, Naomi has gained accomplishments both on her own and with the support of others. She helped Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair battle The Riott
Though Naomi tends to come in and out of the spotlight in WWE, her always-improving in-ring ability, glowing personality, and popularity with fans suggest she’ll have plenty more accomplishments to come.