Bianca Belair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bianca Belair |
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Belair in 2023
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| Birth name | Bianca Nicole Blair |
| Born | April 9, 1989 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) |
Montez Ford
(m. 2018) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Bianca Belair Bianca Blair Binky Blair |
| Billed height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Billed from | Knoxville, Tennessee |
| Trained by | Sara Del Rey WWE Performance Center |
| Debut | September 29, 2016 |
| Signature | |
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Bianca Belair is a famous American professional wrestler. Her real name is Bianca Nicole Blair Crawford. She was born on April 9, 1989. Bianca is known for her amazing strength and athleticism.
Since 2016, she has been a big star in WWE. She performs on the SmackDown brand. Bianca Belair is currently one-half of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions with Naomi. She is one of only two women to win a main event match at WrestleMania. Her time as Raw Women's Champion lasted 420 days, which is the longest in that championship's history!
Bianca started her wrestling journey in WWE's training brand, NXT, in 2016. She quickly became a top contender. Later, she moved to SmackDown. In 2021, she won the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble match. This made her the second African American to win a Royal Rumble, after The Rock. She then won the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 37. This was a historic moment because it was the first time two African American wrestlers main-evented WWE's biggest show. In 2021, Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked her as the number one female wrestler in the world.
In 2023, Bianca became the longest-reigning Raw Women's Champion. Her 420-day reign was the longest for any WWE women's championship since 2006. WWE calls her the longest-reigning women's champion of the modern era. She also holds records for the longest reign by an African American world champion (male or female) and for any singles championship. In May 2024, she won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Jade Cargill. This made her the ninth WWE Women's Triple Crown Champion.
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Early Life and Sports
Bianca Nicole Blair was born in Knoxville, Tennessee. She went to Austin-East Magnet High School. There, she was a fantastic athlete in many sports. Bianca was especially good at track and field, focusing on hurdles.
She competed in track at three different universities. She became an All-SEC and All-American athlete. She was also named to the SEC's academic honor roll. Besides track, Bianca was a CrossFit competitor and powerlifter. She even appeared in sports magazines. Bianca had to stop her CrossFit career because of a rib injury.
Professional Wrestling Career
WWE
NXT (2016–2020)
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After her CrossFit career ended, Bianca decided to try out for WWE. She sent her information to WWE's database. Soon after, a WWE legend named Mark Henry contacted her. He had seen her profile from CrossFit. He helped her get a tryout.
Bianca signed with WWE on April 12, 2016. She started training at the WWE Performance Center. Her first appearance was in June 2016. She called herself "Binky Blair" and said she was the "EST of NXT." This meant she was the "prettiest, baddest, strongest." She made her first match debut in September 2016.
On May 3, 2017, Bianca made her TV debut as Bianca Belair on NXT. She took part in a big match to decide who would challenge for the NXT Women's Championship. She also competed in the Mae Young Classic tournament.
In January 2018, Bianca started an amazing winning streak. She beat many opponents. On April 8, she made her WrestleMania debut. She was in the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34. Her undefeated streak lasted 367 days! It ended in January 2019 when she lost to Shayna Baszler. This was at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. She tried again for the NXT Women's Championship at TakeOver: New York but didn't win.
In November 2019, Bianca was part of the first-ever women's WarGames match. Her team lost, but it was a big moment. The next night, she competed at Survivor Series. She was part of Team NXT, which won against Team Raw and Team SmackDown. In January 2020, Bianca entered her first Royal Rumble match. She eliminated 8 other wrestlers, which was a record at the time. She lasted over 33 minutes! Her final match in NXT was in February 2020.
SmackDown Women's Champion (2020–2021)
At WrestleMania 36, Bianca joined the main WWE roster. She helped The Street Profits (her husband Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins). She became a member of the Raw roster. Later, she moved to the SmackDown brand.
In January 2021, Bianca won the Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble. She was the last person left after eliminating Rhea Ripley. She was in the match for over 56 minutes, which was a record for the Women's Royal Rumble at the time. This win meant she could challenge for a championship at WrestleMania.
Bianca chose to challenge Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women's Championship. At WrestleMania 37, Bianca defeated Sasha Banks in the main event. This was her first championship in WWE! She successfully defended her title against Bayley and other challengers.
At SummerSlam, Bianca was supposed to defend her title against Sasha Banks. But Sasha couldn't compete. Instead, Becky Lynch returned and challenged Bianca. Bianca accepted and lost the title in just 26 seconds. This was a very tough moment for her. Later, Bianca moved to the Raw brand. She tried to win the Raw Women's Championship but couldn't. At Survivor Series, Bianca made history again. She was the first person to win a five-on-five elimination match when it was four against one.
Raw Women's Champion (2022–2023)
In January 2022, Bianca competed in the Royal Rumble again. She lasted 47 minutes before being eliminated. At Elimination Chamber, Bianca won the Elimination Chamber match. This made her the number one contender for the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 38. She would face Becky Lynch again.
Their rivalry grew intense. At WrestleMania 38, Bianca defeated Becky Lynch to win the Raw Women's Championship! She defended her title many times against top stars like Sonya Deville, Asuka, and Carmella. At SummerSlam, Bianca successfully defended her title against Becky Lynch again. After the match, they hugged, ending their rivalry.
Bianca then started a new rivalry with Bayley and her group, Damage CTRL. At Extreme Rules, Bianca kept her Raw Women's Championship against Bayley in a tough ladder match. On October 19, Bianca reached 200 days as champion. This made her the longest-reigning African American world champion in WWE history. She continued to defend her title. At WrestleMania 39, Bianca defeated Asuka to keep her championship.
As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, Bianca moved to the SmackDown brand. She took the Raw Women's Championship with her. At Backlash, she defended her title against Iyo Sky. This win made Bianca the longest-reigning Raw Women's Champion ever. Her reign lasted an incredible 420 days! At Night of Champions, Bianca lost the championship to Asuka.
At SummerSlam, Bianca won the WWE Women's Championship again. She defeated Asuka and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match. However, she lost the title very quickly to Iyo Sky, who cashed in her Money in the Bank contract. This was the shortest reign in the title's history. After a short break, Bianca challenged Iyo Sky again but didn't win.
Triple Crown Champion (2024–present)
In January 2024, Bianca competed in the Royal Rumble match. She eliminated TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace. At WrestleMania XL, Bianca teamed up with Jade Cargill and Naomi. They defeated Damage CTRL.
In May 2024, at Backlash France, Bianca and Jade Cargill won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. They defeated The Kabuki Warriors. With this win, Bianca became the ninth WWE Women's Triple Crown Champion. This means she has won three different major women's championships in WWE. Bianca and Jade Cargill defended their titles at King and Queen of the Ring. At Clash at the Castle, they lost the titles but quickly regained them at Bash in Berlin. They also kept their titles at Crown Jewel. At Survivor Series WarGames, Bianca was part of Team Rhea Ripley, which won a WarGames match.
Wrestling Style and Persona
Bianca Belair is known for her powerful wrestling style. She is very strong and athletic. Her nickname is "The EST of WWE." She says this means she is the "fastest, the strongest, the quickest, the roughest, and the toughest."
Her finishing move is called the K.O.D., which stands for "Kiss of Death." It's a move where she lifts her opponent onto her shoulders and then slams them face-first. Bianca is also famous for her long ponytail. She sometimes uses it as a weapon against her opponents! A cool fact about Bianca is that she often makes her own wrestling outfits using a sewing machine.
Other Media Appearances
Bianca Belair has appeared in many video games. She is a playable character in WWE 2K19, WWE 2K20, WWE 2K22, WWE 2K23, and WWE 2K24. She is also in Fall Guys and Fortnite. Bianca is on the cover of the WWE 2K24 Deluxe Edition with Rhea Ripley. They are the first female WWE wrestlers to have their own WWE 2K cover.
In 2020, Mattel released Bianca Belair's first action figure. In 2022, Bianca also started competing in fitness and figure competitions. She won first place in one category and second place in another. In November 2023, it was announced that a reality show called Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez would air in 2024. It follows the lives of Bianca and her husband, Montez Ford.
Filmography
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2024–present | Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez | Herself | Main cast |
| 2024 | Celebrity Family Feud | Herself | Episode: "Men of WWE vs. Women of WWE" |
| 2024 | Bel-Air | Herself | Episode: "Gimmie a Break" |
Personal Life
Bianca's family has a history of talented people. Her father was in a band, and her brother played football. Her grandfather was a professor, and her great-grandfather was the first licensed African American electrician in Durham, North Carolina. Her aunt was one of the first African Americans to attend St. Cecilia High School in Nashville, Tennessee.
On June 9, 2017, Bianca announced her engagement to fellow professional wrestler Kenneth Crawford, known as Montez Ford. They got married on June 23, 2018. Bianca is a stepmother to Montez's two children. Bianca has also shared that she worked through challenges with her mental health. She credits a past track coach with helping her focus on her well-being and recovery.
Championships and Accomplishments
Fitness and Figure Competition
- World Beauty Fitness & Fashion
- 1st place (Wellness Class; 2022)
- 2nd place (Fitness Class; 2022)
Professional Wrestling
- ESPN
- Best WWE Moment ESPY Award (2021) – Bianca and Sasha Banks made history as the first Black women to main event WrestleMania
- Female Wrestler of the Year (2022)
- New York Post
- Female Wrestler of the Year (2022)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Woman of the Year (2022)
- Ranked No. 1 of the top 150 female wrestlers in the PWI Women's 150 in 2021
- Ranked No. 1 of the top 100 tag teams in the PWI Tag Team 100 in 2024 – with Jade Cargill
- Tag Team of the Year in 2024 – with Jade Cargill
- Slam Wrestling Awards
- Best WWE Female (2022)
- Sports Illustrated
- Ranked No. 9 in the top 10 women's wrestlers in 2018
- Ranked No. 3 in the top 10 wrestlers in 2021 and 2022
- WWE
- WWE Women's Championship (2 times)
- WWE SmackDown Women's Championship (1 time)
- WWE Women's Tag Team Championship (2 times, current) – with Jade Cargill (2), and Naomi (1)
- Women's Royal Rumble (2021)
- Ninth Women's Triple Crown Champion
- Bumpy Award (1 time)
- Best Match of the Half-Year (2021) – vs. Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37
Track and Field
- All-American (NCAA Division I) (2011, 2012)
- All-SEC (2011, 2012)
- SEC academic honor roll (2011, 2012)
See also
In Spanish: Bianca Belair para niños
