Bianca Belair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bianca Belair |
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Belair in 2025
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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 Nicole Crawford (born April 9, 1989), known as Bianca Belair, is an American professional wrestler. She is also a fitness and figure competitor. Since 2016, she has been with WWE, performing on the SmackDown brand.
Belair is famous for being one of only two women to win a main event at WrestleMania. Her time as Raw Women's Champion lasted 420 days, which is the longest in that championship's history.
She started her wrestling journey in 2016 with WWE's training brand, NXT. After moving to SmackDown, she won the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble match. This made her the second African American, after The Rock, to win a Royal Rumble. At WrestleMania 37, she won the SmackDown Women's Championship against Sasha Banks. This was a historic moment, as 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 2023, Belair 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.
Contents
Early Life and Sports
Bianca Nicole Blair was born on April 9, 1989, in Knoxville, Tennessee. She went to Austin-East Magnet High School where she was great at many sports, especially track and field. She was a hurdler and competed for three different universities. She attended the University of South Carolina and Texas A&M University. Later, she returned to the University of Tennessee. There, she earned All-SEC and All-American honors. She was also named to the SEC's academic honor roll in 2011 and 2012.
Before wrestling, Blair was also a CrossFit competitor and powerlifter. She appeared in magazines like RX and Femme Rouge. She had to stop her CrossFit career because of an injury called intercostal chondritis, also known as shifting rib syndrome. She believed this was due to training too much.
Professional Wrestling Journey
Joining WWE
NXT (2016–2020)
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After her CrossFit career ended, Bianca Blair decided to try out for WWE. She put her information into their database. Less than two weeks later, she received a message from Mark Henry, a WWE legend. He had seen her profile from CrossFit and offered her a tryout.
Blair signed with WWE on April 12, 2016. She then trained at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. She first appeared at an NXT live show on June 25, calling herself "Binky Blair." She said she was the "EST of NXT," meaning the "prettiest, baddest, strongest." Her first match was on September 29, where she lost to Aliyah. On May 3, 2017, she made her TV debut as Bianca Belair on NXT. She took part in a battle royal but was eliminated.
Belair also competed in the Mae Young Classic tournament. She won her first match but was eliminated in the second round by Kairi Sane.
In January 2018, Belair started an amazing winning streak. She defeated many opponents, including Lacey Evans and Candice LeRae. On April 8, Belair made her WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania 34. She was in the WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal but was eliminated by Becky Lynch.
Her undefeated streak ended on January 26, 2019, at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix. She lost to Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women's Championship. Her streak had lasted 367 days. At TakeOver: New York, she tried again for the title but lost in a four-way match. On May 29, she had her first pinfall loss in NXT to Mia Yim.
Belair was part of the first-ever women's WarGames match at WarGames. Her team lost to Team Ripley. 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, at Royal Rumble, Belair entered the women's Royal Rumble match at number 2. She eliminated a record 8 other wrestlers before being eliminated by Charlotte Flair. She lasted over 33 minutes. At TakeOver: Portland, Belair challenged Rhea Ripley for the NXT Women's Championship but lost. Her final match in NXT was on February 19, where she lost to Charlotte Flair.
SmackDown Women's Champion (2020–2021)
At WrestleMania 36, Belair joined the main roster. She helped The Street Profits (her husband Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins). This made her a member of the Raw roster. In the 2020 Draft, Belair moved to the SmackDown brand. On October 30, she won a match to qualify for Team SmackDown at Survivor Series. However, she was eliminated, and her team lost.
In January 2021, at Royal Rumble, Belair won the Royal Rumble match. She eliminated Rhea Ripley last. This made her the second Black superstar to win the Royal Rumble, after The Rock. She was in the match for over 56 minutes, which was a record for the Women's Royal Rumble at the time.
At Elimination Chamber, she and SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks tried to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship but failed. On the next episode of SmackDown, Belair officially challenged Banks for the title at WrestleMania 37. They also failed to win the tag team titles at Fastlane.
At the first night of WrestleMania, Belair defeated Banks in the main event. This was her first championship win in WWE. She then kept her title against Bayley at WrestleMania Backlash and Hell in a Cell. She was supposed to defend her title against Bayley in an "I Quit" match at Money in the Bank. However, the match was canceled because Bayley got injured.
At SummerSlam, Belair was set to defend her title against Sasha Banks. But Banks couldn't compete. Becky Lynch returned and challenged Belair for the title. Belair accepted and lost the title in just 26 seconds. She said this loss was one of the lowest points in her career. At Extreme Rules, Belair defeated Lynch by disqualification due to interference from Sasha Banks. She did not win the title back. In the 2021 Draft, Belair moved to the Raw brand. At Crown Jewel, Belair failed to regain the title in a three-way match. On November 1, she was unable to win the Raw Women's Championship from Lynch. At Survivor Series, Belair made history by winning the traditional five-on-five elimination match, overcoming a four-on-one disadvantage.
Raw Women's Champion (2022–2023)
In January 2022, at Royal Rumble, Belair lasted 47 minutes before being eliminated by Charlotte Flair. At Elimination Chamber, Belair won the Elimination Chamber match. This made her the top contender for the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania 38. Her rivalry with Becky Lynch grew stronger. On March 28, Lynch tried to cut Belair's hair. But Belair attacked Lynch and cut off her hair instead. At WrestleMania 38, Belair defeated Lynch to win the Raw Women's Championship.
Belair kept her title against WWE official Sonya Deville on April 25. She also defended it against Asuka and Lynch at Hell in a Cell. She retained against Carmella at Money in the Bank. On July 11, Belair lost a rematch by countout due to Lynch's interference, but she kept the title. She then defeated Carmella in another rematch.
At SummerSlam, Belair kept her title against Lynch. After the match, they hugged, ending their rivalry. However, they were confronted by Bayley and her new allies, Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky. This started a new rivalry. On August 8, they challenged Belair, Alexa Bliss, and Asuka to a six-woman tag team match at Clash at the Castle. Belair's team lost to Damage CTRL. At Extreme Rules, Belair kept the Raw Women's Championship against Bayley in a ladder match. On October 19, Belair reached 200 days as champion. This made her the longest-reigning African American world champion in WWE history. At Crown Jewel, Belair kept the title against Bayley in a Last Woman Standing match.
Three weeks later at Survivor Series: WarGames, Belair's team won a WarGames match. On January 2, 2023, Belair kept the title against Bliss by disqualification. A rematch was scheduled for the Royal Rumble, where Belair again kept the title. At Night 2 of WrestleMania 39, Belair kept the title against Asuka.
As part of the 2023 WWE Draft, Belair moved to the SmackDown brand with the Raw Women's Championship. At Backlash, Belair kept the title against Iyo Sky. This win made Belair the longest-reigning Raw Women's Champion, passing Becky Lynch's 398-day reign. It was the longest reign for any WWE women's championship since 2006. At Night of Champions, Belair lost the championship to Asuka. This ended her first reign at a record-setting 420 days.
At SummerSlam, Belair won the title back by defeating Asuka and Charlotte Flair in a three-way match. This was her second WWE Women's Championship. However, she lost the title to Iyo Sky shortly after, ending her second reign in just 1 minute and 35 seconds. This is the shortest reign for that title. After a two-month break, Belair challenged Sky for the title at Crown Jewel but lost due to interference. Three weeks later at Survivor Series WarGames, Belair's team won another WarGames match.
Triple Crown Champion (2024–Present)
In January 2024 at Royal Rumble, Belair entered the Royal Rumble match at number 10. She eliminated Jordynne Grace but was then eliminated by Bayley. She also took part in the women's Elimination Chamber match at the titular event, but was eliminated by Liv Morgan. At WrestleMania XL, Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi defeated Damage CTRL.
In May 2024 at Backlash, Belair and Cargill defeated The Kabuki Warriors to win the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. With this win, Belair became the ninth WWE Women's Triple Crown Champion. Belair then competed in the 2024 Queen of the Ring tournament. She won her first two matches but lost to Nia Jax in the semifinals. At King and Queen of the Ring, Belair and Cargill kept their titles. At Clash at the Castle, Cargill and Belair lost the titles to The Unholy Union. However, they won the titles back at Bash in Berlin. They then kept them at Crown Jewel.
At Survivor Series WarGames, Belair was part of Team Rhea Ripley, which won a WarGames match. After Cargill got injured, Naomi became Belair's new tag team partner. On February 24, 2025, Belair and Naomi lost the titles to The Judgment Day after interference. This ended Belair's individual reign at 177 days. Five days later at Elimination Chamber, Belair won the Elimination Chamber match. This made her the first woman to win this match more than once. She earned a Women's World Championship match at WrestleMania 41. At Night 2 of WrestleMania, Belair faced Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley in a three-way match for the Women's World Championship. She lost the match, ending her undefeated WrestleMania streak. This match was highly praised by wrestling critics. On April 25, 2025, she announced she had broken fingers and would take time off to heal. At Evolution, Belair returned as a guest referee.
Wrestling Style
Belair is known for her powerful wrestling style and great strength. 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 Kiss of Death (K.O.D.). It involves lifting her opponent onto her shoulders and then slamming them face-first. Belair is also famous for her long ponytail, which she sometimes uses as a weapon against opponents. She is also known for making her own wrestling outfits with a sewing machine.
Other Appearances
Belair first appeared in a video game in WWE 2K19. She has also been in WWE 2K20, WWE 2K22, WWE 2K23, WWE 2K24, Fall Guys, and Fortnite. Belair 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 January 2020, WWE.com announced Belair's first action figure.
In December 2022, Blair competed in a fitness and figure competition. She won first place in the Wellness class and second place in the Fitness class.
On November 2, 2023, a reality show called Love & WWE: Bianca & Montez was confirmed. It started airing on February 2, 2024, and follows the lives of Belair and her husband Montez Ford.
Family Life
Bianca Blair's father was in a band, and her brother played football. Her grandfather was a professor at Meharry Medical College. 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, Blair announced her engagement to fellow wrestler Kenneth Crawford, known as Montez Ford. They got married on June 23, 2018. Blair has shared that she faced challenges with her mental health in the past. She credits a track coach from Texas A&M University with helping her focus on her well-being and recovery.
Championships and Awards
Fitness and Figure Competition
- World Beauty Fitness & Fashion
- 1st place (Wellness Class; 2022)
- 2nd place (Fitness Class; 2022)
Professional Wrestling
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- ESPN
- Best WWE Moment ESPY Award (2021) – Belair 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) – with Jade Cargill (2), and Naomi (1)
- Women's Royal Rumble (2021)
- Ninth Women's Triple Crown Champion
- Slammy Award
- Tag Team of the Year (2025) – with Jade Cargill
- 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
