Pro Wrestlers With A Background In Dance

Every wrestler has a backstory, and in the modern age of professional wrestling, it is becoming increasingly common to see athletes enter the industry after full-blown careers in other fields. Professional football has long been a popular gateway for those looking to break into the business, but it is far from the only sport to provide a good base for aspiring wrestlers. The world of dance can match wrestling from a physicality standpoint, as it is one of the most physically demanding art forms on the planet.

"Dancer" gimmicks have long been a part of wrestling, particularly in WWE. Independent wrestler Dirty Dango, who portrayed the "Fandango" character in WWE recently told the "Cafe de Rene Podcast" he took up dance in several different forms in order to better acquaint himself with the character. However, many others have come from a career in dance and found other ways to implement their experience into their characters. Some have evolved their characters to the point their dance roots are hardly noticeable. Either way, with WWE executives Paul "Triple H" Levesque and Nick Khan prioritizing the recruitment of legitimate athletes over independent wrestlers, wrestling fans can expect to see more dance-trained characters on their television screens in the not-so-distant future.

Here are 12 wrestlers who brought a dance background with them to pro wrestling.

Eve Torres came to the WWE through the now-defunct "Diva Search," a global competition that channeled elements of competition television series such as "American Idol" and "America's Next Top Model" in order to find the next WWE Diva. Like many who competed in each of the three "Diva Search" competitions, Torres had an extensive background in dance. While attending the University of Southern California, Torres co-captained the USC Fly Girls dance squad, handling most of the group's choreography. She parlayed her dance background into a job with The Southern California Summer Pro League, an NBA affiliate, which led to her landing a spot on the Los Angeles Clippers Spirit Dance Team ahead of the 2006–07 season.

Torres coupled her job as a dancer with a modeling career and soon found her way onto the WWE's radar prior to the 2007 "Diva Search." She would be chosen as one of eight finalists from a group of 50 women and went on to win the competition, the last of its kind. Unlike previous "Diva Search" winners, Torres had the benefit of spending time in the company's developmental system before making her in-ring debut. Her athletic background likely lessened her learning curve, however, and she became a three-time Divas champion over a five-year WWE career. These days, she assists her husband, famed Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rener Gracie at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California.

Eve Torres is not the only former WWE "Diva Search" winner to have an extensive background in dance. Prior to winning the 2006 "Diva Search," Layla El wowed spectators in several forums as a professional dancer. Born in London, England, El got her start dancing on Carnival cruises before successfully trying out as a dancer for the Miami Heat of the NBA. She danced for the Heat for two years, during which time she received a complimentary championship ring for the Heat's title run in the 2006 postseason. From there, El would branch out into the music industry, performing as a backup dancer for artists such as John Legend, P. Diddy and Kanye West, performing live with the latter two at the MTV Video Music Awards.

After her two seasons with the Heat, El's trainer recommended she put feelers out to WWE ahead of the 2006 Diva Search. She went on to win the competition, and her dancing ability became an immediate staple of her character over the first two years of her career. She joined Brooke Tessmacher and Kelly Kelly as part of the Extreme Expose segment on "ECW on SyFy" in early 2007 which led to her becoming more active as an in-ring competitor. Much like fellow "Diva Search" winner Eve Torres, El steadily improved in the ring and later became one half of the succesful "LayCool" team on "SmackDown" alongside tag team partner Michelle McCool.

WWE superstar Naomi's extensive background in dance is extremely prevalent in her onscreen character in more ways than one. She stands out as one of the most athletic female performers on the roster, which is no surprise given the variety of dance types she picked up throughout her youth. She relayed to "Athleisure Magazine" that she started tap dancing at eight years old and went on to study jazz, ballet, lyrical, modern, and hip hop dance techniques throughout high school. She hoped to continue her pursuit of a professional dancing career right out of high school and aspired to attend the Alvin Ailey Dance School. However, apprehension over leaving her hometown of Orlando, Florida caused Naomi to stay put, enroll in community college and land a spot on the Orlando Magic dance team.

"I'm kind of glad now that I didn't go, because I don't think that I ever would have gotten into wrestling and then I would have never met my husband and so on and so forth," Naomi said in the "Athleisure" interview. "It all kind of worked out how it was supposed to." Naomi also served as a backup dancer for rapper Flo Rida before landing in WWE. Per the "Athleisure" interview, she eventually attended a WWE live event at the Amway Center and got hooked on the profession, later making her onscreen debut as a member of the Funkadactyls. Naomi debuted a new gimmick in 2016 that plays on her dance experience, working the WWE faithful into a frenzy before unleashing on opponents with her hyper-athletic, dance-based moveset.

Before she moved to Canada and trained at Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy, Cassie Lee (FKA as WWE's Peyton Royce) aspired to become a professional dancer. She dedicated the majority of her formative years to honing her craft on the dance floor, but all the while took an interest in wrestling from the age of nine on. Lee credits her dance background for helping her transition to the squared circle. "Dancing really teaches you to be aware of your body, and that transitioned well into wrestling," Lee told the Miami Herald. "The footwork came easy to me. The rolls came easy to me. The basics made sense quicker to me than maybe someone without that type of background."

Lee went on to tell the Herald that while her background in ballet has largely been a blessing to her wrestling career, she has had to work hard to ramp up the physicality as a wrestler, describing the want to look more "vicious and mean." She also told Chris Van Vliet she danced for 15 years prior to becoming a wrestler while attending Westfields Sports High School, a government-funded secondary school geared primarily towards those with a focus on athletics. Tag team partner Jessica McKay (WWE's former Billie Kay) also attended Westfields Sports, though the two did not become acquainted with one another until they began their respective wrestling careers.

Samoa Joe is one name many would be surprised to find on this list, but Joe's athletic origins can be traced back to his youth when he danced alongside his family in a Polynesian dance troupe. Joe's dancing career started at the tender age of five as a member of his family's troupe, Tiare Productions. Based out of Joe's hometown of Huntington Beach, California, the troupe performed at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games held in Los Angeles. Joe's parents, Pete and Portia Seanoa, founded Tiare Productions in 1965. The company's dancers are heralded in the field and have also performed at sporting events, restaurants, concerts, and other charitable events.

As for Joe, his performance dance background is not at all prevalent in his wrestling character, though it may have something to do with his level of comfort in front of large audiences dating back to his days on the independents. However, he did enlist the help of Polynesian dancers on his way to the ring for his match at the inaugural Bound For Glory in 2005 against Jushin "Thunder" Liger. Joe even got involved with the dance himself, perhaps giving the fans a glimpse into the past of the five-year-old who once performed on a world's stage before he ever dreamed of becoming a pro wrestler.

A fan favorite during the Ruthless Aggression Era, Stacy Keibler's pre-WWE dance background is similar to that of Naomi's due to her versatility. The Maryland native began practicing dance at the age of three. She took ballet, jazz, and tap dancing classes under one roof at the Jean Kettell Studio of Dance in Dundalk, Maryland. Keibler then used her dance skills at an early age to win beauty pageants, beginning with the Miss Maryland Pre-Teen competition. She went on to win the National Miss Pre-Teen Crown and became a Baltimore Ravens cheerleader when she turned 18.

Keibler cheered for the Ravens for three years, even after she got the call from World Championship Wrestling. Her boyfriend at the time got her into wrestling, specifically WCW as she can be seen in the crowd at a small handful of shows before she became apart of the company. In September 1999 Keibler entered a nationwide contest to find the newest member of the Nitro Girls dance troupe, a fixture on WCW broadcasts. Initially one of 300 entrants, Keibler found her way into the finals, which consisted of the eight best dancers. More than 4.4 million people watched her winning routine, and she subsequently won the fan vote as well as $10,000 and the right to call herself an official Nitro Girl. The competition gave Keibler the foot in the door she needed, as WCW soon rebranded her as Miss Hancock, making her an official character on the show.