# Bianca Belair
**Bianca Belair** (real name Bianca Crawford, born 1989 in [Knoxville, Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/knoxville-tennessee)) is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE, where she performs under the nickname "The EST of WWE", a claim to be the strongEST, fastEST, roughEST, toughEST, and bEST on the roster.[1](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/bianca-blair/3209) • [2](https://www.espn.com/wwe/story?id=29125761) • [3](https://itrwrestling.com/features/interview-with-bianca-belair/) A former collegiate hurdler and regional CrossFit competitor who never watched wrestling before joining the company, she won the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble, main-evented [WrestleMania 37](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestlemania-37), and held the Raw Women's Championship for a record 419 days.[4](https://www.wwe.com/article/bianca-belair) • [5](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/interviews/bianca-belair-goes-from-crossfit-to-wwe-match-fit/) • [6](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/bianca-belair?page=3)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1989, Knoxville, Tennessee; billed height 5-foot-7; billed from Knoxville, TN[1](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/bianca-blair/3209) • [2](https://www.espn.com/wwe/story?id=29125761) |
| Athletic background | Track and field at South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Tennessee; regional CrossFit competitor; 400-pound trap-bar deadlift and 2.07-second 10-yard sprint at the inaugural WWE Performance Center Combine[4](https://www.wwe.com/article/bianca-belair) |
| WWE signing | Joined WWE in 2016; competed in the inaugural Mae Young Classic (2017); main roster debut April 5, 2020[2](https://www.espn.com/wwe/story?id=29125761) |
| Championships | One-time SmackDown Women's Champion, one-time Raw Women's Champion (419-day reign), one-time WWE Women's Champion (under one day), and WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Jade Cargill[2](https://www.espn.com/wwe/story?id=29125761) • [6](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/bianca-belair?page=3) • [7](https://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/wwe-womens-championship) |
| Signature achievements | Won the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble (entry No. 3, over 56 minutes); main-evented WrestleMania 37; signature move the K.O.D.[5](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/interviews/bianca-belair-goes-from-crossfit-to-wwe-match-fit/) • [8](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/wrestlemania-37/sasha-banks-vs-bianca-belair-results) • [2](https://www.espn.com/wwe/story?id=29125761) |
| Recognition | ESPY Award for Best WWE Moment (2021, with Sasha Banks); PWI Tag Team 100 No. 1 for 2024 with Jade Cargill; WWE 2K24 deluxe edition cover with Rhea Ripley[9](https://www.wwe.com/article/bianca-belair-sasha-banks-espy-best-wwe-moment-wrestlemania) • [10](https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/bianca-belair-and-jade-cargill-top-2024-pwi-100-tag-teams/) • [11](https://apnews.com/article/87862b447b1102b4694fe1cc3a81fe9d) |
| Personal life | Married to fellow WWE superstar Montez Ford[2](https://www.espn.com/wwe/story?id=29125761) |
## Early life and athletic career
Belair grew up in Knoxville and competed in track and field at three colleges: the [University of South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-south-carolina) in 2008, Texas A&M in 2009, and the [University of Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-tennessee), Knoxville, where she was a senior hurdler and sprinter on the 2012-13 roster.[4](https://www.wwe.com/article/bianca-belair) • [1](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/bianca-blair/3209) Her Tennessee records include a 60-meter hurdles best of 8.49 seconds indoors (2012) and a 400-meter hurdles best of 1:00.03 from high school, and she swept TSSAA state titles in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles in 2006 and 2007 for Austin-East.[1](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/bianca-blair/3209) She was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2011 and 2012 and received the 2011 Herb Neff Award for the best Lady Vol walk-on.[1](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/bianca-blair/3209)
After college she became a regional CrossFit competitor featured in RX Magazine.[4](https://www.wwe.com/article/bianca-belair) WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry found her through CrossFit: he saw her profile and a competition video, noticed both her strength and her flair for showmanship, and reached out on social media to gauge her interest in pro wrestling.[12](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/11/bianca-belair-on-learning-her-own-strength-676554/) • [13](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1426594/wwe-bianca-belair-says-didnt-know-getting-wrestling/) Belair has said she was not a wrestling fan and knew nothing about the business before signing; she did not wrestle on the independent scene and learned everything within WWE after joining in 2016.[14](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/02/bianca-belair-on-which-wwe-hall-of-famer-changed-her-life-666203/) • [15](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2916906-exclusive-bianca-belair-on-smackdown-wwe-survivor-series-sasha-banks-and-more)
## WWE career
**NXT and the Performance Center.** In the inaugural 2016 Performance Center Combine, a decathlon-style test of strength and athleticism, Belair posted a 400-pound trap-bar deadlift and a 2.07-second 10-yard sprint, and she won the women's combine three times (2016, 2018, and 2019).[4](https://www.wwe.com/article/bianca-belair) • [16](https://www.espn.co.uk/wwe/story/_/id/35971671/wrestlemania-39-bianca-belair-charlotte-flair-rhea-ripley-ushering-next-era-women-wrestling) She qualified for the 32-woman inaugural [Mae Young Classic](https://www.edgepedia.org/mae-young-classic) in 2017 by defeating Aliyah and competed in the tournament.[4](https://www.wwe.com/article/bianca-belair) • [2](https://www.espn.com/wwe/story?id=29125761) In NXT she built the EST identity and was part of the first Women's WarGames match.[12](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/11/bianca-belair-on-learning-her-own-strength-676554/)
**Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 37.** Belair debuted on the main roster on April 5, 2020.[2](https://www.espn.com/wwe/story?id=29125761) At the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble she drew entry No. 3 and set a record by lasting more than 56 minutes in the over-the-top contest to win, earning a championship match at WrestleMania 37.[5](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/interviews/bianca-belair-goes-from-crossfit-to-wwe-match-fit/) Her win made her the second African American wrestler to win a Royal Rumble Match.[17](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/bianca-belair-wwe-superstar-interview)
At WrestleMania 37 on April 10, 2021, she defeated [Sasha Banks](https://www.edgepedia.org/sasha-banks) in the main event of Night One to capture the SmackDown Women's Championship. The match made the two the first African-American women to face each other in a singles match at [WrestleMania](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestlemania), and it later won the ESPY Award for Best WWE Moment.[8](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/wrestlemania-37/sasha-banks-vs-bianca-belair-results) • [9](https://www.wwe.com/article/bianca-belair-sasha-banks-espy-best-wwe-moment-wrestlemania)
**Raw Women's Champion.** After a loss to [Becky Lynch](https://www.edgepedia.org/becky-lynch) at [SummerSlam](https://www.edgepedia.org/summerslam) 2021, Belair defeated Lynch at [WrestleMania 38](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestlemania-38) on April 2, 2022, to win the Raw Women's Championship, beginning a 419-day reign, the longest listed for that title.[6](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/bianca-belair?page=3) • [7](https://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/wwe-womens-championship) Her WrestleMania 38 entrance featured Texas Southern University's "Ocean of Soul" marching band, an idea she had carried since her rookie year.[16](https://www.espn.co.uk/wwe/story/_/id/35971671/wrestlemania-39-bianca-belair-charlotte-flair-rhea-ripley-ushering-next-era-women-wrestling) She defended the title against Asuka at WrestleMania 39 and against Iyo Sky at WWE Backlash 2023 in San Juan, where the Puerto Rican crowd cheered Sky and booed Belair; Meltzer rated the Backlash match 4.25 stars.[18](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/bianca-belair-vs-asuka-results) • [19](https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2023/05/07/wwe-backlash-2023-may-6-results-review/) • [20](https://tjrwrestling.net/news/wwe-backlash-ratings-dave-meltzer/) Her reign ended on August 5, 2023, when she lost the Raw Women's Championship to Asuka at Night of Champions 2023; a title change the same day gave her a WWE Women's Championship reign of less than one day.[7](https://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/wwe-womens-championship) • [21](https://tjrwrestling.net/review/tjr-wwe-summerslam-2023/) • [27](https://www.wwe.com/shows/nightofchampions/article/full-wwe-night-of-champions-results)
**Tag team with Jade Cargill.** Belair and [Jade Cargill](https://www.edgepedia.org/jade-cargill) won the [WWE Women's Tag Team Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/wwe-womens-tag-team-championship) twice during 2024 and took a victory at [WrestleMania XL](https://www.edgepedia.org/wrestlemania-xl). Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked them No. 1 on its fifth annual Tag Team 100 for 2024, making them the first women's tag team to claim the top spot since the list was established in 2020.[10](https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/bianca-belair-and-jade-cargill-top-2024-pwi-100-tag-teams/) • [22](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1733693/pro-wrestling-illustrated-names-wwe-bianca-belair-jade-cargil-top-tag-team-2024/) The pair also shared the WWE 2K24 deluxe edition cover with Rhea Ripley, the first time two women appeared on a dedicated WWE 2K cover.[11](https://apnews.com/article/87862b447b1102b4694fe1cc3a81fe9d)
## Character and the braid
Belair's presentation is built around the EST slogan and a long signature braid that reaches the ground. She has said she wears it so that first-time viewers remember her even if they miss her name; the look began as a one-off until her husband, [Montez Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/montez-ford), advised her to keep it because nobody else was doing it.[3](https://itrwrestling.com/features/interview-with-bianca-belair/) • [23](https://www.cinemablend.com/wrestling/does-wwe-use-sound-effects-bianca-belair-whips-braid-origins-montez-ford) She uses the braid as a weapon in matches, and in the Netflix docuseries *WWE Unreal* she said the whip's loud crack is real: she braids and oils the hair herself for maximum impact, and WWE adds no sound effects. She has said the braid is the part of a match that stresses her out, since it must be thick enough to make the noise.[23](https://www.cinemablend.com/wrestling/does-wwe-use-sound-effects-bianca-belair-whips-braid-origins-montez-ford)
## Injury and hiatus
Belair's most recent match was a triple threat against [Iyo Sky](https://www.edgepedia.org/iyo-sky) and Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 41 on April 20, 2025, in which she suffered a finger injury that kept her out of action for roughly ten months.[24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rprCy3pbi_M) Commentators have described her as one of WWE's biggest stars of recent years even while she has been sidelined.[26](https://www.cinemablend.com/wrestling/in-honor-black-history-month-wwe-superstars-we-should-be-celebrating)
## References
1. [Bianca Blair, 2012-13 Track & Field Roster, University of Tennessee Athletics](https://utsports.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/bianca-blair/3209)
2. [Bianca Belair biography, WWE titles and career accolades, ESPN](https://www.espn.com/wwe/story?id=29125761)
3. [Interview With Bianca Belair, ITR Wrestling](https://itrwrestling.com/features/interview-with-bianca-belair/)
4. [Bianca Belair, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/article/bianca-belair)
5. [Bianca Belair Goes from CrossFit to WWE Match Fit, Muscle & Fitness](https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/interviews/bianca-belair-goes-from-crossfit-to-wwe-match-fit/)
6. [Bianca Belair profile, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/bianca-belair?page=3)
7. [WWE Women's Championship title history, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/wwe-womens-championship)
8. [Belair bests Banks to put the EST in history-making WrestleMania main event, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/wrestlemania-37/sasha-banks-vs-bianca-belair-results)
9. [Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks at WrestleMania wins the ESPY Award for Best WWE Moment, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/article/bianca-belair-sasha-banks-espy-best-wwe-moment-wrestlemania)
10. [Bianca Belair And Jade Cargill Top 2024 PWI Tag Team 100, Fightful](https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/bianca-belair-and-jade-cargill-top-2024-pwi-100-tag-teams/)
11. [WWE stars Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair headline 2K24 covers, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/87862b447b1102b4694fe1cc3a81fe9d)
12. [Bianca Belair On Learning Her Own Strength, If She Prefers Being A Heel, Wrestling Inc](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/11/bianca-belair-on-learning-her-own-strength-676554/)
13. [Why WWE's Bianca Belair Says She Didn't Know What She Was Getting Into With Wrestling, Wrestling Inc](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1426594/wwe-bianca-belair-says-didnt-know-getting-wrestling/)
14. [Bianca Belair On Which WWE Hall Of Famer Changed Her Life, Wrestling Inc](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2020/02/bianca-belair-on-which-wwe-hall-of-famer-changed-her-life-666203/)
15. [Exclusive: Bianca Belair on SmackDown, WWE Survivor Series, Sasha Banks and More, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2916906-exclusive-bianca-belair-on-smackdown-wwe-survivor-series-sasha-banks-and-more)
16. [A personal trainer, CrossFit and mimicking Chyna, ESPN](https://www.espn.co.uk/wwe/story/_/id/35971671/wrestlemania-39-bianca-belair-charlotte-flair-rhea-ripley-ushering-next-era-women-wrestling)
17. [Bianca Belair Continues To Conquer Obstacles Both Inside And Outside The Ring, Essence](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/bianca-belair-wwe-superstar-interview)
18. [Bianca Belair proves ready for Asuka in phenomenal Raw Women's Title Match, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/bianca-belair-vs-asuka-results)
19. [WWE Backlash 2023 (May 6) Results & Review, Voices of Wrestling](https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2023/05/07/wwe-backlash-2023-may-6-results-review/)
20. [WWE Backlash Match Ratings From Dave Meltzer, TJR Wrestling](https://tjrwrestling.net/news/wwe-backlash-ratings-dave-meltzer/)
21. [The John Report: WWE SummerSlam 2023 Review, TJR Wrestling](https://tjrwrestling.net/review/tjr-wwe-summerslam-2023/)
22. [Pro Wrestling Illustrated Names WWE's Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill Top Tag Team Of 2024, Wrestling Inc](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1733693/pro-wrestling-illustrated-names-wwe-bianca-belair-jade-cargil-top-tag-team-2024/)
23. [Does The WWE Use Sound Effects When Bianca Belair Whips Her Braid?, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/wrestling/does-wwe-use-sound-effects-bianca-belair-whips-braid-origins-montez-ford)
24. [Big Update On Bianca Belair's WWE WrestleMania Status, WrestleSTAR (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rprCy3pbi_M)
25. [Bianca Belair Shares Major Health Update After WrestleMania 41 Injury And Pregnancy Announcement, The South India Times](https://epaper.thesouthindiatimes.com/media/2026-06/hyd-tsit-10th-june-2026.pdf)
26. [In Honor Of Black History Month, There Are 9 WWE Superstars We Should All Be Celebrating, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/wrestling/in-honor-black-history-month-wwe-superstars-we-should-be-celebrating)
27. [Full WWE Night of Champions results](https://www.wwe.com/shows/nightofchampions/article/full-wwe-night-of-champions-results)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestlers and stables › American wrestlers › Modern era wrestlers › WWE main roster wrestlers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license