Summer Rae | |
---|---|
Birth name | Danielle Louise Moinet |
Born | [1] Manhasset, New York, U.S. [2] | November 28, 1983
Alma mater | East Carolina University |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Danielle Moinet Kylie Summers Summer Rae |
Billed height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) [3] [4] |
Billed weight | 125 lb (57 kg) [4] |
Billed from | Raleigh, North Carolina [3] |
Trained by | Florida Championship Wrestling [4] |
Debut | 2011 |
Danielle Louise Moinet [5] (born November 28, 1983) [1] [4] is an American model, actress, ring announcer, former professional wrestler, manager and American football player. She is best known for her tenures in WWE from 2011 to 2017 and in 2022, under the ring name Summer Rae. Moinet was a main cast member on the reality show Total Divas during its second and third seasons. Before joining WWE, she played with the Chicago Bliss of the Lingerie Football League.
She is currently an interviewer for BYB Extreme Fighting Series. [6]
Moinet was born in the New York City suburb of Manhasset, New York. [4] Her father is French, while her mother is British. [7] She grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and attended Enloe High School and East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, where she was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. [5] [8]
Moinet played with the Chicago Bliss of the Lingerie Football League (LFL) from 2008 to 2011. She played as a quarterback and was the team's captain. [4] [9] On June 30, 2011, Moinet played in the LFL All-Star Game at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada which was her final game in the LFL. She was one of two players in the game from the Chicago Bliss. [4] [10]
In November 2011, it was reported that Moinet had signed a contract with WWE and was assigned to their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW). [4] [11] Moinet made her televised debut on the December 18 episode of FCW TV , appearing in an in-ring promo with Abraham Washington. [4] [12] She also served as the ring announcer for FCW TV for several months. [13] Changing her ring name from Kylie Summers to Summer Rae, she was prevented from interfering in a match between Seth Rollins and Rae's new client Brad Maddox by the debuting Paige on the March 5 episode of FCW TV. [14]
On the March 11 episode of FCW TV, Rae became the FCW General Manager. [15] On the March 15 episode of FCW TV, Rae decided to deactivate the Queen of FCW crown, leaving Raquel Diaz as the last champion. [16] Rae made her in-ring debut on April 6 at an FCW live event, where she lost to Sofia Cortez in an elimination triple threat match, which also involved Paige. [1]
After the dissolution of FCW, Rae went on to become a ring announcer for the rebooted NXT in 2012. [17] Rae transitioned into an in-ring competitor on the January 30, 2013, episode of NXT when she attacked Paige due to her jealousy of Paige's popularity and success. [18] [19] After Paige continued to confront Rae, [20] [21] Rae was defeated against Paige on the May 1 episode of NXT. [22]
Rae competed in the NXT Women's Championship tournament on the June 19 episode of NXT to crown the inaugural champion and defeated Sasha Banks in the first round, [23] but lost to Emma in the semi-finals on July 10. Rae's post-match attack on Emma started a feud between them. [24] [25] Emma later defeated Rae in a dance-off to become the number one contender, but Rae retaliated by injuring Emma in the storyline, then issued a title challenge to the new NXT Women's Champion Paige, which she accepted. [26] On the August 14 episode NXT, Paige defeated Rae to retain the title. [27] For weeks, Rae began to influence Sasha Banks to make herself relevant, leading to Banks turning heel on the September 11 episode of NXT, by attacking NXT Women's Champion Paige. [28] Banks and Rae, collectively known as the Beautiful Fierce Females, faced Paige and Emma on the October 16 episode of NXT, where they won. [29] Rae and Banks continued to face Paige and Emma in singles matches, including aligning themselves with Charlotte. [30] [31]
After a four-month absence from the brand, Rae returned on the June 6 episode of NXT, briefly distracting Charlotte during her match. After the match, Rae led an attack on Bayley, only to be chased off by Paige and Emma. On the June 26 episode of NXT, during a match with the debuting Becky Lynch, Charlotte and Sasha Banks backed away from Rae when reaching out for help, hinting at Rae's removal from the stable. The following week, Banks disbanded the BFFs in a backstage segment. The following week, Rae defeated Bayley in a number one contender's match, earning a NXT Women's Championship match against Charlotte. [32] On the July 24 episode of NXT, Rae received her title shot against Charlotte, however she failed to capture the championship. [33]
Rae made her official debut on WWE's main roster on the April 22, 2013, episode of Raw , as Fandango's dance partner and valet, becoming the first Diva to be called up from the rebranded NXT. [34] On the May 13 episode of Raw, Rae, along with Fandango, faced Chris Jericho and Dancing with the Stars competitor Edyta Śliwińska in a dance-off, but Fandango's dance was cut short by an apparent injury to Rae's ankle. However, Rae later revealed that her injury was a distraction to trap Jericho into Fandango's attack. [35] On the October 25 episode of SmackDown , Rae got into a brawl with Natalya during a match between Fandango and The Great Khali, [36] which set up a mixed tag team match [37] for Hell in a Cell in which she made both her pay-per-view and in-ring debut on the main roster, teaming with Fandango to defeat Natalya and Khali, after Rae pinned Natalya. [38] The following night, Rae made her singles debut in a rematch against Natalya, where she was defeated. [39] At Survivor Series on November 23, Rae participated in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match, as her team took on the cast of Total Divas , where she was eliminated by Nikki Bella, before her team ultimately lost the match. [40] [41] A rematch took place the following night on Raw, where her team was once again defeated, with Rae being the last to be eliminated. [42] On the December 19 episode of Superstars , Rae defeated Kaitlyn, garnering her first singles match victory on the main roster. [43] [44] In the beginning of 2014, Rae began a rivalry with Emma, and the two competed in several dance-off and wrestling competitions on both Raw and SmackDown, which Emma won. [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] On April 6, Rae made her WrestleMania debut, competing at WrestleMania XXX in the 14-Diva "Vickie Guerrero Invitational match" for the Divas Championship, which was won by the defending champion AJ Lee. [51]
On April 8, Fandango announced the end of his association with Rae on his Twitter account [52] and introduced Layla as his new dance partner on the April 11 episode of SmackDown, which in storyline was put in place to allow Rae time off television to film The Marine 4 . [53] Rae returned on the May 19 episode of Raw, confronting and kissing Fandango and attacking Layla before their match. [54] Rae made her in-ring return on the following episode of Raw, in a losing effort to Eva Marie after interference from both Fandango and Layla. [55] In the following weeks, Rae and Layla assaulted each other backstage [56] [57] and at ringside during Fandango's matches, [58] [59] leading to a match between Rae and Layla at the Money in the Bank on June 29, with Fandango as the special guest referee, [60] which Layla won. [61] [62]
On the June 30, 2014 episode of Raw , she cost Fandango's match. [63] On the July 11 episode of SmackDown, Rae and Layla turned face and started an alliance after attacking Fandango during their match where he was working as guest referee. [64] One week later on SmackDown they lost their first match as team (dubbing themselves "The Slayers"). [65] The Slayers won their first match as a team on the September 2 episode of Main Event . [66] At Survivor Series, Rae participated in an elimination tag team match, where she was eliminated by Emma before her team lost the match. [67] In January 2015, The Slayers quietly disbanded when Layla underwent surgery.
Upon the release of Rae's first film The Marine 4: Moving Target in April, she was disrespected by her co-star The Miz, and as a result, she allied herself with Miz's enemy, Damien Sandow. On the April 20 episode of Raw, Rae helped Miz win a match against Sandow, having been working with Miz from the start. [68]
In June, Rae became involved with Rusev's storyline with his former manager Lana and Ziggler, in which Rae formed an on-screen relationship with Rusev. After weeks of confrontation, [69] [70] [71] [72] Rusev faced Ziggler at SummerSlam, which ended in a double countout due interference from both Lana and Rae. [73] In September, Rae attempted to sabotage Ziggler and Lana's relationship, [74] [75] but the storyline was abruptly dropped. [76] After Rusev refused Rae's marriage proposal, [77] Rusev's real-life engagement to Lana was revealed, leading to Rae confronting Rusev and ending their association on the October 12 episode of Raw. [78] Rae gained revenge over Rusev on the following episode of SmackDown when she served as the guest referee for his match against Ziggler; she helped Ziggler. [79] On the October 22 episode of SmackDown, during a Miz TV segment between Rae and Ziggler, she introduced the debuting Tyler Breeze as her "new man", and subsequently began managing him. [80] However, during the final SmackDown of 2015, Rae and Breeze announced that they amicably decided to go their separate ways. [81]
Rae returned to in-ring action in mid-February 2016 [82] [83] [84] competing in various matches, [85] [86] where she was on the losing side. [87] In late March, Rae allied herself with Team B.A.D. (Naomi and Tamina), Emma and Lana, leading to a tag team match on the WrestleMania 32 pre show, which Rae's team lost. [88] On July 19, Rae was drafted to Raw as part of the 2016 WWE draft. [89] However, she never appeared for the brand due to injuries. [90] After over a year of inactivity, Rae was officially released from her WWE contract on October 29, 2017. [91]
Seven months after her WWE departure, Moinet made her independent circuit debut in a Battle Championship Wrestling event on May 25 at the Whitehorse Club Function & Convention Centre in Burwood East, Victoria, Australia, where she faced NXT alumni Ivelisse (formerly Sofia Cortez) in a losing effort. [92] [93]
Summer Rae made her first televised appearance after a five year absence on the January 21, 2022 episode of SmackDown, where she was advertised as a WWE legend, taunting Natalya during her match, playing up their rivalry from Total Divas . She made her in-ring return on the number 23 spot in the 2022 Royal Rumble going straight to attack Natalya but was eliminated by her.
Later, she also attended the WrestleMania 38 pre-show party hosted by Stephanie McMahon. [94]
Rae has appeared in six WWE video games. She made her in-game debut at WWE 2K14 as a DLC [95] and appears in WWE 2K15 , [96] WWE 2K16 , [97] WWE 2K17 , [98] and WWE 2K18 . [99] She also appeared in the mobile game WWE SuperCard . [100]
In 2014, Rae was a main cast member on Total Divas for the show's second [101] and third seasons. [102] Rae also starred in the 2015 film The Marine 4: Moving Target alongside The Miz. [53]
On February 23, 2024, Moinet was named as the interviewer and social media correspondent for BYB Extreme Fighting Series. [6]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | The Marine 4: Moving Target | Dawes | [103] [104] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014–2017 | Total Divas | Herself | Main cast (seasons 2–3) [101] [102] Recurring (seasons 4–6): 38 episodes |
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(July 2019) |
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Shorty Awards | Best of Social Media | Herself | Nominated |
Victoria Elizabeth Crawford is an American professional wrestler currently performing on the independent circuit under the ring name Vix Crow. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Alicia Fox.
Taylor Michael Rotunda is an American professional wrestler. As of December 2022, he is signed to WWE where he currently performs on the Raw brand under the ring names Bo Dallas and his alter ego Uncle Howdy and is the leader of The Wyatt Sicks faction. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Blackjack Mulligan, his father Mike Rotunda, his uncles Barry and Kendall Windham, and his brother Bray Wyatt were professional wrestlers.
Sarona Moana Marie Reiher Snuka-Polamalu is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE where she competes as Tamina, but has since been removed from WWE's internal roster. A second generation wrestler, she has been working with WWE since 2010, becoming one time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and nine times WWE 24/7 Champion. She started as the manager of The Usos and later, become the enforcer of AJ Lee. During her career has been tag team partners with wrestlers like Natalya, Lana, and Nia Jax.
Shaul Marie Guerrero is an American burlesque performer and retired professional wrestler and ring announcer. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where she performed under the ring name Raquel Diaz. As a burlesque dancer she often performs under the stage name Miss Nyxon.
Saraya-Jade Bevis is an English professional wrestler. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs mononymously as Saraya. She is currently the leader of The Outcasts and is a former one-time AEW Women's World Champion. She is also known for her time with WWE under the ring name Paige. She was the youngest female champion in WWE history, a two-time WWE Divas Champion, and the inaugural NXT Women's Champion. She also remains the only woman to hold both a WWE and NXT Women's Championship simultaneously.
Tenille Averil Dashwood is an Australian professional wrestler and travel influencer. She is best known for her tenure in WWE, under the ring name Emma. She is also known for her time in Ring of Honor (ROH) and Impact Wrestling, where she performed under her real name.
Trinity Fatu is an American professional wrestler and dancer. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Naomi.
Ariane Nicole Andrew is an American former professional wrestler, singer, model and dancer. She is best known for her time in WWE, under the ring name Cameron. Under her real name, Ariane joined the 2011 season of Tough Enough where she was the first competitor eliminated. She later signed with WWE and joined Naomi in forming the Funkadactyls. From July 2013 to March 2015, Andrew was one of the main cast members of the reality television show Total Divas.
Mattias Clement is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE under the ring name Tyler Breeze as a member of the UpUpDownDown channel and also a coach at the WWE Performance Center. He also wrestles on the independent circuit under the mononymous ring name Breeze.
Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado is an American professional wrestler and actress. As a wrestler, she has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) since January 2024, where she performs under the ring name Mercedes Moné and is the current AEW TBS Champion in her first reign. She also appears in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and its sister promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom, where she is the current Strong Women's Champion in her first reign. Varnado became widely known for her time in WWE from 2012 to 2022, where she performed under the ring name Sasha Banks. She is the first and only female professional wrestler to win championships across WWE, AEW, and NJPW.
Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr is an American professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Charlotte Flair. She is currently out of action due to a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus.
Joseph Ruud is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Erick Rowan. As of May 2024, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand and is a member of The Wyatt Sicks.
The 2014 Money in the Bank was the fifth annual Money in the Bank professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on June 29, 2014, at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. This was the first Money in the Bank event to livestream on the WWE Network, which launched in February.
Catherine Joy "CJ" Perry is an American professional wrestling manager, professional wrestler, and actress. She is best known for her tenure in WWE from 2013 to 2021, under the ring name Lana, and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2023 to 2024, under the ring name CJ.
The Funkadactyls were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Trinity Fatu and Ariane Andrew. The women initially worked for WWE as the dancers and valets of Brodus Clay in 2012–2013, but they soon separated to act alone in the women's division.
NXT Arrival was a professional wrestling livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's developmental territory, NXT. The event aired exclusively on the WWE Network and took place on February 27, 2014, at NXT's home base, Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. It was WWE's first live professional wrestling event streamed online via the WWE Network, which launched three days prior to the event.
Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, also known as The Bludgeon Brothers, were an American professional wrestling tag team in WWE. They were also known as being members of the cult faction The Wyatt Family, led by Bray Wyatt.
Miroslav Petrov Barnyashev is a Bulgarian professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Miro. He is also known for his work with WWE from 2010 to 2020, under the ring name Rusev.
Team B.A.D. was an American professional wrestling stable that performed in WWE, consisting of Naomi, Tamina and Sasha Banks.
Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace, known professionally as Nikki Garcia, is an American television personality and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE from 2007 to 2022, in which she performed under the ring name Nikki Bella alongside her twin sister, Brie, as The Bella Twins. She is currently the host of the game show, Barmageddon.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)