Team B.A.D. | |
---|---|
Tag team | |
Members | Naomi Tamina Sasha Banks |
Name(s) | Team B.A.D. |
Debut | 2015 |
Disbanded | 2022 |
Years active | 2015–2016 2022 |
Team B.A.D. was an American professional wrestling stable that performed in WWE, consisting of Naomi, Tamina and Sasha Banks.
The inceptive variation of the team began and ended as a tag team consisting of Naomi and Tamina, but for most of its time was a trio also including Banks, who joined in July 2015 as part of the Divas Revolution storyline and left the team in February 2016. Both Naomi and Tamina are members of the Anoaʻi professional wrestling family.
In May 2015, Naomi aligned herself with her real life cousin-in-law Tamina Snuka, after having been outnumbered by The Bella Twins (Brie and Nikki Bella) on multiple occasions. [1] Tamina and Naomi went on to defeat The Bella Twins in a tag team match at Payback. [2]
On the July 13 episode of Raw , after weeks of being outnumbered by The Bella Twins and their ally Alicia Fox, WWE authority figure Stephanie McMahon called for a "revolution" in the WWE Divas division and introduced then debuting NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks as an ally to Naomi and Tamina, after bringing in Charlotte and Becky Lynch to ally with Paige, leading to a brawl between the three teams. [3]
At Battleground, a triple threat match took place with Sasha Banks representing Team B.A.D. against Charlotte of Team Paige (later known as Team PCB), and Brie Bella for Team Bella in a losing effort while Charlotte picked up the victory. [4] The following night on the July 20 episode of Raw, Naomi and Sasha Banks were victorious in a tag team match against Paige and Becky Lynch. [5] The three teams would ultimately face off at SummerSlam in a three team elimination match, where Team B.A.D. were the first team to be eliminated courtesy of Team Bella when Tamina was pinned by Brie, and Team PCB would win the match. [6]
After defeating then Divas Champion Nikki Bella by submission in a non-title match on the August 17 episode of Raw, [7] Banks participated in the first ever Divas number one contender's Beat the Clock challenge, in which she fought Paige to a time limit draw and Charlotte was named the number one contender. [8] Following this, Banks began a short feud with Paige and defeated her twice on the September 7 and 14 episodes of Raw, [9] [10] and fought to a no contest on the September 10 episode of SmackDown . [11]
Although she lost in a fatal four-way number one contender's match for Charlotte's Divas Championship in November, [12] Banks started a winning streak, defeating the likes of Brie Bella [13] Alicia Fox, [14] and Becky Lynch, [15] [16] whom she again defeated after distractions by Naomi and Tamina on the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs kickoff show on December 13. [17]
Banks returned at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 24, 2016, after about a month off television, [18] attacking Charlotte and Becky Lynch after their Divas Championship match, showing her intentions to challenge for the championship. [19] Prior to a match with Lynch on the February 1 episode of Raw, Banks claimed that she was "on her own", signaling that she had moved on from the group, at which Naomi and Tamina declared that there were no hard feelings; however, during Sasha's match with Lynch, the duo attacked Banks until she was saved by Lynch, turning Banks into a face in the process. [20] The feud between Banks, Naomi and Tamina would continue throughout February, [21] [22] [23] [24] and would lead to a tag team match at Fastlane on February 21, where Naomi and Tamina lost. [25]
After their feud with Banks, Team B.A.D. formed a brief alliance with Lana, Emma and Summer Rae, and on the March 14 episode of Raw, they defeated Alicia Fox and Brie Bella after a distraction by Lana. Team B.A.D. allied with her later in a segment backstage after confronting Paige, [26] and later allied with Emma and Rae the week after on Main Event . [27] The following week on Raw, they accompanied Emma to her match against Paige, where Emma won, after which they attacked Paige's allies (Alicia Fox, Brie Bella and Natalya) before they were saved by a returning Eva Marie. [28] As a result, a 10-Diva tag team match between the two newly dubbed alliances, "Team Total Divas" and "Team B.A.D. & Blonde", was announced for the WrestleMania 32's pay-per-view pre-show. [29] At the event on April 3, they were defeated by Team Total Divas after Naomi submitted to Brie Bella. [30] [31] After appearing sporadically since WrestleMania, Team B.A.D. disbanded in early May, when Tamina underwent knee surgery in order to repair torn ligaments, and Naomi began filming The Marine 5: Battleground, and was injured with a torn ankle tendon. [32] [33] Both Naomi and Tamina would be drafted to SmackDown (Naomi during 2016 WWE draft, and Tamina during the 2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up).
On the February 25, 2022, edition of SmackDown, Naomi announced that her and Sasha Banks were going to challenge for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, thus reuniting the team as a duo. [34] On the following episode of Raw, reigning champions Carmella and Queen Zelina would accept their challenge, consequently setting up the bout for WrestleMania 38. [35] [36] Over the following weeks, the respective teams of Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan, and Natalya and Shayna Baszler, would be added to the bout, thereby making it a fatal four-way tag team match. [37] At the event, Banks and Naomi were successful in their pursuit, as Banks put an end to her streak of WrestleMania losing efforts and entered her record-tying third reign with the title. [38] [39] During the May 16 episode of Raw, Banks and Naomi reportedly walked out after a meeting with Vince McMahon due to a creative dispute. [40] WWE released an official statement, in which the company stated Banks and Naomi "walked into WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis' office with their suitcases in hand, placed their tag team championship belts on his desk and walked out". [41] The two were originally booked for the show's main event, which had to be reworked. [40] On the following episode of SmackDown, it was announced that Banks and Naomi had been suspended indefinitely, therefore the titles were vacated. [42] Banks subsequently left WWE in the summer and would later debut at Wrestle Kingdom 17 under the name Mercedes Moné. Naomi confirmed she was no longer with WWE in March 2023 until she would return to the company in January 2024.
Only championships and accomplishments that were achieved while as a tag team are listed. For example, although Sasha Banks is a three-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion, only one of those reigns occurred while officially being in a tag team with Naomi.
Natalie Katherine Neidhart-Wilson is a Canadian-American professional wrestler and columnist. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Natalya. She is a two-time women's world champion, having won the Divas Championship and SmackDown Women's Championship once each. She is also a one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion with Tamina. She is a third generation professional wrestler, and is also the daughter of Hart Foundation member and Hall of Famer Jim Neidhart.
Rebecca Mary Quin is an Irish–American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE under the ring name Becky Lynch. She was listed sixth on Twitter's list of Top Female Athletes Worldwide in 2019.
The Bella Twins were an American professional wrestling tag team that performed in WWE and consisted of identical twin sisters Brie Bella and Nikki Bella. Each of the Bella Twins are former WWE Divas Champions. Brie was the first twin in WWE to win the title, while Nikki won it twice with her second reign of 301 days being the longest reign for the now defunct title.
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.
Sarona Moana Marie Reiher Snuka-Polamalu is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs under the ring name Tamina. She is a nine-time WWE 24/7 Champion and a one-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion. She is a second generation professional wrestler, the daughter of Jimmy Snuka.
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 Rallis is an Australian professional wrestler. 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 Tenille Dashwood.
Trinity Fatu is an American professional wrestler and dancer. She is currently 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.
Danielle Louise Moinet is an American model, actress, ring announcer, retired professional wrestler and American football player. She is best known for her tenure in WWE from 2011 to 2017, 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.
Mercedes Justine Kaestner-Varnado is an American professional wrestler and actress. She is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where she performs under the ring name Mercedes Moné and is the current AEW TBS Champion in her first reign. She is best known for her tenure in WWE from 2012 to 2022, where she performed under the ring name Sasha Banks, and also in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and in NJPW's sister promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom, both in 2023.
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.
Pamela Rose Martinez is an American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Bayley, and is the current WWE Women's Champion in her second reign. Bayley's 380-day reign as WWE SmackDown Women's Champion, tied with Rhea Ripley, stands as the longest in the championship's history.
Natalie Eva Marie Nelson is an American actress, fashion designer, model, and professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenures in WWE, from 2013–2017 and 2020–2021, where she performed under the ring name Eva Marie.
Catherine Joy "CJ" Perry is an American professional wrestling manager, professional wrestler, and actress. She is signed to All Elite Wrestling where she performs as CJ. She is best known for her tenure in WWE from 2013–2021 under the ring name Lana.
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.
Leah Van Dale is an American professional wrestler, dancer and model. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs under the ring name Carmella. She is a former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion, WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and WWE 24/7 Champion. She is currently inactive due to maternity leave.
Savelina Fanene is an Australian-American professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Nia Jax. She is the current Queen of the Ring, a former one-time WWE Raw Women's Champion, and a former two-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion.
Brianna Monique Danielson, known professionally as Brie Garcia, is an American television personality and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in WWE from 2007 to 2023, in which she performed under the ring name Brie Bella alongside her twin sister, Nikki, as The Bella Twins.
Stephanie Nicole Chigvintsev, 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 2023, 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.