7 Women You Didn't Know Tried Out For The Diva Search
Jaime Koeppe made history as the first-ever WWE Diva Search winner back in 2003 when fans voted online to select her over three other contestants. She remains the only Diva Search winner not to have received a WWE contract, as the prize for the maiden edition was to have a photoshoot for WWE Magazine.
RELATED: The 10 Most Successful Diva Search Contestants, Ranked
Over the years, there have been four more editions of the Diva Search, with future WWE wrestlers Christie Hemme, Ashley Massaro, Layla, and Eve Torres becoming the winners. While the last Diva Search aired in 2007, there have been unconfirmed reports that the WWE held an un-aired Diva Search in 2013 with the likes of Alexa Bliss and Lana in the fray, with Eva Marie becoming the winner. This list takes a look at 7 women that you forgot took part in the original 5 editions of the Diva Search.
7 Candice Michelle
While Candice Michelle was used primarily as eye candy during the first few years of her WWE stint, her in-ring work improved to such an extent that she was given a run with the Women's Championship in 2007. Candice would beat Melina to capture the gold and write her name into the history books by becoming the first person who participated in the WWE Diva Search to become Women's Champion.
RELATED: 10 Backstage Stories About Candice Michelle That We Can't Believe
Candice's brief stint at the Diva Search happened in 2004, but she wasn't even chosen to be in the top 10. She was still hired by the WWE though, and started her career as a guest referee in a match between Melina and Torrie Wilson. Candice would leave the WWE in 2009, but returned for a special appearance in 2019 and even captured the 24x7 title for a few minutes.
6 Kristal Marshall
Kristal Marshall never had any in-ring success in WWE or TNA, but the former Mrs. Lashley did have a 5 year run in the wrestling business. It all started with her competing in the 2005 Diva Search. She would eventually finish fifth and get signed to a developmental deal with the WWE.
She had low-key matches with the likes of Jillian Hall and her most memorable appearances were on SmackDown, where she started a storyline romantic interest with Teddy Long. The angle went nowhere and she soon left the company alongside her husband. She appeared as Lashley's manager when the latter moved to TNA, last appearing in a major wrestling promotion in 2010.
5 Maryse
Maryse is a former 2-time Divas Champion and was one of the many wrestlers that the WWE tried out to be the face of the Women's division, following the retirements of Trish Stratus and Lita in the mid-2000s. Maryse would have a record 216-day reign as the Divas Champion and would be the first person to win the title twice.
RELATED: 5 Great WWE Divas Champions (& 5 Who Were Terrible)
However, she had humble beginnings and made her debut in the company as part of the 2006 Diva Search. She did make the top 8 and was featured on TV, but was the second person eliminated from the contest. The emcee for the Diva Search was a cocky youngster who himself had finished second in WWE Tough Enough a few years earlier - Mike Mizanin. The future Miz embarrassingly fluffed his lines while explaining the voting procedures - a far cry from the future 2-time World Champion that he would turn out to be.
4 Brooke Tessmacher
Former 2-time TNA Women's Champion Brooke Tessmacher was also part of the 2006 Diva Search alongside Maryse but did not even make the Top 8. Despite that, she was offered a developmental contract and eventually debuted on the ECW brand in 2007. She did little of note there, becoming part of the Extreme Expose alongside Kelly Kelly and the Diva Search winner Layla, before getting released at the end of the year.
Brooke moved on to TNA and gained notable success there, winning the Tag team Titles as part of the TNT group alongside Tara. She then won the Women's Title thrice, defeating the likes of Gail Kim and Mickie James along the way. She even had a stint as part of the Aces & Eights stable and remained in TNA till 2015.
3 Taryn Terrell
During her 3 year stint in the WWE from 2007-10, Taryn Terrell spent most of her time as the General Manager of ECW. Going by the name 'Tiffany', Terrell became more famous for her marriage to Drew McIntyre than her exploits in the ring. However, she got her start in the company after competing in the 2007 Diva Search, finishing fourth.
An incident involving McIntryre led to her release from the WWE in 2010, but she showed up in TNA 2 years later. This time around, her in-ring skills were in focus, as Terrell won the Women's title and held it for over 200 days in what was a truly dominant reign. She would go on to play small parts in movies and is currently working for the NWA.
2 Velvet Sky
A former 2-time TNA Knockouts Champion, Velvet Sky made quite a few appearances in the WWE before gaining prominence in TNA as part of 'The Beautiful People' faction. She appeared as an extra during JBL's WWE Championship celebration back in 2005 and even wrestled Victoria on an episode of Heat.
In 2007, Sky tried out for the Diva Search under the name 'Talia Madison' but did not make the last eight. She would sign with TNA the same year and team up with Angelina Love to become a featured player in the Women's Division for many years. After her TNA stint, Sky also had a run in ROH and is now a color commentator for the NWA.
1 The Bella Twins
The 2006 Diva Search saw future Women's Champion Layla emerge as the winner while Maryse finished seventh. However, among the many women who didn't make the cut were twins Nicole and Brianna Garcia-Colace. The two would be signed to WWE developmental nonetheless, and a year later would debut on SmackDown as Nikki and Brie Bella.
The Bellas would focus on their glamour quotient during their first few years in the company, but both would tremendously improve their in-ring skills. This resulted in both Brie and Nikki winning the Women's Title, with Nikki becoming the face of the company before the women's revolution kicked in. The duo still makes occasional appearances in the WWE, the most recent being a cameo at WrestleMania 37 to confront Bayley.
