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In WWE today, there are very few competitors who have the amount of momentum and popularity that the former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair does. After spending time in WWE developmental, she was called up to the main roster. In addition to being the former RAW Women’s Champion, she was also a Royal Rumble winner and SmackDown Women’s Champion. She has wrestled some of the greats, such as Becky Lynch, Bayley, Mercedes Moné, and more. Throughout her career, she has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt why she is the self-proclaimed “EST of WWE”, something she knew from the very beginning.
Bianca Belair's Origins Began In NXT
Belair arrived in WWE with no prior experience in professional wrestling. While she was in the Performance Center, Mark Henry had been helping her to develop her character and look while in the ring. As she explained on Inside the Ropes (h/t WrestleTalk), Henry had told her that she needed to come up with something that would help her become instantly recognizable with fans. This is where she developed her signature ponytail braid which, encouraged by her husband Montez Ford who had said, “...they might not remember your name the first time, but they always remember the girl with the ponytail, the braid.”
When Belair was in NXT, she further began to develop her identity as “The EST.” Incredibly athletic and talented, this was something she spoke of in her promos. She knew just how great she truly was, describing qualities such as being the toughest and the fastest. This is where the name emerged, as she said, “...the “est” was kind of at the end of it. So I was like, ‘EST rhymes with NXT. I’m the EST of NXT.’ It all just was a perfect fit. It all just fell into place like everything has in my journey. So kind of just came about and it was the first thing that I started doing and it stuck.”
RELATED: Bianca Belair's NXT Run Before Her Dominant Main Roster Career, Explained
Bianca Belair Becomes One Of Biggest Stars In WWE Today
From NXT to the main roster, Belair has done it all and proved just how right she was. In a relatively short amount of time, she skyrocketed in success and developed an organic connection with the fans.
Belair possesses an incredible amount of charisma, character, and charm. In the ring, she has also shown how tremendously talented she is, consistently putting on match of the night candidates with some of the very best in the business. All of this has translated into championship wins, great storylines, and classic matches.
RELATED: 6 Best Moments Of Bianca Belair's WWE Career (& 4 Worst)
Bianca Belair Will Be "The EST Of WWE" For Years To Come
In 2020, Belair spoke with NXT UK (h/t Sportskeeda), saying, “The ‘EST of WWE’ it just means that I am a hybrid athlete. I’m not just good in one area, I’m not just good at one thing, I’m not just strong, I’m not just someone who can go in there and do flips and be a showcase athlete. I’m someone who can do it all. I’m not just average in different areas, I’m the best in every single area. So, I’m the strongEST, I'm the fastEST, the quickEST, the roughEST, the greatEST, the smartEST, I’m the bEST. All those ends in EST. So, I just see myself as being the absolute best in every single area that you can think of.”
In 2023, Belair has more than shown what she is capable of. She is one of the biggest stars in all of professional wrestling, both in and out of WWE. She has accolades from ESPN, ESPY, Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Sports Illustrated, and more. She is a history maker and a trailblazer. She has proved that she will be “The EST of WWE” for years to come.
