Candice LeRae

Candice LeRae
LeRae in 2014
Birth nameCandice LeRae Dawson[1]
Born (1985-09-29) September 29, 1985 (age 39)[2][3]
Riverside, California, U.S.[4]
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 2016)​
Children1
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Candice LeRae[5]
Candice Wrestling
Robyn[6]
Billed height1.58 m (5 ft 2 in)[7]
Billed weight110 lb (50 kg)[7]
Billed fromAnaheim, California
Riverside, California[7]
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada[5]
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Trained byBill Anderson[8]
Jesse Hernandez[7]
T. J. Perkins[9]
WWE Performance Center[10]
Debut2002[9]

Candice LeRae Dawson (born September 29, 1985)[11][12] is an American professional wrestler. As of September 2022, she is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Candice LeRae and is the current and inaugural WWE Women's Speed Champion. She is also a former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion (with Indi Hartwell) and was a member of The Way.

Dawson began her professional wrestling career in 2002, working for the Empire Wrestling Federation (EWF) promotion until 2006. Over the following years, she competed in various promotions on the independent circuit, including Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Shimmer Women Athletes, DDT Pro-Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), where she is a one-time PWG World Tag Team Champion, making her the only female title holder in the promotion's history. Other titles she held include the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship and the FWE Women's Championship.

After competing at the inaugural Mae Young Classic in 2017, Dawson signed with WWE in early 2018 and debuted for the NXT brand, where she became involved in her husband Johnny Gargano's feuds before becoming a singles competitor. In 2020, Dawson joined Gargano, Indi Hartwell, and Austin Theory to form the villainous faction The Way, until it dissolved the following year. She left the company in May 2022 but returned in September that year.

  1. ^ "Candice Lerae Dawson, Born 09/29/1985 in California". California Birth Index. Archived from the original on December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  2. ^ Johnny Gargano (September 29, 2023). "A VERY Happy Birthday to the best Wife a dude could ask for AND the best Mom a baby/dog could ask for.. @candicelerae!". X. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "Candice LeRae Dawson Birth Record". California Birth Index. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  4. ^ "Candice LeRae – Thriving in a Male Dominated World". YouTube. Lilian Garcia. September 19, 2019. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference OWW was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Candice LeRae « Wrestlers Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c d "Roster". Pro Wrestling Guerrilla. Archived from the original on February 13, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference CF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b "Tale of the Tape: Candice LeRae". Combat Zone Wrestling. September 13, 2013. Archived from the original on February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference WWEsign was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Candice LeRae Online Profile". Internet Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on July 14, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  12. ^ "Candice LeRae Dawson Birth Record". California Birth Index. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.