Aksana (wrestler)

Aksana
Aksana in 2014
Born (1982-04-29) April 29, 1982 (age 42)[1][2]
Alytus, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union
(now Lithuania)[3]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Aksana
Olga[1]
Billed height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[3]
Billed weight130 lb (59 kg)
Billed fromAlytus, Lithuania[3]
Trained byFlorida Championship Wrestling[1]
DebutSeptember 2009[1]
RetiredJune 12, 2014

Živilė Raudonienė (born April 29, 1982) is a Lithuanian fitness model, bodybuilder, and retired professional wrestler. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she performed under the ring name Aksana.

Raudonienė began her career as a bodybuilder at the age of 13, where she began her training. At the age of 17, she was the youngest participant in the 1999 IFBB Arnold Classic Contest.[4] During her time as a bodybuilder, she won three medals in Bodybuilding Amateur World Championships (2 silver, 1 bronze).[5]

Raudonienė signed with the professional wrestling promotion WWE and was assigned to their developmental system, Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), debuting in October 2009. She became the Queen of FCW and won the FCW Divas Championship, and was the first woman to hold both titles simultaneously.[6][7][8] In September 2010, she competed in the third season of NXT, placing fourth.[9] She made her debut on the main roster in August 2011, and remained with the company until her release in June 2014. After leaving WWE, she began to work as a fitness trainer in a gym.

  1. ^ a b c d "Aksana". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on October 6, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  2. ^ "Lietuvos kultūrizmo ir kūno rengybos federacija – Živilė Raudonienė" (in Lithuanian). lkff.lt. Archived from the original on November 7, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c "Aksana bio". WWE. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  4. ^ "Testimonials Živilė Raudonienė". protanusa.com. October 5, 2009. Retrieved October 5, 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  5. ^ "Amateur World Championships". Archived from the original on November 4, 2011. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  6. ^ "Champions roll call". Florida Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  7. ^ "Aksana becomes the FCW Diva's Champion". Florida Championship Wrestling. April 7, 2011. Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  8. ^ "Champions Roll Call". Florida Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  9. ^ Bishop, Matt (September 7, 2010). "WWE NXT: Season 3 opens with burials, botches, more". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 23, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2018.