Leah Van Dale (October 23, 1987) is an American cheerleader, dancer, fitness trainer, model, professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager currently signed to WWE under the ring name Carmella, performing on the SmackDown brand. She is a one-time Smackdown Women's Champion.
In June 2013, Van Dale signed a contract with WWE, and was assigned to their Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. In October 2014, she aligned herself with Enzo Amore and
husband also becoming their manager.
Professional wrestling career[]
In November 2013, when Enzo Amore suffered a broken leg while training, she was paired with Colin Cassady during live events before Amore's return. She made her debut on the September 4, 2014 episode of NXT, portraying a hairdresser in a segment with Amore and Cassady. Two weeks later on NXT, Carmella appeared in another segment with Amore and Cassady at the WWE Performance Center, announcing that she had lost her job as a hairdresser due to Amore and Cassady's actions, and asked for a job at NXT. She made her in-ring debut on the October 16 episode of NXT, fighting local wrestler "Blue Pants". Carmella defeated Blue Pants on two occasions, but lost to her on the January 1, 2015 episode of NXT after Amore accidentally caused a distraction.
In March, Amore and Cassady began a rivalry with the NXT Tag Team Champions Blake and Murphy, while Blake and Murphy attempted to woo Carmella on several occasions. On the May 13 episode of NXT, Blake and Murphy distracted Carmella during her match with Alexa Bliss, causing her to lose. At NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, during Amore and Cassady's NXT Tag Team Championship match against Blake and Murphy, Alexa Bliss would come out mid-match and attack Carmella and Amore, ensuring the win for Blake and Murphy. While continuing to manage Amore and Cassady, Carmella began feuding with Eva Marie, which led to a match between the two, on the August 26 episode of NXT (taped at the NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn event), which Carmella lost. On the September 23 episode of NXT, in a rematch, Carmella lost via count–out, and their rivalry quietly ended.
In the beginning of January 2016, Carmella received her first singles push as she won a battle royal to become the number one contender to Bayley's NXT Women's Championship. Carmella received her championship match against Bayley, on the February 10 episode of NXT, but she was unsuccessful in capturing the title. After the match, Eva Marie and Nia Jax attacked the two, which led to a tag team match, on the February 24 episode of NXT, where Carmella and Bayley were on the losing side. Carmella made her first appearance on WWE's main roster on March 12 at Roadblock, accompanying Amore and Cassady to their match against The Revival for the NXT Tag Team Championship. On the May 25 episode of NXT, Carmella competed in a triple–threat match against Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss to determine the number one contender to Asuka's NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: The End, which was won by Jax.
After being drafted from NXT to SmackDown as part of the 2016 WWE draft which took place on July 19, Carmella made her main roster debut for the brand on July 26, where she confronted the brand's other female talents before being interrupted by Eva Marie. Two weeks later, following an attack from Natalya on the August 2 episode of SmackDown, both women faced off on the August 9 episode of SmackDown, where Carmella achieved her first victory on the main roster by defeating her. The following week on the August 16 episode of SmackDown, Carmella teamed with Becky Lynch in a successful victory against Natalya and Alexa Bliss, after a distraction provided by Eva Marie and Naomi. One day later, a six-woman tag team match was announced for SummerSlam between Carmella, Lynch, and Naomi against Natalya, Bliss, and Marie, but following Eva Marie's suspension on August 18, her place was taken by the returning Nikki Bella, and Carmella's team would ultimately lose the match at the pay-per-view. On the August 23 episode of SmackDown, Carmella attacked a returning Nikki while turning and re-establishing herself as a heel in the process and as part of the main roster. At Backlash, on September 11, Carmella competed in a six-pack elimination challenge to determine the inaugural WWE SmackDown Women's Champion; Carmella would eliminate Nikki, but was eliminated by Becky Lynch, who ultimately won the title. Carmella would then start a feud with Nikki, attacking her from behind each week which would set up for a singles match between them at WWE No Mercy, in which Carmella was unsuccessful. The feud continued after the pay-per-view event, with Carmella stating the only reason Nikki got to where she is today is because of her sister Brie Bella, and boyfriend John Cena. After being revealed as one of the members on the SmackDown womens team on the November 1 episode of SmackDown, during a match against Nikki Bella on the November 15 episode of SmackDown, RAW Women's Champion Charlotte appeared at ringside, causing a distraction and a brawl between all members of the Raw womens team and the SmackDown womens team. At the Survivor Series pay-per-view, after Nikki Bella was mysteriously attacked backstage, which caused Natalya to become her replacement, the SmackDown women's team went on to compete against the Raw women's team, but was unsuccessful in winning the match. In an attempt to finally end her feud with Nikki Bella, Carmella competed in a no-disqualification match against Nikki at the TLC pay-per-view, but was defeated, and would afterwards reveal to Nikki that her attacker at Survivor Series was not her, but her fellow Total Divas co-star Natalya. Carmella would compete in multiple singles matches against Natalya to prove to Nikki Bella that Natalya was her attacker, and would come out victorious on the December 13 episode of SmackDown. On the December 20 episode of SmackDown, after Carmella again revealed more secrets about Natalya to Nikki, Natalya would attack Carmella then admit to attacking Nikki at Survivor Series, revealing her pent-up jealousy of her success for years, thus ending her feud with Nikki Bella.
On December 20, Carmella started a storyline with James Ellsworth, professing that she found him "uniquely attractive". On January 3, 2017, Ellsworth started accompanying Carmella to the ring during her matches.
Gallery[]
