In the early 2000s when sex was still selling like hotcakes for WWE just outside of its infamously raunchy Attitude Era, and women actually wrestling matches wasn't entirely the focus of the Divas division, the company took it a step further when it implemented its annual Diva Search. While the first year's winner,Jamie Koeppe, only won a photoshoot with WWE.com, when the contest ramped up in later years and was televised for fans, the winner would receive a one-year contract with the company worth $250,000. Women from across the country, with and without wrestling experience, competed to become the next WWE Diva.
WWE held the Diva Search beginning in 2004 and it continued annually through 2007. The winners includedChristy Hemme, the late Ashley Massaro, Layla El, and Eve Torres. The winners would go on to have WWE careers that lasted longer than their initial deal and many won the Divas Championship and went on to become bigger players in the professional wrestling world as a whole.
Despite there only being four winners of the Diva Search, plenty of other competitors throughout the seasons were deemed "Diva" worthy by Vince McMahon and WWE and were signed to the company. There were plenty of women, like WWE Hall of Famers Michelle McCool and the Bella Twins, who went on to be signed and win the Divas Championship. Others, like Maria Kanellis and Christy Hemme, got their start in WWE, but went on to become bigger stars in other companies. For many women, the glorified fitness model search was a huge jumping off point for bigger and better things.
Michelle McCool was the first Diva Search contestant to win the Divas Championship, and she was also a competitor on the first televised season of the competition. While McCool may have lost to Christy Hemme, she has become one of WWE's best-known stars from the Divas Era, especially in regards to her work in the ring. McCool is married to The Undertaker and was inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame ahead of WrestleMania 41 in 2025.
After getting her feet wet in on-screen backstage roles and some in-ring training in Deep South Wrestling and OVW, she made her in-ring debut in June 2006. McCool became the inaugural Divas Champion in 2008 and held the gold for five months. She won the WWE Women's Championship in 2009 and cemented herself in history as the first women to have ever held both titles. She went on to unify the belts at Night of Champions in 2010.
McCool was perhaps most memorably aligned with fellow Diva Search competitor Layla, and the pair formed LayCool to both hold one-half of the Divas Championship. The women were involved in one of the times' more controversial angles when they were feuding with Mickie James, who they deemed "piggy James" in a storyline where they bullied their fellow Diva, something McCool said she was never comfortable with.
Since retiring from the ring in 2011 after a "Loser Leaves WWE" match against Layla, McCool has made multiple appearances in WWE. She's been part of the 2018, 2022, and 2023 Women's Royal Rumble matches and was also an entrant in a battle royal at Evolution. McCool now serves as a mentor, like her husband, on "WWE LFG: Legends & Future Greats."
The Bella Twins are perhaps the most successful Diva Search contestants when it comes to mainstream media, but fans might not even know that Nikki and Brie Bella were in the competition. The pair tried out for the 2006 Diva Search, but didn't make the cut. They were initially signed to developmental deals in June 2007 and trained in Tampa, Florida, at FCW. They debuted on the main roster in August 2008 and would quickly become a popular tag team with their "Twin Magic" role reversal during matches.
The twins would go on to become Divas Champion multiple times, with Brie capturing the gold first, but only once. Nikki held the title twice, with her second reign lasting for 301 days, making her the longest-reigning Divas Champion of all time, breaking AJ Lee's previous record. Brie retired from in-ring competition in 2018, with her sister to follow shortly after following her main event match against Ronda Rousey at Evolution. The pair would part ways from WWE for a bit in 2023 after their contracts expired and briefly went by their real surname, the Garcia Twins, in their outside business ventures for a short time.
The Bellas are best known to fans outside of the wrestling world for their roles in E! Network reality series "Total Divas," which was so successful the twins got a show of their own on the network called "Total Bellas." Now back involved with WWE, the pair have made Women's Royal Rumble appearances, and as of this writing, Nikki seems to be set to appear at Evolution II, possibly alongside her sister for a shot at the Women's Tag Team Championships, something they've said they're interested in going after. The twins were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2021, after their induction was delayed in 2020.
Maria Kanellis is most famously known these days in the world of professional wrestling for her commitment to improving women's wrestling, and the motivation likely stemmed from what she experienced in WWE during the Divas Era. Kanellis was a contestant on the 2004 Diva Search, where she placed fifth, but was still signed to WWE as a backstage interviewer while she was also training in OVW.
Her first "match" was in January 2005 against fellow Diva Search alumni Christy Hemme in a lingerie pillow fight. Kanellis would compete in matches like the Fulfill Your Fantasy Diva Battle Royal, bra & panties matches, and more in WWE. Kanellis would take bumps from men throughout her in-ring career, however, including a Samoan Drop by Umaga and a Stone Cold Stunner. Her time in WWE also led her to the cover of Playboy magazine. Kanellis left WWE in 2010 after she was released from her contract.
Kanellis joined Ring of Honor in 2011 alongside her future husband Mike Bennett. She would continued to work in ROH as well as other independent promotions, including Family Wrestling Entertainment, as well as New Japan Pro-Wrestling. She and Bennett worked in TNA for a year before returning to WWE in 2017, where Kanellis would briefly hold her first and only WWE championship, the comedic 24/7 title.
Kanellis and Bennett were released due to pandemic budget cuts, and "The First Lady of ROH" would return to the promotion until the company closed down prior to being purchased by Tony Khan in 2021. Kanellis joined AEW alongside her husband in October 2022 before briefly moving back to ROH.Kanellis announced her departure from AEW in early 2025.
Maryse's love story with both her husband, The Miz, and WWE started with the 2006 Diva Search. Maryse may not have won the competition, but she was still hired by WWE and spent time in OVW and FCW before joining the "SmackDown" roster in 2008, where she quickly won her first Divas Championship. After she was drafted over to "Raw" the following year, she would win her next title in 2010, making her the first Diva to hold the gold more than once. Though also subjected to the sillier, more risqu side of some WWE matches throughout her initial run in her Divas Era, Maryse was able to showcase her in-ring ability until her release in October 2011.
She returned WWE in 2016 as the manager to her husband, appearing on the episode of "Raw" after WrestleMania 33 to help Miz capture the Intercontinental Championship from Zack Ryder.The pair would get involved in a few mixed tag team feuds, like their WrestleMania 32 feud against John Cena and Nikki Bella. Maryse's final feud alongside her husband would come at the end of 2021, into early 2022, when they would take on Edge and Beth Phoenix in a loss.
Maryse was also featured on "Total Divas," and in 2018, she and The Miz got their own reality show on the USA Network called "Miz & Mrs.," which highlighted their major moves across the country and their parenting journeys.
Christy Hemme was the winner of the 2004 Diva Search in 2004, the first in which the winner received a contract with WWE. She was already a successful model by the time she joined the contest and had participated in the 2004 Lingerie Bowl. She started her wrestling career on "Raw" and feuded with the runner-up to the Search, Carmella DeCesare. Throughout her time in WWE, Hemme would also feud with the likes of Trish Stratus, Victoria, Molly Holly, Gail Kim, and more.
After a year on the main roster, Hemme was sent to OVW before being released from WWE in 2005,with budget cuts cited as the reason. She wouldn't be out of the ring long, however, and signed with TNA Wrestling in April 2006. Though Hemme didn't win any titles throughout her TNA career, she was heavily involved across the board, from competing in the ring, to ring announcing and interviewing stars backstage at some points, as well as hosting "TNA! Global Impact," the promotion's online show.Hemme would also train under then-agent Scott D'Amore in between TV tapings. She officially entered singles competition in the promotion in 2008.
Hemme would stay with TNA through April 2016 and became part of its creative team in April 2014. After her departure, Hemme, Lita, and Gail Kim announced "KAYfaBE" in March 2020, which was meant to be a new wrestling show inspired by true events turned into a scripted drama. The show's debut was delayed and it never launched, with the team citing the financial impact of the pandemic.In 2024,Hemme once again joined TNA, this time as its head of marketing, but would be gone again the following year due to shakeups within the promotion.
Eve Torres was the winner of the 2007 Diva Search, the final iteration of the competition. She was another winner signed well beyond the initially touted year-long contract of the earlier contests.Torres became a three-time WWE Divas Champion throughout her in-ring career.
After winning the Diva Search, Torres first became a backstage interviewer as she trained in Ohio Valley Wrestling. She'd work her way into in-ring competition through the usual ways in WWE at the time, including bikini contests, costume matches, and dance-offs. Her first real storyline began in 2009 when she feuded with fellow Diva Search alumni McCool. She defeated yet another alumni, Maryse, to win her first Divas Championship in 2010. Torres became an authority figure on-screen and memorably became involved with Zack Ryder in a romantic storyline, which turned into a love triangle involving John Cena, which led to her eventual heel turn.
Torres asked for her release from WWE in January 2013 and lost the Divas Championship to Kaitlyn on the 20th Anniversary episode of "WWE Raw."Torres was offered a role on E! Networks reality series "Total Divas,"but declined. The former Diva Search winner went on to focus on her role as an instructor with the Gracie family, which she married into in 2014.
While she's not stepped back in the ring, Torres has made a few appearances with WWE both on-screen and behind-the-scenes in the years since her retirement. She appeared on the pre-show before Evolution and most recently appeared on the "Raw Reunion" episode in July 2019.
Candice Michelle was also a Diva Search contestant in the first iteration of the contest in 2004. She was hired by WWE anyway, though she only had modeling and acting experience. Michelle would go from a makeup artist gimmick to winning her first, and only, Women's Championship in 2007. She was the first former Diva Search contestant to win the title.
Michelle would compete in the usual bra & panties matches and lingerie fashion shows throughout her career, but would also get involved in storylines with a bit more substance. She would be traded back and forth between "Raw" and "SmackDown" many times over the years. At one point, she aligned herself with Torrie Wilson to feud with 2005 Diva Search winner Ashley Massaro. Michelle would wrestle for WWE until 2009, when her contract expired in the summer.She retired from in-ring competition on the independent circuit after she defeated Lisa Marie Varon (Tara in TNA and Victoria in WWE) at House of Hardcore 36 in December 2017.
She would go on to make sporadic WWE appearances over the years. In 2019 Candice Michelle captured the 24/7 Championship fromKelly Kelly, but would later lose it to Alundra Blayze.
Layla El, more often referred to as simply Layla during her time in WWE, won the 2006 season of the Diva Search and would come to be known as a good in-ring competitor alongside Diva Search alumni Michelle McCool. Layla initially started her WWE journey on "SmackDown" but was moved to "ECW" to join Kelly Kelly's Extreme Expose in January 2007. Before teaming with McCool as LayCool, she would also manage William Regal when she was drafted back to "Raw."
Layla was the first Diva Search winner to hold the WWE Women's Championship (with Candice Michelle being the first competitor) and was the final champion when the title was retired in 2010. She and McCool would "split" the championship, literally, with each woman claiming to be "co-champion." Layla won the Divas Championship in April 2012 after a year-long hiatus due to injury.
Layla wrestled until her retirement in 2015. Her final match was against Emma in July 2015. While she was never a cast member on "Total Divas," she did make a guest appearance in the third season. Since retiring from in-ring competition, Layla hasn't worked on the independent scene and hasn't made any appearances in WWE, even for a Women's Royal Rumble. She has said the door isn't closed on a return, however.
Taryn Terrell was known as Tiffany in WWE and she was another talent who got her start from the Diva Search. She competed on the 2007 season and made it to the final eight. She was signed to a developmental deal in February 2008 and trained in FCW, where she worked alongside the Bella Twins,Alicia Fox, AJ Lee and more.
Tiffany served as the first general manager of WWE's ECW rebrand. She made her debut in June 2008 and competed in a costume contest at Cyber Sunday that year. She would work in multi-Diva tag team matches throughout her time in WWE and was part of the infamous 25-Diva battle royal won by Santina Marella at WrestleMania 25. Tiffany would wrestle and work as a manager and valet following the death of WWECW, but was released from her WWE contract in November 2010 following a suspension due to a real-life incident with then-husband Drew McIntyre.
She wrestled on the independent scene for three years before debuting in OVW, which was TNA's developmental branch at the time. She debuted for TNA proper in August 2012 and became a referee for the Knockouts Division, eventually getting into a feud with Gail Kim due to bad calls as a ref. Tiffany held the TNA Knockouts Championship for a then-record of 279 days before she left the company in January 2016. She would make a few more appearances throughout the years in TNA and also wrestled in NWA from 2021-2022, where she announced her retirement from the ring.
Brooke Tessmacher may be best known for her work in TNA Wrestling, but she initially got her start in the professional wrestling world through WWE's Diva Search. Tessmacher competed in the 2006 season, but failed to make the top eight. Despite not making it, she and Maryse were both offered developmental contracts, and Tessmacher trained in DSW.
She debuted on the main roster, for WWE ECW, in January 2007 and joined Kelly Kelly and Layla in Extreme Expose, performing weekly dance segments for the fans.Tessmacher was released from her WWE contract in November 2007 and wouldn't return to the wrestling business until March 2010 in TNA as Ms. Tessmacher, assistant to Eric Bischoff. She was soon put in charge, in storyline, of the Knockouts Division.
Tessmacher would work to get back in between the ropes and would go on to win multiple championships in TNA, including the Knockouts' Tag Team Championship alongside Tara, formerly known as Victoria in WWE.Tessmacher won the Knockouts Championship three times throughout her career.Her final feud in the company was against Gail Kim, to whom she lost the Knockouts Championship. Tessmacher failed to advance in the TNA World Title Series in 2015 and she announced her departure from the company, which was later revealed to be due to her first pregnancy.
Tessmacher would return on an episode of "Impact Wrestling" in January 2017 and worked a few matches against Sienna and Deonna Purrazzo before she revealed once again she was no longer under contract with TNA.
