5 things you didn't know about WWE's female referee Aja Smith

Over the past year, there has been a lot of talk about female referees in WWE, since Jessika Carr seemingly paved the way for many other female referees to follow in her footsteps. Carr has already made the move up to the main roster, but it appears that there are some women already coming through the ranks in NXT and one of those is Aja Smith.

Last night on RAW, Aja stepped into the spotlight when he refereed the match between Bobby Lashley and Denzel Dejournette, which is the first time she has refereed on the company's main roster. Aja predominantly works on NXT, but it appears that the company allowed her to show off her skills last night on their main show.

Since this is the first time many fans will be seeing Smith, here are some interesting facts to get any fan acquainted with WWE's newest lady ref.

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#5. WWE's first-ever African American female referee

As already noted, Jessika Carr was the trailblazer who became WWE's first-ever full-time female referee but following her move up to the main roster, there is now a slot open in NXT.

Aja Smith may not be the first-ever female referee, but she is the company's first-ever African-American female referee. She has made her own little bit of history in being able to make it to the main roster and show off skills of another kind.

At present, WWE has a number of females who are looking to make their mark as officials in the biggest wrestling company in the world. But as of right now, only Aja Smith and Jessika Carr have been able to work on the main roster.

#4. Aja is a former wrestler

https://t.co/tfTk5TqmzW Your love and support over the years has gotten me to this moment. This is bigger than me. To follow a dream. TO MAKE HISTORY. And I’m just getting started.😎We can do it all and I’m honored to be lighting the way. Let’s change the world! #BlackGirlMagic

— Aja Smith (@RefAjaWWE) February 5, 2020

Much like Jessika Carr, Aja started her path to WWE as a professional wrestler but then decided to attend a tryout to be a female referee instead.

Smith is a former SHINE Tag Team Champion and SHINE Nova Champion and was looking to pursue a career as a professional wrestler at one point before she changed her mind.

WWE signed Smith to the company back in February, but ahead of that, she was working in the United States, Mexico, and Japan under the ring name Aja Perera.

Aja definitely isn't taking anything for granted and knows the position she is currently in as a referee in WWE. She was able to recently open up about her new role in WWE on the company's Youtube channel. It's obvious that she wants to use her role to become as much of an inspiration to other women as Carr recently has. She said:

"That is the greatest moment of my life, having this platform as a female, as a female of color, is really an honor and I'm so thankful to be given this moment."

#3. Her boyfriend Leon Ruff recently fought Aleister Black on RAW

Aja Smith is new on the scene in WWE, but while she was able to officially sign back in February, her boyfriend Leon Ruff was interestingly part of an episode of Monday Night RAW back in March.

Leon took on Aleister Black in a losing effort but was still able to put on a showing which made the Dutch Destroyer look as dominating as ever. Ruff and Smith met while working on the circuit together and Ruff still wrestles for Evolve at present.

Ruff isn't currently signed to WWE or NXT, but he is one of a number of outside talents who have been able to make a mark on RAW in the current situation that has forced WWE to make drastic changes. His partner Aja Smith has also benefitted since she was able to make her main roster debut just four weeks after her NXT debut.

#2. She's an advocate for pineapple on pizza

Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world, but while there are hundreds of toppings that can be put onto the base, there has been an ongoing debate regarding whether or not pizza should have pineapple on top.

There are many people who refuse to believe that there is a place for fruit on pizza, while there are others who swear by it. Surprisingly, Hawaiian pizza (pineapple and ham) has now become one of the most popular forms of the Italian product.

Interestingly, WWE's newest female referee recruit, Aja Smith is an advocate when it comes to having pineapple on pizza, so much so that she regularly tweets and Instagrams about it.

Her boyfriend Leon Ruff even sent a message to her when she won the Nova Championship back at Shine in 2018 to tell her that he would celebrate with a pineapple pizza, but it appears that he isn't that much of a fan.

#1. Aja's mother inspired her

WWE signed Aja Smith to their NXT brand earlier this year back in February and released a video welcoming her to their developmental brand. As part of the video, Smith was able to reveal one of the biggest turning points in her life which was the reason she believes that she was able to find her way to WWE.

Aja stated that her mother was in the hospital for more than a week back in 2018 and there was one night where she had a match scheduled but refused to leave because she thought that she was going to lose her. Her mother convinced her to go and she won the Championship that night, which is where her whole perspective changed.

She said that after that win, she promised her mother that it wasn't a waste, she didn't miss that day with her mother for nothing and it's one of the main things that has spurred her forward in her career over the past few months.