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There isn’t a more athletic female wrestler in the WWE today than Naomi. On several occasions, the former women’s champion has shown that she belongs on the big stage, putting women’s wrestling on the map. Many thought her marriage to Jonathan Fatu would be her claim to wrestling fame. However, she has paved her own way in the industry.
Naomi, whose real name is Trinity Fatu, is a 2-time Women’s Champion and the inaugural winner of the Wrestlemania Women’s Battle Royal. In addition to that, she has performed at six WrestleManias and countless pay-per-views. Not many females have been as consistent and reliable as her over the years, making her one of WWE’s most trusted performers. And she’s achieved all those feats with a smile on her face and a hard-working attitude, making a role model for her peers.
So, that’s what we know about the 2-time Women’s Champion, so what don’t we know?
Here are 5 things you didn’t know about Naomi.
#5 Used to dance for the Orlando Magic
As made pretty obvious by her first gimmick on the main roster, Naomi has had dancing fever her whole life. She’s admitted that from an early age, she loved to dance and have fun. It wasn’t too long before her talent was recognized on a national scale. Naomi was born in Sanford, Florida so it’s only right her talents emanated to her local team first.
At just 18 years of age, she became a cheerleader for the NBA team, Orlando Magic. It was in that year she initially joined that the Magic reached the finals for the first time ever. Perhaps Naomi was a good luck charm? Of course, the first time we saw the former cheerleader on TV was as a Funkadactyl for Brodus Clay, I guess now it all makes sense as to why she was such a natural with it.
#4 She loves Japanese wrestling
This may come as a surprise to you, but Naomi is a student of the game. She doesn’t just watch wrestling ignorantly or only watch what’s around her, she pays attention to all corners of the globe. Many female WWE superstars reference figures like Trish Stratus or Lita as their favorite wrestlers of all time. Not Naomi, she stated in a Twitter Q&A that she was obsessed with Manami Toyota.
The Japanese legend is best known for her time with All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling. Toyota paved the way for women not only in Japan but across the world. She’s often considered as the greatest female wrestler of all time, across all companies. Naomi has some way before she lives up to the name of Toyota, however, with her passion and desire for the craft, there’s no reason why she couldn’t create her own legacy.
#3 She back up danced for Flo Rida
What’s better or just as big as being from Florida and dancing for Orlando Magic? Dancing for Mr. Flo Rida himself. For someone like Naomi, Flo Rida was a massive part of her childhood and the culture she grew up in. As we stated earlier, Naomi had a career in dance from the age of eight. From that early age, she would go on to win several tournaments on both a state and national level.
This was all before she even graced the Orlando Magic with her presence. At 18, she was dancing for the Orlando Magic. By 19 she added being a backup dancer to Flo Rida to her CV. Funny how things work out, Flo Rida would go on to a build a successful relationship with WWE and perform at several of their WrestleManias – WrestleManias that Naomi herself performed at. Flo Rida probably didn’t know who she was back then, but I’m sure he does now!
#2 She released a single
There’s a lot more than meets the eye with Naomi. Apart from her dancing and storied wrestling career, Naomi even has an interest in music. Back in 2014, Naomi showed the world how versatile she is, showcasing her true entertainment skills. She released her single called ‘Dance All Night’ an up-tempo dance track that caught the attention of many music industry experts.
WWE heavily backed the former dancer in her quest to launch a music career. They premiered the music video on their YouTube channel and promoted it severally. WWE also made sure it featured as a major storyline in their Total Divas show at the time of release. Today, the video sits on an impressive 3.5 million views, more than some professional artists. It’s unclear as to whether the former Women’s champion will pursue music in the future, if she does, I’m sure we’ll hear about it.
#1 First ever FCW Divas Champion
Before there was an NXT, there was a Florida Championship Wrestling. A developmental promotion that paved the way for WWE to take its trainee wrestlers seriously. Back then, things weren’t as nice for women as they are now. In fact, the women in FCW were often viewed as afterthoughts, just filling up the show in anticipation for the men.
It took them years after the brand had been created for them to introduce a title for the women – the FCW Divas Championship. This was back in 2010 and Naomi won an 8-woman tournament, which included the likes of AJ Lee, Aksana & Tamina, to become the first ever FCW Divas Champion. She would then go on a Brock Lesnar-type reign for six months before eventually dropping the belt to AJ Lee. So, it’s fair to say the Florida-born wrestler has been championship material for nearly a decade now.
