Kelani Jordan
Kelani Jordan | |
---|---|
Birth name | Leah Mitchell[1] |
Born | [1] Boynton Beach, Florida, U.S.[1] | October 22, 1998
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Kelani Jordan[2] Leah Mitchell[3] |
Billed height | 5 ft 5 in (165 cm)[2] |
Billed from | Boynton Beach, Florida[2] |
Trained by | WWE Performance Center[3] Sara Del Rey[3] |
Debut | October 28, 2022[3] |
Leah Mitchell (born October 22, 1998) is an American professional wrestler and former artistic gymnast. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kelani Jordan and is the current and inaugural NXT Women's North American Champion in her first reign.
Professional wrestling career
In August 2022, Mitchell signed a contract with WWE and reported to the WWE Performance Center.[4][5] Mitchell made her in-ring debut by participating in a battle royal at a NXT live event on October 28.[6] On June 27, 2023, at NXT: Gold Rush, Mitchell, under the ring name Kelani Jordan, made her on-screen debut as the protégé of Dana Brooke. However, the storyline was dropped when Brooke was released on September 21.[7] Jordan was announced as a participant in 2023 NXT Women's Breakout Tournament, defeating Izzi Dame in the first round and Arianna Grace in the semifinal, but lost to Lola Vice in the final at Night 2 of NXT: Halloween Havoc.[8] On the November 28 episode of NXT, Jordan defeated Kiana James to advance for the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline, but failed to win the match at the event.[9][10]
In early 2024, Jordan and Fallon Henley formed a temporary partnership with Chase University's Thea Hail. At NXT Stand & Deliver on April 6, 2024, Jordan, Hail and Henley defeated Jacy Jayne, Kiana James and Izzi Dame in a six-woman tag team match.[11] On the May 28 episode of NXT, Jordan defeated Wren Sinclair to qualify for a spot for the six-woman ladder match to crown the inaugural NXT Women's North American Champion at NXT Battleground.[12] At the event on June 9, Jordan won the ladder match to become the inaugural NXT Women's North American Champion.[13] On the June 18 episode of NXT, Jordan defeated Michin after interference from Jaida Parker in her first title defense.[14] At NXT Heatwave on July 7, Jordan successfully defended her title against Sol Ruca.[15] At No Mercy on September 1, Jordan successfully defended her title against Wendy Choo.[16]
Personal life
Mitchell is currently in a relationship with fellow professional wrestler Christian Brigham, known professionally as Carmelo Hayes.[17][18] She cites Bianca Belair, Bryan Danielson, and Rob Van Dam as her inspirations in wrestling.[19]
Championships and accomplishments
References
- ^ a b c "Lea Mitchell - Women's Gymnastics". Michigan State Spartans. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Kelani Jordan's WWE profile". WWE. Archived from the original on June 15, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Kelani Jordan's Cagematch profile". cagematch.net. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (August 10, 2022). "WWE Names 14 Athletes Offered A Contract At WWE SummerSlam Tryouts". Fightful. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ "Meet the WWE Performance Center Fall 2022 Rookie Class". WWE. November 10, 2022. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ "New WWE NXT Ring Name Revealed, TV Debut Set For Level Up". pwmania.com. May 12, 2023. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ "Breaking news: Dana Brooke and other wrestlers from WWE/NXT released". NoDQ.com. September 21, 2023. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
- ^ Bryan Rose (October 31, 2023). "Lola Vice wins WWE NXT Women's Breakout Tournament". WON / F4W. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- ^ "Women's Iron Survivor Challenge Match (Tiffany Stratton, Lash Legend, Blair Davenport, Kelani Jordan and Fallon Henley)". WWE. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ "The Mad Dragon reigns supreme at NXT Deadline". WWE. December 9, 2023. Archived from the original on December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ Powell, Jason (April 6, 2024). "NXT Stand & Deliver results: Moore's live review of Trick Williams vs. Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov vs. Tony D'Angelo for the NXT Title, Lyra Valkyria vs. Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on April 6, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
- ^ Powell, Jason (May 28, 2024). "NXT TV results (5/28): Moore's review of Trick Williams and Je'Von Evans vs. Mark Coffey and Wolfgang, Michin vs. Tatum Paxley and Kelani Jordan vs. Wren Sinclair in NXT Women's NA Title ladder match qualifiers". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ Chiari, Mike (June 10, 2024). "Kelani Jordan Wins 1st-Ever NXT Women's North American Title at Battleground". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on June 10, 2024. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ Moore, John (June 18, 2024). "NXT TV results (6/18): Moore's review of the 25-man battle royal for a shot at the NXT Championship at NXT Heatwave, Kelani Jordan vs. Michin for the North American Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
- ^ Powell, Jason (July 7, 2024). "NXT Heatwave results: Moore's live review of Trick Williams vs. Ethan Page vs. Je'Von Evans vs. Shawn Spears for the NXT Championship, Roxanne Perez vs. Lola Vice for the NXT Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ Moore, John (September 1, 2024). "NXT No Mercy results: Moore's live review of Ethan Page vs. Joe Hendry for the NXT Championship with Trick Williams as special referee, Roxanne Perez vs. Jaida Parker for the NXT Women's Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on September 2, 2024. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
- ^ Toolan, Jamie (August 2, 2023). "WWE STAR SHARES BIRTHDAY WISHES FOR REAL-LIFE BOYFRIEND CARMELO HAYES". Wrestletalk.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ _wwe, Carmelo. "carmelo_wwe Happiest Birthday to the best part of me. You deserve the world @kelani_wwe ❤️👑". Instagram.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ Salcedo, Denise (December 9, 2023). "NXT's Kelani Jordan on how RVD, Bryan Danielson & Bianca Belair have influenced her". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Archived from the original on August 8, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ "NXT Women's North American Champion". WWE. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
External links
- Kelani Jordan on WWE.com
- Kelani Jordan's profile at Cagematch.net , Wrestlingdata.com , Internet Wrestling Database