Dashwood started training for professional wrestling in Australia in 2003 when she was 13 years old. In 2008, Dashwood went to Canada to train at theStorm Wrestling Academy. She wrestled in Australia and North America on the independent circuit for promotions likeElite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW) andShimmer Women Athletes under the ring nameTenille Tayla. In 2011, she signed with WWE, thus she became the first female Australian wrestler to be signed to WWE. She is also a formerImpact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion.[7]
Dashwood was introduced to wrestling by her older brother, Jake, when she was about eight years old. She involved herself in the Australian wrestling scene, and did some training from the ages of 13 to 15.[1] In 2005, Dashwood made some appearances for the Australian wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Australia under thering name Valentine. However, from the age of 16 to 18, Dashwood was limited to setting up the ring at events and helping out after she suffered a severe shoulder injury. In 2008, she moved toCalgary,Alberta, Canada, for a few months to train withLance Storm at the Storm Wrestling Academy.[5][1]
In early 2011, Dashwood returned to Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy for further training, during which she became one of the ten trainees featured on theWorld of Hurt reality television show.[9]
Dashwood returned to Australia by September 2008 and wrestled there until February 2009 for promotions such as Wrestlerock and PWA Queensland.[5]
Dashwood made her debut for the Canadian wrestling promotionExtreme Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW) on 22 May 2009 under her real name.[5] In 2009, Dashwood also wrestled for another Canadian promotion,Prairie Wrestling Alliance, as Tenille Williams.[6] In Dashwood's debut match for ECCW, she defeatedNicole Matthews to earn a shot at theSuperGirls Championship,[11][12] but later lost to champion Veronika Vice.[12] On 1 August, Tenille defeated Vice and Matthews in a three-way match to win her first ECCW Supergirls title.[5] By racking up successful titles defences in singles matches against Vice and Matthews, Tenille held the championship until 27 November 2009, when she lost it back to Vice.[5] At 19 March 2010 ECCW event, Tenille defeated Veronika Vice to re-capture theECCW Women's Championship.[5] She then made successful title defences against Vice, Nicole Matthews, and Lylah Lodge in singles matches, as well as against Matthews and KC Spinelli in a three-way match.[5] Dashwood lost the title to Matthews in atables match on 26 October,[11] and went on to lose a title rematch to Matthews in December 2010.[11] Tenille's last match in ECCW was on 7 May 2011, where she was defeated by Matthews.[5]
On 9 July 2011, at aMelbourne City Wrestling event, Tenille had her last match in Australia before heading toWWE, and was defeated by Shazza McKenzie.[13]
As part of herfan favourite character, Emma began performing a comical signature dance, as seen here.
In March 2011,Shimmer announced that Dashwood had signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).[14] In July 2011, Dashwood decided to undergo surgery for her shoulder, which had caused her problems throughout her career.[15] After the surgery she applied again and the company signed her.[16] In June 2012, Dashwood relocated toTampa, Florida, and eventually reported to WWE'sdevelopmental territoryFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW).[17] She made her FCW in-ring debut on 1 Augustlive event, participating in abattle royal.[18] In August 2012, Dashwood revealed Emma as her new ring name.[19]
WWE went on torebrand FCW intoNXT in August 2012.[20] Emma made her televised debut on 28 November episode ofNXT, where she competed againstAudrey Marie in a losing effort. Emma then debuted thegimmick of a clumsy dancer on 9 January 2013 episode ofNXT.[21][22] From April, Emma began to rack up wins over the likes ofBayley and Audrey Marie, while becoming one of NXT's most popular wrestlers.[23][24] On 26 June episode ofNXT, Emma competed in theNXT Women's Championship tournament to crown the inaugural champion. She defeatedAksana in the first round,[25] andSummer Rae in the semi-finals on 10 July episode ofNXT,[26] before losing toPaige in the finals on 24 July episode ofNXT.[27]
On 7 August episode ofNXT, Emma won a dance competition against Summer Rae to become the number one contender for the NXT Women's Championship, but Rae then attacked her to start a feud.[28] In the following months, Emma teamed up with Paige to feud with Rae andSasha Banks, collectively known as the Beautiful Fierce Females (BFFs).[29][30][31] On 18 December episode ofNXT, Emma was challenged byNatalya for Emma's shot at the NXT Women's Championship,[32] which was contested on 1 January 2014 episode ofNXT, in which Emma was victorious. On 27 February atNXT Arrival, Emma received her title match against Paige, but was unsuccessful in capturing the championship.[33] After Paige was stripped of the championship in April, Emma lost toCharlotte in a tournament to determine the new champion. On 5 June episode ofNXT, Emma and Paige saved Bayley from an attack from Summer Rae, Sasha Banks, and Charlotte. On 12 June, Emma teamed with Paige and Bayley to defeat the BFFs.[34] On 28 January 2015 episode ofNXT, Emma announced that she would be returning to NXT, stating that her tenure on the main roster was not working out.[35] The following week onNXT, Emma was defeated byCarmella in her return match.[36] In March, Emma turnedheel after criticisingBayley in a backstage segment,[37][38] which prompted a match between the two on 1 April episode onNXT, in which Emma was defeated.[39] Emma continued her feud with Bayley, when she provided a distraction during Bayley's match withDana Brooke, ensuring Brooke the victory and forming analliance with her in the process.[40] On 6 May episode ofNXT, after Emma was defeated byCharlotte and later attacked by Bayley,[41] atag team match was made between Emma and Brooke and Bayley and Charlotte atNXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, which Emma and Brooke lost.[42] On 27 May episode ofNXT, Emma defeated Bayley, and after the match, Emma and Brooke attacked Bayley and Charlotte.[43]
With her new heel direction, Emma preceded her finisher, theEmma-Lock[44][45][46] (Muta lock, by ahair-pullstomp to the opponent's back)[47][48] Emma ended her feud with Bayley when the latter returned from injury in mid-July, and defeated Emma.[49] On 26 August episode ofNXT (which was taped at theNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn event), Emma won afatal four-way match againstBecky Lynch, Charlotte, and Dana Brooke.[50] In mid-September, Emma and Brooke were involved in a feud with newcomerAsuka, and confronted her during a contract signing withWilliam Regal,[51] which led to a match between Brooke and Asuka atNXT TakeOver: Respect on 7 October, where Emma was attacked by Asuka after attempting to interfere.[52] Throughout November, Emma started provoking Asuka,[53][44] including an attack planned by Emma and Brooke, which occurred on 25 November episode ofNXT,[45] resulting in a critically acclaimed[54] match between her and Asuka at theNXT TakeOver: London event on 16 December,[47][55] which Emma lost, despite interference from Brooke.[56] On 13 January 2016 episode ofNXT, Emma competed in a number one contender's battle royal, which was won by Carmella.[57] On 23 March episode ofNXT, Emma lost against Asuka in the main event, which turned out to be her last televised match inNXT.[58]
On 13 January 2014 episode ofRaw, Emma made her first appearance on the main roster when WWE acknowledged her appearing amongst the live audience.[59][60] Her appearance made her the first Australian woman to debut on WWE television.[2] Emma continued to appear in the crowd onRaw andSmackDown that month, with tensions developing between her andSummer Rae.[61][62]
On 3 February episode ofRaw, Emma was invited into the ring bySantino Marella to participate in a dance-off against Rae, which Emma won by a fan vote.[63] In the following weeks, the feud between Emma and Rae continued, and Emma eventually began teasing anon-screen relationship with Marella.[64][65][66] Emma and Rae faced off in a match on 24 February episode ofRaw, in which Emma was victorious.[67] This led tomixed tag team match against Rae andFandango on 3 March episode ofRaw, which Emma and Marella won.[67] On 25 March episode ofMain Event, Emma teamed up withNatalya, TheFunkadactyls (Cameron andNaomi) andEva Marie in a losing effort to the team of Rae,Alicia Fox,Aksana,Layla andTamina Snuka.[68] On 27 March episode ofSuperstars, Emma once again defeated Rae by submission.[67] On 6 April, Emma made herWrestleMania debut, competing atWrestleMania XXX in the 14-Diva "Vickie Guerrero Invitational match" for theDivas Championship, which was won by the defending championAJ Lee.[69] The following night onRaw, Emma and Marella once again defeated Rae and Fandango in a mixed tag team match, with Emma making Rae submit.[70] On the following episode ofSmackDown, Emma started a feud with Layla, when she replaced Summer Rae as Fandango's dance partner and valet.[71][72] This led to Emma using Marella's finisher, theCobra Strike, later dubbing it theVen-Emma, to defeat Layla on 21 April episode ofRaw.[73] In the beginning of July, Emma's alliance with Marella ended after he announced hislegitimateretirement from in-ring competition.[74]
Throughout the year, Emma racked up victories over the likes of Cameron[75] and Alicia Fox,[76][46][77] but also lost to them,[78][79] and to the likes ofNikki Bella,[80][81][82] Summer Rae[83] andPaige.[84][85] In November, atSurvivor Series, Emma took part of a four-on-fourelimination tag team match, where she eliminated Summer Rae before her team won the match with a clean sweep.[86] While returning to NXT in early 2015, Emma competed in various matches on the main roster,[87][88][89] including abattle royal to determine the number one contender for the Divas Championship, which was won by Paige.[90]
On 22 March episode ofMain Event, Emma made her return to the main roster alongsideSummer Rae by attackingAlicia Fox andNatalya during a match between Paige andNaomi, distracting Paige, and subsequently aligning herself withTeam B.A.D.,Lana and Rae, after a reconciliation between Lana and Summer.[91] The following week, in her return match, Emma defeated Paige on 28 March episode ofRaw, after being helped by Lana. Post-match, she along her allies, attacked Brie Bella, Natalya, Alicia Fox and Paige, before a returningEva Marie cleared the area.[92] As a result, a10-Diva tag team match between theTotal Divas team (Brie, Fox, Natalya, Eva and Paige) and the newly dubbed team B.A.D. & Blonde (Naomi,Tamina, Lana, Emma, and Rae) was announced for theWrestleMania 32's pay-per-view pre-show.[93] At the event on 3 April, they were defeated by team Total Divas after Naomi submitted to Brie Bella.[94][95] After WrestleMania, Emma began a feud withBecky Lynch, defeating her in singles competition on 2 May episode ofRaw.[96] The following week, Emma and the debutingDana Brooke assaulted Lynch during a backstage segment.[97]
On 16 May, WWE announced that Emma had suffered a back injury during alive event that would require surgery, causing her to go on hiatus.[98] On 3 October 2016 episode ofRaw, arepackagevignette was shown, teasing about a "makeover of Emma to Emmalina".[99] WWE continued to display the vignettes of her upcoming return the following weeks.[100][101] In late 2016 and again in early 2017, journalistDave Meltzer described the vignettes as merely a running inside joke, and stated that "there's no spot ready for her" on television.[102][103] Reportedly, the Emmalina gimmick was dropped due to WWE producers feeling that Dashwood could not pull off the character with the direction they would like to display it, which was to be a throwback to the likes ofSable andThe Kat.[104] The Emmalina character first appeared on 13 February 2017 episode ofRaw, only to announce "the makeover from Emmalina to Emma".[105]
Emma appeared on 3 April episode ofRaw as her previous villainous persona. She teamed withCharlotte Flair andNia Jax against Brooke,Sasha Banks, andBayley in a losing effort.[106] On 7 May, Emma suffered a shoulder injury at alive event in Liverpool, England.[107] Emma made her return on 12 June episode ofRaw in a six-woman tag team match, where she, Jax, andAlexa Bliss were defeated by Banks, Brooke, andMickie James.[108] On 4 September episode ofRaw, Emma teamed with Jax to defeat both Bliss and Banks to earn spots for herself and Jax in theRaw Women's Championship match atNo Mercy,[109] her first pay per view match since the 2014 Survivor Series. At the event, she was unsuccessful after Bliss pinned the returningBayley.
On 9 October episode of Raw, after confronting General ManagerKurt Angle about who would face the debutingAsuka, Emma defeated Sasha Banks, Alicia Fox, Bayley and Dana Brooke in an elimination match to earn the right to face Asuka atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, where she lost via submission. Frustrated over her loss, Emma challenged Asuka to rematch. On 23 October episode ofRaw, Emma was defeated by Asuka which would be her final match in WWE.On 29 October 2017, WWE announced that Dashwood had officially been released from her WWE contract.[110]
In November 2017, several independent promotions announced they had signed Dashwood to perform at their shows, beginning in February 2018.[111] Dashwood's post-WWE debut was on 3 February, headlining a WrestlePro event in which she defeatedAngelina Love. According to the journalist Sean Ross Sapp, Dashwood's appearance drew a huge crowd and praise.[112] Dashwood's independent circuit performances have included victories overRachael Ellering on 11 February,[113] andDeonna Purrazzo on 2 March 2018.[114]
Dashwood announced after her surgery her wrestling comeback for independent promotions for the end of July 2019.[115]
Dashwood making her entrance at ROH's and NJPW's War of the Worlds tour in May 2018
Tenille debut in ROH and on 9 February 2018, Dashwood debuted (under her real name) inRing of Honor (ROH), at its Honor Reigns Supreme show. She was introduced as the newest member of ROH'sWomen of Honor division, and, the 16th and final entrant in ROH's tournament to crown the firstWomen of Honor Champion. Later that night, Dashwood teamed withMandy Leon, defeatingKelly Klein and Stacy Shadows.[116] With her new ring name, she also renamed some of her signature moves. TheDil-Emma[56] (Rope hung Boston crab)[117] became theTarantula and theEmmamite Sandwich[118][119] (Running crossbody to an opponent seated in the corner)[117][120] became aTaste of Tenille.
At ROH Manhattan Mayhem (March 2018), Dashwood teamed with Deonna Purrazzo in a victory over Jenny Rose andSumie Sakai.[121] In the first round of the Women of Honor Championship tournament, Dashwood defeated Stacy Shadows.[122] She defeatedBrandi Rhodes in the second round at theROH 16th Anniversary Show.[123] Sumie Sakai then defeated Dashwood in the semi-finals and went on to win the tournament and the championship at ROH'sSupercard of Honor XII 7 April 2018.[124]
At ROH's State of the Art, on 17 June, Dashwood defeatedThunder Rosa.[125] At theROH Best in the World PPV she won her tag team match together with Sumie Sakai, Jenny Rose andMayu Iwatani.[126][127] OnDeath Before Dishonor XVI, Dashwood unsuccessfully challenged Sakai for the Women of Honor Championship. Backstage, after the match, Dashwood was attacked and injured, the attacker's identity remained unknown.[128] The background of the injury storyline was that Dashwood needed time to recover from a full body flare up of an autoimmune disease and a dislocation, torn labrum and fracture of her shoulder, for which a surgery was needed. Ring of Honor announced that she will continue to work with the company during her recovery time.[129][130] In an ROH TV episode in April 2019 Bully Ray put Dashwood backstage through a table, a storyline to write her off ROH.[131]
Tenille Dashwood being interviewed at Ring of Honor's Honor Reigns Supreme event inConcord, North Carolina, in 2017.
On 29 July 2019,Impact Wrestling announced on Twitter that Dashwood had signed with the company.[132] During her time with Impact, Dashwood also wrestled forAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) at theirAll Out Buy In, participating in the women's Casino Battle Royal.[133] On 30 August 2019 edition ofImpact!, Dashwood made her TV debut with the company, confrontingKnockouts ChampionTaya Valkyrie before attacking her on the entrance ramp.[134] Dashwood won the following matches againstKiera Hogan andMadison Rayne and challenged Valkyrie for the Knockouts Championship.[135] Valkyrie retained against Dashwood as the champion atBound For Glory, ending their feud.[136] Dashwood won a rematch against Valkyrie later in 2020, but was attacked by her after the match.[137]
After several months of hiatus during theCOVID-19 pandemic, Dashwood returned on 1 September 2020 ofImpact! by interrupting the Knockouts ChampionDeonna Purrazzo's "Black Tie Affair", informing Purrazzo that she's going after her championship.[138] On 22 September ofImpact!, Dashwood defeatedJordynne Grace in the main event,[139] the episode also tied the highest viewership of the year forImpact on AXS TV.[140] Grace won the rematch the following week, resulting in a final match and win by Dashwood on 3 October atVictory Road.[141] AtBound for Glory, Dashwood competed in the 20-wrestlerIntergenderCall Your Shot Gauntlet match, which was won byRhino.[142]
In early 2021, Dashwood began feuding withDecay after losing a match toRosemary on 12 January episode ofImpact!. AtHard To Kill, Dashwood and Kaleb lost toCrazzy Steve and Rosemary. The rivalry continued atNo Surrender, where Dashwood teamed with XXXL (Ace Romero andLarry D) against Decay (Black Taurus, Crazzy Steve and Rosemary), which Decay won. Dashwood would then begin her next feud againstHavok and Nevaeh, defeating both of them in singles matches onImpact!. It led to a match atSacrifice, where Dashwood and Kaleb defeated Havok and Nevaeh. AtHardcore Justice, Dashwood defeatedHavok, Rosemary, Jordynne Grace, Alisha andSu Yung to become the #1 contender for the Impact Knockouts Championship.[148] She received the title opportunity againstDeonna Purrazzo atRebellion, which Dashwood lost due to interference byKimber Lee.Taylor Wilde rescued Dashwood from a post-match assault by Kimber andSusan. This led to Wilde and Dashwood defeating Kimber and Susan atUnder Siege.
Dashwood began feuding with Jordynne Grace andRachael Ellering after inviting Ellering to join her as co-host of theAll About Me talk show segment and Ellering bringing Grace with her, which Dashwood did not take lightly. This resulted in a match between Dashwood and Grace atAgainst All Odds, which Dashwood won. After trading wins with Ellering onImpact!, Dashwood and Kaleb lost a tag team match to Grace and Ellering on 15 July episode ofImpact!. Two days later, atSlammiversary, Dashwood teamed withBrian Myers to compete againstMatt Cardona and the returningChelsea Green in a mixed tag team match, which Dashwood and Myers lost.
On 12 August episode ofImpact!, Dashwood defeatedTaylor Wilde with the assist of the returningMadison Rayne.[149] As a result, Dashwood and Rayne formed an alliance calledThe Influence, alongside Kaleb. In their first match as a team, the Influence trio defeated Wilde in ahandicap match on 26 August episode ofImpact!. Dashwood would then lose a rematch to Wilde atVictory Road to end the rivalry.
Influence began pursuing theImpact Knockouts World Tag Team Championship as Dashwood and Rayne unsuccessfully challenged Decay (Havok and Rosemary) for the titles atKnockouts Knockdown. On 30 September episode ofImpact!, Influence defeated Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering to earn a future shot at the Knockouts World Tag Team Championship. Dashwood also advanced in the tournament for the newDigital Media Championship by defeating Alisha on 20 October, thus qualifying for the six-way match to determine the inaugural champion atBound for Glory. Dashwood would be unable to compete at the event and was replaced by her Influence teammate Madison Rayne, who failed to win the title.
Dashwood returned to action in December and Influence began feuding withThe IInspiration (Cassie Lee andJessie McKay) over the Knockouts World Tag Team Championship, defeating them for the titles atSacrifice on 5 March 2022. AtMultiverse of Matches, Influence retained the titles against Decay,Gisele Shaw andLady Frost, and Savannah Evans andTasha Steelz in a four-way match. AtRebellion, Influence successfully defended the titles against IInspiration in a rematch. Dashwood and Rayne lost the titles to Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie atSlammiversary. Shortly after the title loss, Gisele Shaw began teaming with Influence. AtAgainst All Odds, Dashwood and Shaw unsuccessfully challenged Rosemary and Valkyrie for the titles. Dashwood's final match in Impact came againstMasha Slamovich on 14 July episode ofImpact!, which Dashwood lost.
On 28 October 2022 episode ofSmackDown, Dashwood made her surprise return to WWE as a face for the first time in nearly 5 years, under her former ring nameEmma, acceptingRonda Rousey's open challenge for theSmackDown Women's Championship, where she failed to win the title.[150] On 21 January 2023 edition of SmackDown LowDown, Emma was announced to be in the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble Match, marking her first Royal Rumble appearance. Emma entered the match at number four, reuniting with former tag partner Dana Brooke during the match. She was eliminated byDakota Kai fromDamage CTRL after Brooke was eliminated. On 17 March 2023 episode ofSmackDown, Emma teamed withTegan Nox to challengeLiv Morgan andRaquel Rodriguez for a spot in the Women's WrestleMania Showcase match atWrestlemania 39, though they were unsuccessful. As part of the2023 WWE Draft, Emma was drafted to theRawbrand.[151][152] On 3 July 2023 episode ofRaw, Emma competed on the brand for the first time in over 5 years teaming withNikki Cross in a losing effort. On 21 September 2023, Emma announced she had been released from WWE along with several other talents (including real-life partnerRiddick Moss).[153][154] In December 2023, Emma, once again going as Tenille Dashwood stated in anInstagram post that she was unsure if she'd ever return to in-ring competition.[155]
Dashwood regularly appeared in the WWEweb seriesThe JBL and Cole Show, until its cancellation in June 2015. In September 2015, Dashwood began a cooking show onYouTube entitledTaste of Tenille,[156] which ran till 2016 and at times also featured other wrestlers cooking with her. Dashwood continued the series in 2020.[157]
On 30 June 2014, Dashwood was arrested inHartford, Connecticut. She arrived backstage, but did not appear on the episode ofRaw that aired live that night.[162] Police released her after she agreed to appear at Hartford Community Court,[163] which she did the following day on 1 July. According to her lawyer, she forgot to pay for aniPad case when using a self-checkout machine for her purchase at aWalmart. The journalistsBryan Alvarez and Sean Ross Sapp talked with loss-prevention managers at Walmart who, after looking into the case, confirmed that Dashwood did pay for her purchase, except for the one improperly scanned item. The employees criticized the arrest, stating that the clerk should have just reminded her that one item was not properly checked in instead, especially considering the low price of the forgotten item.[164] She was ordered by the court to perform one day of community service[165] and an online course, after which the charge was dismissed. WWE initially released Dashwood, but reversed their decision within just a few hours, once the announcement of her release sparked a large online backlash from WWE fans.[166][167]
Dashwood revealed in August 2018 that she has fought the autoimmune diseasepsoriasis since she was fourteen years old. During her tour in Australia and New Zealand, in July 2018, a bad flare up happened, resulting in her wrestling in pain the following weeks. Dashwood explained that her greatest fear growing up with the condition was that she could not achieve her dream of becoming a professional wrestler.[168][169]While she was initially reluctant to share the information about her disease, Dashwood explained in an interview she felt it was important so people know they are not alone with the disease and that there is no reason to be ashamed about it.[170][171]
On 4 August 2022, Dashwood revealed that she is dating Michael Rallis, who is best known by his ring nameRiddick Moss.[172] On 3 June 2023, Dashwood and Rallis announced their engagement.[173] The couple married on 8 March 2024.[174] On 6 September 2024 Dashwood announced that she is expecting her first child with Rallis in 2025.[175] On March 4, 2025, Dashwood gave birth to their first son.[176]
^Ravens, Andrew (21 September 2023)."WWE Has Released Emma".Wrestling Headlines.Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved21 September 2023.
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