Kimberly Benson was born on 6 May 1991, inKilbirnie, Scotland.[2][5][6] Growing up, she kept her love forprofessional wrestling a secret due to being worried that her female friends thought she was weird as they believed that it was only a sport for men.[6] It wasn't until Benson was fifteen, and when her oldest nephew began to watch wrestling, that her passion was rekindled and she was open about enjoying wrestling.[6]
Benson began training in professional wrestling at age fifteen, and according to her, she debuted one year after beginning her training.[6] About her training, she said: "I got beat up, totally beat up. I remember lying in bed the next day, being so sore and in absolute agony, but I just loved it, I had to go back."[6]
She was part of the special program of ITVWorld of Sport Wrestling celebrated on New Year's Eve 2016, and until April of that year, she was programmed to appear on a revival of the series.[6] However, a month later before filming was set to begin, the project was postponed indefinitely.[6][7] Benson's last match in independent circuit was at Scottish Wrestling Alliance Lion's Den in November 2019.[8]
In 2017, Benson worked in Japan as Viper for the companyWorld Wonder Ring Stardom. On 7 January of that year, at the event Stardom New Years Stars 2017 – Tag 2, she was part of the team "Oedo Tai" withKagetsu andKyoko Kimura as a replacement forHana Kimura who was injured, where she tried to help the team to retain theArtist of Stardom Championship against "Queen's Quest" a team integrated byHZK,Io Shirai andMomo Watanabe, in which they were defeated and they lost the title.[13] On 13 August, she joined Queen's Quest along with Shirai and HZK to face the team "Team Jungle" integrated byHiroyo Matsumoto,Jungle Kyona andKaori Yoneyama in a match for the Artist of Stardom Championship at the event Midsummer Champions 2017, in which they achieved to win the title and Viper crown herself champion.[14][15] On 16 September, Viper participated at the event5★Star Grand Prix 2017 of Stardom, where she draw with Mayu Iwatani both with 10 points.[16] Along with Queen's Quest, managed to defend and retain the Artistic Championship three times[17] before they left it vacant on 15 April 2018 after a draft executed by Stardom, ending their reign with 245.[18] One month before that same year, on 28 March, she facedToni Storm at the Stardom Dream Slam in Tokyo event in a match for herSWA World Championship, in which the ICW Women's Championship of Viper was also in the line, where she defeated Storm to capture the title, emerging victorious with both championships.[19] Defended and retained the championship twice[20] before losing it in a match againstUtami Hayashishita at the Stardom 8th Anniversary event held on 14 January 2019, in which she also put her EVE International Championship at stake, where she was defeated and lost both titles,[21] ending her reign with the SWA Championship in 292 days[22] and with the EVE Championship in 92 days.[23]
In 2017, WWE contacted Benson, asking her to participate in the women's tournament,Mae Young Classic.[6][7] The event took place in 2017 and was an all-women tournament. Benson asked World of Sport Wrestling to release her from her contract to participate in the competition.[24] She competed as "Piper Niven" because the ring name she had been competing under, Viper, had already become the nickname of fellow WWE superstarRandy Orton, and because she had played the bagpipes as a child, in addition to Niven being her father's first name.[6] She defeatedSantana Garrett in the first round[25] andSerena Deeb in the second round,[26] before being defeated by Toni Storm in the quarterfinals.[27]
In early 2019, a rumour started spreading in which it was said and expected that Benson signed with WWE,[28][29] which came out to be true when she appeared and debuted on 27 March episode ofNXT UK that year, where, under the ring name Piper Niven, she confrontedRhea Ripley.[30] Niven had her first televised match with WWE after being signed on a special program entitledWWE Worlds Collide on 24 April, which consisted on various matches that involved wrestlers from all the brands; Raw, SmackDown, NXT, 205 Live and NXT UK, this last one was the brand that she belonged to and represented, defeatingZelina Vega of SmackDown.[31] On 19 June episode ofNXT UK, Niven competed in abattle royal to determine who would have a future opportunity to face theNXT UK Women's Champion Toni Storm. In the match, Niven was eliminated byXia Brookside.[32]
On 12 January 2020 at theNXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II event, Niven competed in atriple threat match against Storm andKay Lee Ray for the NXT UK Women's Championship, where Niven was defeated and pinned by Kay Lee.[33] Niven returned toNXT UK television on 24 September of that year, where she challenged Kay Lee Ray in a match for the NXT UK Women's Championship, where she was defeated.[34] On 19 November, Niven challenged Ray in aFalls Count Anywhere match for the NXT UK Women's Championship, where she lost due to aninterference made byJinny.[35]
Niven lost to Jinny in a No. 1 contenders match for the NXT UK Women's Championship on episode 7 January 2021 ofNXT UK.[36] On 11 March, in what would be Niven's final appearance forNXT UK, she teamed up with Jack Starz against Jinny andJoseph Conners in the brand's first-evermixed tag team match, where Niven and Starz would emerge victorious.[37][38]
On 14 June 2021 episode ofRaw, Niven was traded to theRaw brand asEva Marie's unnamedprotégé, defeatingNaomi in her debut match. However, Marie would declare herself the winner despite not taking part in the match.[39] The following week onRaw, Marie introduced her asDoudrop. Later that night, she and Marie were defeated in a tag team match byAsuka and Naomi.[40] AtSummerSlam, Doudrop turned against Marie,[41] and on the following episode ofRaw, Marie attacked Doudrop during an interview; starting a feud between them.[42] Doudrop made herWWE Main Event debut in September.[43] After defeating Marie twice on 13 and 20 September episodes ofRaw,[44][45] on the next episode, Doudrop challengedCharlotte Flair for theRaw Women's Championship in a losing effort due to a distraction by Marie.[46] In October, Doudrop entered theQueen's Crown tournament, where she defeatedNatalya in the first round andShayna Baszler in the semi-finals, but lost to Zelina Vega in the finals atCrown Jewel.[47][48][49]
On 2 May episode ofRaw, Doudrop approachedNikki A.S.H. backstage, suggesting to align together, which A.S.H. accepted.[56] The following week onRaw, Doudrop alongside A. S. H. challenged theWWE Women's Tag Team Champions Naomi andSasha Banks in a non-title match, but they were unsuccessful.[57] After the Women's Tag Team Championship was vacated on May, A.S.H. and Doudrop entered a tournament to crown a new champions which began in August.[58] They lost in the first round toAlexa Bliss and Asuka.[59] On 26 August episode ofSmackDown, A. S. H. and Doudrop entered a second chance four-way match to return to the tournament among other three teams, which was won by Natalya andSonya Deville.[60] On 30 August episode ofNXT, A. S. H. and Doudrop made a surprise appearance as they challenged theNXT Women's Tag Team ChampionsKatana Chance andKayden Carter for their titles atWorlds Collide.[61] At the event, they failed to win the titles due to interference fromToxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin andJacy Jayne).[62] After a tag team match against Toxic Attraction on 6 September episode ofNXT,[63] Doudrop went on a hiatus due to illness.[64]
On 28 January 2023, Doudrop returned as Piper Niven and participated at theRoyal Rumble event in the namesake match as the 18th entrant. She lasted over 28 minutes and eliminated two wrestlers before being eliminated byRaquel Rodriguez.[65] On 14 August episode ofRaw, Niven returned to the show and declared herself asChelsea Green's new tag partner to claim the other half of theWWE Women's Tag Team Championship after Green's former partner,Sonya Deville, relinquished her half of the title due to anACL injury.[66] WWE recognizes Niven's reign as a continuation of Deville's.[67] On October 31, they successfully defended their titles againstChase University (Thea Hail andJacy Jayne) at Night 2 ofNXT: Halloween Havoc.[68] On the November 27 episode of Raw, Niven and Green had another successful title defense against number one contendersNatalya andTegan Nox.[69] On December 11, it was announced that Niven and Green would defend their tag team titles against the new number one contendersKayden Carter andKatana Chance.[70] The following week onRaw, Niven and Green would lose the tag team titles to Carter and Chance, ending their reign at 126 days.[71] On the January 8, 2024 episode ofRaw, Niven and Green were unsuccessful in an attempt to regain the titles in a championship rematch.[72]
At Night 2 of the2024 WWE Draft, Niven and Green were drafted to the SmackDown brand.[73] AtClash at the Castle: Scotland on June 15, Niven facedBayley for theWWE Women’s Championship, but was unsuccessful.[74] On November 2, atCrown Jewel, Niven and Green completed in afatal four-way tag team match for the Women’s Tag Team Championship in a losing effort.[75] After Green became the inauguralWomen's United States Championship atSaturday Night's Main Event on 14 December, Niven took on the role as Green's bodyguard (dubbed as Green's Secret Hervice, a pun onSecret Service).[76] On the 8 March 2025 episode ofSmackDown, fellow ScotAlba Fyre aligned herself with Green[77] and formed a tag team with Niven as the Secret Hervice, with the stable being known as The Green Regime.[78] In September, it was reported that Niven had suffered a serious neck injury and would be out of action indefinitely.[79]
Benson is the subject of the episodeFight Like a Girl of the documentary seriesOur Lives byBBC. The episode is about her life as a professional wrestler.[81][82]
^"BBC – Our Lives, Series 2, Fight Like a Girl".BBC News.Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved20 February 2021.Documentary following Kimberly Benson – aka Viper – a top female wrestler from Scotland, as she fights in some of the most important matches of her career.
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