Lacey Evans might be a villainess in the ring, but her inspirational life story is something straight out of a movie.
Here are five fast facts you should know about the Lady of NXT.
5. She’s A Former Marine
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You likely already know this if you watch NXT, but I can’t exclude the fact that Evans is a U.S. Marines veteran.
Evans joined the Marines at age 19. She excelled from the start, graduating out of boot camp as her company’s highest-ranked shooter. She went on to serve as a member of the Marine Corps Special Reaction Team, which is the military equivalent of a SWAT team. She left the service after five years, having achieved a rank of sergeant. For those with military experience, you understand just how remarkable that is.
4. Her Ring Name Is Her Sister’s Real Maiden Name
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Here’s a neat little factoid. Evans’s real name is Macey Estrella, but her ring name is her sister’s real maiden name – and it’s a pure coincidence how that came about. As Evans explained to The Post and Courier in 2017:
“When we had to submit a list of names that we like, I really liked Lacey Loretta. They (NXT) chose the last name Evans, and the first name Lacey which, believe it or not, is my sister’s name. So they made it Lacey Evans, which was my sister’s legal name up until the time she got married.”
Bonus fact: Evans has SEVEN siblings.
3. She Had A Rough Upbringing
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Actually, “rough” might be an understatement for Evans’s childhood. After her mother left when she was just ten years old, Evans and her siblings lived a transient lifestyle as her drug-addicted father looked for construction work.
“We traveled a lot, so I honestly lived in a tent for a while in Alabama and Louisiana. I spent a lot of time in Texas. I grew up all over the South. My dad just kind of followed construction. Between drugs, it got him in and out of trouble, so we were traveling a lot. I never was anywhere for long.”
Evans candidly revealed that her father was physically abusive:
“My father had a very bad temper and was very cruel while I was growing up. He was physically abusive. It created lasting problems, and this is something as a family that we deal with constantly to this day.”
Evans’s father died of a drug overdose before he could see her WWE dreams realized.
2. She’s A Mom – And Brings Her Daughter On The Road
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If it’s not inspiring enough that Evans completely overcame the incredible odds stacked against her, she also somehow manages to balance being an NXT Superstar with being a mom – and she brings her daughter on every tour.
“Thursday evenings when I pick her up from school, her bag’s already packed and I take her with me to the shows. We’ll do homework backstage and do what she needs to do.”
And when she’s not a supermom/superstar, Evans is also running the construction business that she started when she was 22. Is there nothing this woman can’t do?
1. She Wrestled Her First Match One Week After Going To Her First Wrestling Show
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While most wrestlers grew up watching the business, Evans readily admits that she knew absolutely nothing about pro wrestling until she was in the Marines. One weekend, a staff sergeant who moonlighted as a pro wrestler invited her to a show. That was all it took for Evans to get hooked – and she competed in the ring herself the very next weekend:
“I had never watched [wrestling] prior to that, wasn’t a fan and didn’t know anything about it. I watched one show and I was actually performing in the ring the next weekend with that same staff sergeant.”
To be clear, Evans wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with a wrestling mat. In middle and high school she turned to sports as an escape from her tumultuous home life. One of those sports was wrestling – and she won a state championship.
If Lacey Evans does it, she’ll be the best at it.
What do you think about Lacey Evans’s incredible story? Share your thoughts below!