Kayla Braxton
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kayla Becker June 7, 1991 Wadley, Alabama, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Belmont University (BA) |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name | Kayla Braxton |
| Debut | December 21, 2016 |
| Retired | June 28, 2024 |
Kayla Becker (born June 7, 1991) is an American sports broadcaster. She is best known for her time in WWE, where she worked as a backstage interviewer under the ring name Kayla Braxton.
Early and personal life
[edit | edit source]Becker was born in Wadley, Alabama, on June 7, 1991. She is biracial.[1] When she was nine years old, her mother was sent to prison; she subsequently grew up in a foster home. As a teenager, she participated in public speaking competitions. She graduated from Belmont University with a degree in broadcast journalism. During her time in college, she started creating online content and had a few digital entertainment shows for her school and around Nashville, Tennessee. Six months after she graduated, she began hosting her own entertainment web and TV segment in the top-20 television market in Orlando, Florida.[2][3]
On March 4, 2021, Kayla revealed that she is bisexual.[4]
Career
[edit | edit source]WWE (2016–2024)
[edit | edit source]In October 2016, Becker signed with the American professional wrestling promotion WWE and was given the ring name Kayla Braxton.[2] She debuted on the October 20, 2016 episode of NXT held in Lakeland, Florida as a host and ring announcer.[5][6] She appeared on her first pay-per-view as a backstage interviewer during Backlash on May 21, 2017, and followed it up with appearances at Battleground 2017, SummerSlam 2017, Hell in a Cell 2017, and more PPVs.[7][8] While working as a ring announcer on NXT, Braxton appeared on Raw, 205 Live and SmackDown where she would act as a ring announcer and backstage interviewer. She permanently left NXT on April 17, 2019, to the main roster and was replaced by Alicia Taylor the following week.[9][10][11] Braxton was a backstage interviewer on SmackDown and co-host of The Bump. Since August 22, 2020, she has been the host of Talking Smack, which at that point was renamed to SmackDown LowDown, alongside Paul Heyman.[12][13] On June 22, 2024, Braxton announced that she will be leaving WWE after the June 28 episode of SmackDown.[14] On July 1, Braxton's profile on WWE's website was transferred to the alumni section.[15]
References
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External links
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- 1991 births
- Living people
- 21st-century African-American women
- 21st-century American LGBTQ people
- American bisexual women
- American bisexual sportspeople
- American LGBTQ broadcasters
- American sports commentators
- Belmont University alumni
- Female professional wrestling announcers
- Sportspeople from Alabama
- Bisexual sportswomen
- LGBTQ people from Alabama