Leva Bates[6] was trained at the Team 3D Academy under D-Von Dudley and Bubba Ray Dudley (The Dudley Boyz), and made her professional wrestling debut in 2006.[4] She spent the next three years wrestling primarily in the Southeastern United States, for promotions such as Southeastern Championship Wrestling (SCW) and Coastal Championship Wrestling. In SCW, she won the SCW Women's Championship on November 8, 2008, by defeating Betsy Ruth and Lexie Fyfe in a three-way match. She also appeared for World Xtreme Wrestling, beginning in 2009, wrestling against Betsy Ruth and Malia Hosaka, among others.[1]
The Lucha Sisters (Bates, left, and Mia Yim) in November 2014
Bates debuted in Shine Wrestling at their first event in July 2012. Initially a singles competitor, she faced Mercedes Martinez, Portia Perez, and Jessicka Havok, before having a series of matches with Kimberly, with the pair trading wins.[1] This prompted at a Last Woman Standing match at Shine 7, which Bates won. After being attacked post-match by Kimberly,[9] they faced off again at Shine 8 in a Fans Bring the WeaponsI Quit match, which Kimberly won by referee stoppage.[10] The feud ended at Shine 9, when Bates won an "Arkham Asylum" steel cage match.[11] Bates then competed in the tournament to determine the inaugural Shine Champion; she defeated Taylor Made before losing to Mia Yim.[12][13] This was followed by a feud with Nevaeh, which culminated in a hardcore match at Shine 15 won by Bates.[1]
In February 2014, Bates teamed with Mia Yim to enter the tournament to determine the inaugural Shine Tag Team Champions. Collectively known as The Lucha Sisters, Bates and Yim defeated The Kimber Bombs (Cherry Bomb and Kimber Lee) and Jessie Belle Smothers and Sassy Stephie en route to the final, where they defeated Made in Sin (Taylor Made and Allysin Kay) to win the championship.[14] They successfully defended the title against Evie and Madison Eagles, and Candice LeRae and Ivelisse, before losing to Legendary (Brandi Wine and Malia Hosaka) at Shine 20 on June 27, 2014.[1][15][16] The Lucha Sisters failed to regain the championship in a rematch at Shine 21 in August.[17] Bates then transitioned back in singles competition, and unsuccessfully challenged LuFisto for the Shine Championship in 2017.[18]
WWE NXT (2014–2015)
Bates first appeared in WWE, accompanying Adam Rose as one of his "Rosebuds".[19] Bates made her debut in WWE's developmental territory on the October 16, 2014, episode of NXT, as an enhancement talent, losing to the debuting Carmella. She was introduced as "Blue Pants" by Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady because of her blue ring attire, and retained the name for her subsequent appearances.[19][20] She returned at the NXT television tapings on October 23, losing again to Carmella; the match aired on November 27.[21] Blue Pants earned her first victory on the January 1, 2015, episode of NXT, defeating Carmella in their third match.[22] She made further appearances on the February 18, April 15, and June 10 episodes, losing to NXT Women's ChampionSasha Banks, Dana Brooke, and Emma respectively.[23][24] Blue Pants made a surprise appearance at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn on August 22, managing The Vaudevillains (Aiden English and Simon Gotch) to a NXT Tag Team Championship. During the match, she had an altercation with Alexa Bliss, prompting a match on the September 2 episode of NXT, which Bliss won.[25][26] Blue Pants made her final appearance on the December 2 episode of NXT, facing Nia Jax in a losing effort.[27]
Bates described the character of Blue Pants as the "ultimate fangirl", and felt the character became so popular because the audience connected with the joy the character felt in wrestling.[19] Blue Pants was noted to be very popular with the crowd at NXT shows, receiving enthusiastic applause and cheering when she appeared, despite being intended initially only as an enhancement talent and not being under contract with WWE.[19][28][29]
Bates debuted in Full Impact Pro (FIP) in May 2008, when she and Rain defeated Portia Perez and Mimi in a tag team match. She returned five years later,[1] as part of a Shine Wrestling showcase match against Solo Darling on August 9, 2013. She continued making appearances for FIP throughout 2013 and 2014, as the manager of Dos Ben Dejos (Jay Rios and Eddie Cruz), along with Mia Yim. She also made sporadic wrestling appearances for the company, usually against Darling or Su Yung.[32]
All Elite Wrestling (2019–2023)
On April 22, 2019, it was announced that Bates would join the women's roster of All Elite Wrestling as The Librarian. She debuted at Fyter Fest, losing to Allie in a singles match after a superkick. She turned face after slapping Peter Avalon as part of an ongoing story between himself and Brandon Cutler. On May 1, 2023, Bates announced that after 4 years of working for AEW, her contract with the company had expired. She was under contract in a wrestling role and a backstage role, where she originally assisted former Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes, but eventually took over many roles, most notably with her work on the AEW Heels fan club alongside AEW referee Aubrey Edwards and Amanda Huber.
Bates holds two bachelor's degrees in theater and radio and television production with a minor in dance from Murray State University. On October 17, 2024, she was recognized by Murray State University as one of their Outstanding Young Alumni in the Fine Arts.[33] She also used to work as one of the entertainers at the Universal Orlando theme park.[19] She also video blogs for The Geek Soapbox.[34]
Bates is known for her use of cosplay in her ring outfits; she regularly dresses as characters from TV, movies, video games, and comic books.[19][35] While cosplaying, she incorporates aspects of the character into her wrestling style.[19]
^Kreikenbohm, Philip. "HOW Women's Championship". CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
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