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Leva Bates

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Leva Bates
Bates in March 2023
Birth nameLeva Bates
Born (1983-05-21) May 21, 1983 (age 41)[1]
Madisonville, Kentucky, United States[2]
Alma materMurray State University
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Blue Pants
Leva[3]
Leva Bates[3]
Billed height5 ft 2 in (157 cm)[4]
Billed weight115 lb (52 kg)[4]
Billed from"Gotham City, Florida"[4]
"The Clearance Rack" (as Blue Pants)[5]
Fairvale, California (As "The Librarian")
Trained byBubba Ray Dudley[4]
D-Von Dudley[4]
Debut2006[4]

Leva Bates (/ˈliːvə/; born May 21, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with All Elite Wrestling. She also had a successful tenure on the independent circuit, most notably for Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also appeared in WWE on their developmental territory NXT under the ring name Blue Pants.

Professional wrestling career

Early career (2006–2009)

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]

Shimmer Women Athletes (2009–2019)

Bates debuted for Shimmer Women Athletes in 2009 at Volume 28, when she and Kimberly Kash lost a tag team match to Kacey Diamond and Sassy Stephie. She returned at the next show in 2010, defeating She Nay Nay in a dark match, before losing to Malia Hosaka on Volume 30. At Volumes 33 and 34, she lost to Allison Danger and Melanie Cruise respectively, before defeating Cat Power at Volume 36. Beginning at Volume 37 in March 2011, Bates formed a tag team with Allison Danger, known as Regeneration X. Over the next year, they defeated the teams of Jamilia Craft and Mia Yim, and Sassy Stephie and Nevaeh, but lost to Nikki Roxx and Ariel and The Knight Dynasty (Britani and Saraya Knight). On March 17, 2012, Regeneration X failed to win the Shimmer Tag Team Championship from Ayako Hamada and Ayumi Kurihara, and were unsuccessful again in a four-way match at Volume 48 the next day.[1] In 2013, Bates returned to singles competition, and unsuccessfully challenged Cheerleader Melissa for the Shimmer Championship on October 19 at Volume 58.[7] She spent the rest of 2013 and 2014 wrestling matches against Nikki Storm, Marti Belle, Veda Scott, and Jessicka Havok.[1][7][8]

Shine Wrestling (2012–2019)

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 Weapons I 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 Champion Sasha 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]

Other promotions (2008–2019)

Bates in 2014, wearing Frozen-inspired attire

Bates appeared on the May 28, 2008, episode of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Impact!, accepting Awesome Kong's $25,000 challenge, which she would lose. She later had a try-out match for the company against Isis the Amazon in February 2011, but lost the match.[1] In September 2012, Bates made a further appearance on Impact Wrestling, portraying a villainous stagehand who helped the Aces & Eights faction abduct Sting and Hulk Hogan.[30] Bates made a brief return to TNA for the Knockouts Knockdown 2016 pay-per-view as her cosplayer character losing a well received match to TNA Knockouts champion Jade. Bates returned to Impact Wrestling again for One Night Only: Victory Road – Knockouts Knockdown defeating Allie. Later the same night she teamed with ODB, Alisha, and Santana Garrett in an eight-man tag team match where they defeated Angelina Love, Rosemary, Diamanté, and Laurel Van Ness.[31]

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.

Other media

Leva Bates
Twitch information
Channel
Years active2015–present
GenreGaming
Followers24.4 thousand
(May 7, 2023)

Bates has been a livestreamer on the live streaming platform Twitch since 2016. She is a Twitch Partner as well.

Personal life

Bates dressed as The Bride from Kill Bill in March 2014

Bates holds two bachelor's degrees in theater and radio and television production with a minor in dance from Murray State University. 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.[33]

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][34] While cosplaying, she incorporates aspects of the character into her wrestling style.[19]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Leva Bates". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  2. ^ "Leva Bates profile". The Internet Wrestling Database.
  3. ^ a b "Roster". Full Impact Pro. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Bates, Leva". Shine Wrestling. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
  5. ^ Benigno, Anthony (March 4, 2015). "The unexpected virtue of Blue Pants: NXT's cult phenomenon breaks her silence". WWE. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
  6. ^ Benigno, Anthony (March 3, 2015). "The unexpected virtue of Blue Pants: NXT's cult phenomenon breaks her silence". WWE.com.
  7. ^ a b "Show results – 10/19 Shimmer DVD taping in Berwyn, Ill.: Shimmer Title & Tag Titles defended for Vol. 58 & 59, Cheerleader Melissa and top women's wrestlers featured". Pro Wrestling Torch. October 20, 2013. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  8. ^ Namako, Jason (June 16, 2014). "Feature: Jason Namako recaps Shimmer Volume 59". WrestleView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  9. ^ Namako, Jason (February 23, 2014). "2/22 Shine #7 iPPV Results: Ybor City, Florida". WrestleView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  10. ^ Namako, Jason (March 23, 2013). "3/23 Shine #8 iPPV Results: Ybor City, Florida". WrestleView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  11. ^ Namako, Jason (April 20, 2013). "4/19 Shine #9 iPPV Results: Ybor City, Florida". WrestleView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  12. ^ Namako, Jason (May 24, 2013). "5/24 Shine #10 iPPV Results: (Angelina Love vs. Rain)". WrestleView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  13. ^ Namako, Jason (July 13, 2013). "7/12 Shine #11 iPPV Results: Ybor City, FL (First Shine Champion crowned)". WrestleView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  14. ^ Namako, Jason (March 3, 2014). "2/28 Shine 17 iPPV Results: Ybor City, Florida". WrestleView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  15. ^ Namako, Jason (April 20, 2014). "4/18 Shine 18 iPPV Results: Ybor City, FL (Ivelisse vs. Knight)". WrestleView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  16. ^ Namako, Jason (June 28, 2014). "6/27 Shine Results – (Ivelisse/Serena Deeb – 1 Hour Draw)". WrestleView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  17. ^ Namako, Jason (August 23, 2014). "8/22 Shine #21 Results: Ybor City, FL (Havok vs. Kay)". WresteView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  18. ^ Trionfo, Richard (May 12, 2017). "Complete Shine 42 iPPV coverage: a new title, new tag champions, Leva versus LuFisto, and more". PWInsider. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Oster, Aaron (July 14, 2015). "Who's NXT? Can Blue Pants, Wrestling's Cosplay Queen, Break Out?". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  20. ^ James, Justin (October 16, 2014). "James's WWE NXT Report 10/16 – Week 122: Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd main event, Women's champ Charlotte; Overall Reax". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  21. ^ Parry, Josh (October 23, 2014). "WWE News: NXT Spoilers – full results from Thursday's TV taping, including line-up for the next NXT special, plus Seth Rollins makes post-taping appearance, more". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  22. ^ Howell, Nolan (January 1, 2015). "NXT: Itami and Balor continue tag ascent". SLAM! Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  23. ^ Howell, Nolan (February 18, 2015). "NXT: Neville rematches NXT champ Owens". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  24. ^ Howell, Nolan (April 15, 2015). "NXT: Zayn drops Rhyno in return". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on April 16, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
  25. ^ Scherer, Dave (August 22, 2015). "Ongoing NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn Blog". PWInsider. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  26. ^ James, Justin (September 2, 2015). "JAMES'S WWE NXT REPORT 9/2 – Week 178: Dusty Rhodes Tag Tournament kicks off, Gargano & Ciampa debut on NXT, Joe & Balor form team, more; Overall Reax". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  27. ^ Trionfo, Richard (December 2, 2015). "WWE NXT REPORT: JOE VS. CIAMPA, MATCHES MADE OFFICIAL FOR TAKEOVER, WERE THE VAUDEVILLAINS READY WILLING AND GABLE?, AND MORE". PWInsider. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  28. ^ Stone, Dannt; Rams, Robert (November 25, 2015). "Royal Ramblings Meets Leva 'Blue Pants' Bates". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  29. ^ Oster, Aaron (February 19, 2015). "NXT Recap: Rhyno's Return and the End of an Era". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  30. ^ Namako, Jason (September 28, 2012). "Identity of unknown female on Impact Wrestling". WrestleView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  31. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Impact Wrestling One Night Only – Victory Road 2017: Next Knockout « Events Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". Cagematch.net. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  32. ^ "Results". Full Impact Pro. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  33. ^ Virtusio, Jessi (June 17, 2016). "Resistance Pro Wrestling features female-fronted main event". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  34. ^ Namako, Jason (January 27, 2014). "1/24 Shine 16 iPPV Results: Ybor, Florida (Rain vs. Ivelisse)". WrestleView. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  35. ^ @TeamVisionDojo (March 17, 2018). "Congrats @WrestlingLeva! Leva beat @TenilleDashwood & @Nova_Girl1973 to win the @WrestlingAtomic Bombshells title i…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  36. ^ "TOXIC CRUSADER CHAMPIONSHIP". Retrieved July 29, 2023.
  37. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "HOW Women's Championship". CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  38. ^ "Leva Bates (@wrestlingleva) / Twitter". June 17, 2023.
  39. ^ Pro Wrestling Illustrated. 34 (3): 32–33. 2013.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: untitled periodical (link)
  40. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) Female 50 for 2015". Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
  41. ^ @wrestlingleva (November 12, 2017). "No freakin' way!!! Totally Tubular Tag Team, @delilah_doom & I, just won these sweet tag titles at @SHIMMERwomen…" (Tweet). Retrieved December 5, 2017 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ Namako, Jason (March 3, 2014). "2/28 Shine 17 iPPV Results: Ybor City, Florida". WrestleView.com. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  43. ^ Kreikenbohm, Philip. "WC Sideshow Championship « Titles Database « CAGEMATCH – The Internet Wrestling Database". Cagematch.net. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
  44. ^ Meltzer, Dave (January 27, 2014). "Jan 27 2014 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2013 Annual awards issue, best in the world in numerous categories, plus all the news in pro-wrestling and MMA over the past week and more". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Campbell, California: 35. ISSN 1083-9593. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
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