Captain Jax

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Eve Torres Gracie was born Eve Marie Torres on August 21, 1984 in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Denver, Colorado. Her father is Euro-Nicaraguan and her mother is of German and Swedish descent. She has a younger brother, Phil, who is an Explorer and biologist. Torres attended the University of Southern California (USC) on a full tuition scholarship. During college, she was one of the founding members of the Omega Phi Beta sorority chapter on her campus and held the vice-president position for several years. While in Omega Phi Beta, Torres was awarded for Academic Excellence at the Order of Omega Greek Awards. She graduated with honors and a grade point average above 3.5 in May 2006, with a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. While attending USC, Torres appeared in commercials and music videos. She was the co-captain of the USC Fly Girls dance squad and created much of their choreography. She also danced for The Southern California Summer Pro League, the only summer league for NBA players, in Long Beach, California. After graduating, she began dancing and modeling full-time. After reaching the tryout finals in previous years, Torres became a member of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers Spirit Dance Team for the 2006–07 season. She also appeared on the game show Show Me The Money. In May 2007, Torres entered WWE's Diva Search. She was chosen by WWE officials as one of the eight finalists from a group of 50 women. On October 29, 2007, in Philadelphia, live on Raw, she was crowned the 2007 WWE Diva Search winner, defeating finalist Brooke Gilbertsen and becoming a WWE Diva. Following her win, she began training for her wrestling debut in WWE's developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).

In Their Own Story

Videos promoting Eve's debut on SmackDown! began airing on January 11, 2008. The promo aired for three weeks before Eve made her official debut on the February 1, 2008 episode of SmackDown interviewing Batista. During early 2008, Eve participated in a contest to determine the top Diva on SmackDown, participating in a bikini contest, an obstacle course, and an arm wrestling competition before being eliminated. Eve appeared at WrestleMania XXIV as a Lumberjill in the BunnyMania match between Maria and Ashley against Beth Phoenix and Melina. On the 800th episode of Raw on November 3, 2008, Eve made her televised in-ring debut in a 16-Diva tag team match, which her team lost although she was never tagged in. Her first main storyline began in early 2009, when she began a scripted feud with Michelle McCool after McCool attacked her. On the February 6 episode of SmackDown, Eve made her singles match debut in a losing effort against McCool via submission. Their feud continued for the next few months. Eve then moved into a feud with Layla in mid-2009. After the pair competed in dance and arm wrestling competitions, Eve defeated Layla on the May 29 episode of SmackDown in a wrestling match. On the June 18 episode of Superstars, Eve pinned Layla once again. After the match, they both shook hands. On the April 5 episode of Raw, Eve won a 'Dress to Impress' battle royal to become the number one contender to the WWE Divas Championship, and the following week on Raw, she defeated Maryse to win the championship for the first time. She successfully defended the championship against Maryse at the Over the Limit pay-per-view in May. At the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view in June, Eve lost the championship in a fatal four-way match, when Alicia Fox pinned Maryse to win the championship. At the Royal Rumble on January 30, 2011, the Raw General Manager added Eve to a two-on-one handicap match for the Divas Championship, turning it into a fatal four-way match. Eve pinned Layla to win the match and become a two-time Divas Champion. She held the championship until the April 11 episode of Raw, when she lost it to Brie Bella. Eve then formed an alliance with Kelly Kelly, and after Kelly won the Divas Championship in June, Eve accompanied her to the ring during her matches. Eve and Kelly began feuding with The Divas of Doom (Beth Phoenix and Natalya), and after Phoenix won the Divas Championship from Kelly, Eve defeated Natalya to earn a title match against Phoenix. She faced Phoenix at the Vengeance pay-per-view, but was unsuccessful. On the October 31 episode of Raw, Eve won a battle royal to become the number one contender to the Divas Championship. She received her championship match at the Survivor Series pay-per-view, but lost a Lumberjill match to Phoenix. She later described the match as her favorite. Eve moved into a storyline with Zack Ryder in December 2011, and the pair 'won' a mixed tag team match against Natalya and Tyson Kidd on the December 26 episode of Raw. On the January 9, 2012 episode of Raw, Eve agreed to a date with Ryder beginning a storyline relationship. On the February 6 episode of Raw, Eve suffered a legitimately broken nose when Beth Phoenix clotheslined her during a match. On the February 20 episode of Raw, Eve became a villain after she confessed backstage to The Bella Twins that she had never liked Zack Ryder and didn't care about the injury he had suffered the previous week. She stated that she was using him for publicity and planned to take advantage of John Cena the same way. Cena overheard her.

Reader's Guide

Eve Torres Gracie's career can be broken down into several key phases. First, her early career as a dancer and model: she danced for The Southern California Summer Pro League and the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers Spirit Dance Team for the 2006–2007 season, and appeared on shows like Show Me The Money, Sunset Tan, and Deal or No Deal. Second, her WWE Diva Search win in 2007, which earned her a contract. Third, her early feuds on SmackDown from 2008 to 2010, including scripted rivalries with Michelle McCool and Layla, and her association with Cryme Tyme. Fourth, her three reigns as WWE Divas Champion: she first won the title on the April 12, 2010 episode of Raw by defeating Maryse, lost it at Fatal 4-Way in June 2010, won it again at the Royal Rumble on January 30, 2011 by pinning Layla, and lost it to Brie Bella on the April 11, 2011 episode of Raw. Her third reign is not detailed in the source beyond the statement that she became the first person to win it three times. Fifth, her turn to a villainous character in February 2012, when she confessed to using Zack Ryder for publicity and planned to do the same to John Cena. Finally, after retiring from professional wrestling in 2013, she focused on her role as an instructor for the Gracie Women Empowered self-defense program at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California, and continued to act, with roles in Skiptrace and Supergirl.

Did You Know?

• Eve Torres graduated with honors and a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California.
• She was the first person to win the WWE Divas Championship three times.
• Eve suffered a legitimately broken nose on the February 6, 2012 episode of Raw when Beth Phoenix clotheslined her during a match.
• She described her Lumberjill match against Beth Phoenix at Survivor Series 2011 as her favorite match.
• After retiring from wrestling in 2013, Eve became an instructor for the Gracie Women Empowered self-defense program at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California.