Eva Marie

Natalie Eva Marie[6][7] (born September 19, 1984) is an American actress, fashion designer, model, and professional wrestler. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Eva Marie.

In 2013, she signed a contract with WWE and was assigned to WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando, Florida to begin her training.[3] In July 2013, she made her main roster debut under the ring name Eva Marie, becoming the manager of The Bella Twins later in the month,[8] and also began starring in the reality television series Total Divas as part of the main cast.[9]

In mid-2015, she began wrestling as part of the NXT women’s division.[10] In April 2016, Eva Marie returned to the main roster,[11] officially becoming a part of the SmackDown brand in July 2016.[12] She left WWE in August 2017.[13] That same year, Eva Marie made her film debut in Inconceivable. The following years saw her taking on several other projects, which included appearances in multiple television shows and launching a fitness program, in addition to a fashion line, under her NEM brand. After signing a new contract with WWE, Eva Marie returned to the promotion in June 2021.[14]

Natalie Eva Marie was born in the San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Walnut Creek, California,[1][2] the youngest child of Barry and Josie Nelson. Her mother is Mexican, while her father is Italian.[2] She has three older brothers (Nathan, Neal and Nick)[3] and was raised in Concord, California.[1][2] She wanted to become a professional soccer player, although her plans were put on hold when she suffered an ankle injury in her senior year of high school in 2002.[15] Eva Marie, who played as a striker, recovered and continued playing at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California, where she received her associate degree in art.[15]

She received Junior College All-American honors and transferred to Arizona State University, although a lack of self-confidence led her to stop playing.[15] She transferred to California State University, Fullerton[1][2] where the soccer coach persuaded her to play again.[15] However, her National Collegiate Athletic Association eligibility had expired due to their “five-year clock” rule.[15]

Eva Marie later said that “I wouldn’t have run into that problem if I just believed in myself from the start. Now that I’m older, I know it’s so much better to have tried and maybe you fail, then to have never tried at all.”[15] She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in business management and a minor in human resource[1][2] and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in modeling, acting and promotional work.[2][15]