Danielle Sierra Kamela (born March 18, 1988) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She previously worked for WWE under the name Vanessa Borne.
| Vanessa Borne | |
|---|---|
 Borne in 2019 | |
| Birth name | Danielle Sierra Kamela |
| Born | March 18, 1988 Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Arizona State University |
| Website | daniellekamela |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Danielle Kamela[1] Vanessa Borne |
| Billed height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm)[2] |
| Billed weight | 120 lb (54 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Scottsdale, Arizona |
| Trained by | Rikishi[1] Gangrel[1] WWE Performance Center |
| Debut | December 30, 2015 |
Early life
Kamela was born in Scottsdale, Arizona and is of Samoan, Polish, Chinese, German, and Irish descent.[3][4] A graduate of Chaparral High School and Arizona State University, Kamela worked as a Fox Sports Arizona presenter, Phoenix Suns dancer, and Arizona Cardinals cheerleader prior to her wrestling career.[5]
Professional wrestling career
Knokx Pro Entertainment (2016)
Kamela trained with Rikishi and Gangrel at Knokx Pro Entertainment.[1] She made her in-ring debut on March 26, 2016, using her real name Danielle. She was defeated by Pedro in the European Cruiserweight Championship Match.[6]
WWE (2016–2021)
On April 12, 2016, it was announced that Kamela had signed with WWE, where she was assigned to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.[1] She made her WWE NXT debut shortly after at a live event, under her real name.[7] Her television debut took place on the October 5, 2016, episode of NXT, working as an enhancement talent, where she was defeated by Peyton Royce.[8] She made another appearance on the October 19 episode of NXT, where she was defeated by Nikki Cross, but the decision was later reversed because Cross continued to attack Kamela.[9] On June 28, 2017, Kamela returned to television under the new ring name Vanessa Borne, where she defeated Jayme Hachey in a Mae Young Classic qualifier match.[10] On July 13, she was eliminated from the tournament in the first round by Serena Deeb.[11] Towards the rest of the year and the beginning of 2018, Borne continued to compete against various competitors such as Liv Morgan,[12] Nikki Cross,[13] Kairi Sane,[14] and Dakota Kai, however, she ended up on the losing side against all of them.[15][16]
On February 13, 2019, Borne started an alliance with Aliyah, after she helped her defeat Taynara Conti.[17] In their first match together, Borne and Aliyah defeated Conti and Xia Li.[18] On the November 27 episode of NXT, she faced Li in a losing effort after Li kayfabe injured Aliyah with a spin kick to her nose.[19][20] Borne was reportedly called up to the main roster in January 2020 upon re-signing her contract,[21] but after months of inactivity, she was released on May 19, 2021.[22]
All Elite Wrestling (2022)
On the February 5, 2022 tapings of AEW Dark, Kamela made her debut in a losing effort against Marina Shafir. On the April 19, 2022 episode of AEW Dark, Kamela won her first AEW match by defeating Rache Chanel.[23] On April 20, Kamela appeared on AEW Dynamite, competing against Dr. Britt Baker, losing in a qualifying match for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.[24]
Championships and accomplishments
- KnokX Pro Entertainment
- European Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)[25]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Kingdom of Gladiators: The Tournament | Kyla | |
| 2023 | Game of Power | Vanessa |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Foursome | Waitress | TV film |
References
External links
- Official website
- Danielle Kamela at IMDb
- Vanessa Borne on WWE.com
- Vanessa Borne's profile at Cagematch.net, Wrestlingdata.com, Internet Wrestling Database