WWE Diva Search

The 2004 WWE Raw $250,000 Diva Search featured four official theme songs.

• "Open Your Eyes" by Alter Bridge
• "Real Good Girl" by Jim Johnston[n 1]
• "Time and Time Again" by Chronic Future
• "Walk Idiot Walk" by The Hives[n 2]

Open casting calls were held in Los Angeles, NYC, and Chicago in June and July to narrow the field down from thousands to 28 women. The following the 28 finalists where chosen from each of the locations:

Name Age Hometown Selected/Not selected Amy Weber 34 Mapleton, Illinois Selected (Finalist) Alison Weder 23 Minooka, Illinois Not selected (Semi-finalist) Bobbi Sue Luther 25 Silver Spring, Maryland Not selected (Semi-finalist) Camille Anderson 26 Dallas, Texas Selected (Finalist) Candice Michelle 25 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Not selected (Semi-finalist) Carmella DeCesare 22 Avon Lake, Ohio Selected (Finalist) CeCe Wagner 22 Chicago, Illinois Not selected (Semi-finalist) Chandra Costello 28 Liberty, Kentucky Selected (Finalist) Christina Hernandez 24 Odessa, Texas Not selected (Semi-finalist) Christy Hemme 23 Poway, California Selected (Finalist) Erin "Kelly" Britz 25 Kansas City, Kansas Not selected (Semi-finalist) Gabrielle Tuite 26 Brooklyn, New York Not selected (Semi-finalist) Jaynie Mae Baker 23 New York, New York Not selected (Semi-finalist) Jennifer R. Lopez 26 Lodi, New Jersey Not selected (Semi-finalist)

Name Age Hometown Selected/Not selected Joy Giovanni 26 Boston, Massachusetts Selected (Finalist) Julia Costello 28 Liberty, Kentucky Selected (Finalist) Karen McDougal 33 Merrillville, Indiana Not selected (Semi-finalist) Kimberly Cozzens 21 San Jose, California Not selected (Semi-finalist) Kimmy Brown 24 Seattle, Washington Not selected (Semi-finalist) Maria Kanellis 22 Ottawa, Illinois Selected (Finalist) Mary Castro 25 LaVerne, Connecticut Not selected (Semi-finalist) Michelle McCool 24 Palatka, Florida Selected (Finalist) Nicole Bradhurst 24 Kansas City, Missouri Not selected (Semi-finalist) Nina Hardin 22 Carson, California Not selected (Semi-finalist) Tammy Vallejos 24 Albuquerque, New Mexico Not selected (Semi-finalist) Taryn J. Reed 25 Charlotte, North Carolina Not selected (Semi-finalist) Tracie Wright 24 Atlanta, Georgia Selected (Finalist) Yesenia Camacho 30 Austin, Texas Not selected (Semi-finalist)

Former Diva Search contestant Candice Michelle as the Women's Champion

Michelle McCool was the first Diva Search contestant to become the inaugural Divas Champion

In 2004, WWE decided to make an extension of the Diva Search, which included a one-year contract worth $250,000 and was held on Raw.[8][11] Over 7,000 females applied to be a part of the contest.[5] The final ten contestants were chosen on a casting special aired on Spike TV on July 15, with guest judges Triple H, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and Edge.[11]

They began airing the weekly Raw Diva Search segments on July 19.[8][11] Despite reported claims by the company that the contest would be handled in a classy manner, the contest involved prospective divas performing suggestive acts on live television, such as "seducing" a male wrestler. Fans were allowed to vote for the winners,[8] but the outcome of the voting process was questioned by media outlets. The eventual winner of the competition was Christy Hemme, who went on to pose in Playboy and competed at WrestleMania 21 for the WWE Women's Championship where she was accompanied to the ring by Lita, but ended up with Trish Stratus retaining the title.[6]

Finalists (winner Hemme, runner-up Carmella DeCesare, Amy Weber, and Joy Giovanni)[9] took part in a segment titled "Diss the Diva" on August 30, 2004,[12] which was censored at several points due to foul language and obscenities from the contestants when they were asked to taunt one another verbally. Backstage, the four contestants bickered with and disliked each other, as well.[9] Also, during an earlier segment in the competition, Maria Kanellis gave DeCesare the middle finger.[10]

Despite only one winner being crowned in the competition each year, WWE hired a large number of the contestants from past contests and immediately placed them in on-camera in non-wrestling roles. From the 2004 Diva Search, Michelle McCool, Amy Weber,[9] Candice Michelle,[11] Maria Kanellis,[10] and Joy Giovanni all received contracts after losing the contest. Several of the girls were sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling to train.

The 2005 WWE Raw Diva Search featured one official theme song.

• "Be Yourself" by Audioslave[n 1]

For the 2005 WWE Raw Diva Search, the eight finalists began appearing on Raw on June 27. One contestant was eliminated each week until there were a final three.[13] Contestant Leyla Milani accidentally exposed herself by falling out of her top while attempting to navigate an obstacle course on the July 4 edition of Raw, leading to a "disqualification" in the contest.[14]

Ashley Massaro was declared the winner on August 15 and received $250,000.[13] As in 2004, other contestants were hired by WWE, including Kristal Marshall, Trenesha Biggers (eliminated in the Top 25) and Elisabeth Rouffaer.

Massaro died on May 16, 2019 at the age of 39.

The 2006 WWE Raw Diva Search featured three official theme songs.

• "Face Down" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
• "Move Along" by The All-American Rejects[n 1]
• "Out Here All Night" by Damone

The eight finalists made their first appearance on WWE programming on Raw on July 10.[16] The Diva Search had an awkward beginning on July 10 with an introductory segment on Raw featuring new host Mike Mizanin. During the segment, Mizanin appeared to have forgotten his lines and stammered on for several minutes when trying to explain the voting procedures for the contest.[17] When introducing the contestants, Mizanin mispronounced names and looked uncomfortable in his new role as Diva Search emcee.[17] Each week, the contestants appeared on both Raw and SmackDown!.[16] The final three appeared on a special that aired on August 16, 2006 on the USA Network, where the winner was announced.

Layla El won the 3rd annual Raw Diva Search[15] and was placed on SmackDown! in late 2006. WWE also hired several of the eliminated Diva contestants including Maryse Ouellet, The Bella Twins, Rebecca DiPietro, Brooke Adams, Amy Zidian, and Milena Roucka.

The official theme song for the 2007 WWE Diva Search was "Let it Roll" by Velvet Revolver from the band's second studio album, Libertad, which was released on July 3, 2007. At the time of release, Velvet Revolver was an American hard rock supergroup that featured vocalist Scott Weiland, guitarists Slash and Dave Kushner, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum. "Let it Roll" was only used as the official theme song for the competition and was not used as the official entrance theme song for the winner of the competition. Special thanks to Velvet Revolver

The first competition was on WWE.com on September 10, which was also when the voting started. The winner was announced on the October 29 edition of Raw. Unlike past Diva Searches, this Search was the first to take place exclusively on WWE.com with most of the pre-taped segments TV. Taryn Terrell, Angela Fong and Lena Yada were called up to the roster despite being eliminated.