Tenille Averil Rallis (néeDashwood; born 1 March 1989) is an Australian
professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenure in
WWE, under the
ring nameEmma. She is also known for her time in
Ring of Honor (ROH) and
Impact Wrestling, where she performed under her real name Tenille Dashwood.
Dashwood started training for professional wrestling in Australia in 2003 when she was 13 years old. In 2008, Dashwood went to Canada to train at the
Storm Wrestling Academy. She wrestled in Australia and North America on the independent circuit for promotions like
Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW) and
Shimmer Women Athletes under the ring name Tenille Tayla. In 2011, she signed with WWE, thus she became the first female Australian wrestler to be signed to WWE. She is also a former
Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Champion.[7]
Dashwood was introduced to wrestling by her older brother, Jake, when she was about eight years old. She involved herself in the Australian wrestling scene, and did some training from the ages of 13 to 15.[1] In 2005, Dashwood made some appearances for the Australian wrestling promotion Pro Wrestling Australia under the
ring name Valentine. However, from the age of 16 to 18, Dashwood was limited to setting up the ring at events and helping out after she suffered a severe shoulder injury. In 2008, she moved to
Calgary,
Alberta, Canada, for a few months to train with
Lance Storm at the Storm Wrestling Academy.[5][1]
In early 2011, Dashwood returned to Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy for further training, during which she became one of the ten trainees featured on the World of Hurt reality television show.[9]
Dashwood returned to Australia by September 2008 and wrestled there until February 2009 for promotions such as Wrestlerock and PWA Queensland.[5]
Dashwood made her debut for the Canadian wrestling promotion
Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling (ECCW) on 22 May 2009 under her real name.[5] In 2009, Dashwood also wrestled for another Canadian promotion,
Prairie Wrestling Alliance, as Tenille Williams.[11] In Dashwood's debut match for ECCW, she defeated
Nicole Matthews to earn a shot at the
SuperGirls Championship,[12][13] but later lost to champion Veronika Vice.[13] On 1 August, Tenille defeated Vice and Matthews in a three-way match to win her first ECCW Supergirls title.[5] By racking up successful titles defences in singles matches against Vice and Matthews, Tenille held the championship until 27 November 2009, when she lost it back to Vice.[5] At 19 March 2010 ECCW event, Tenille defeated Veronika Vice to re-capture the
ECCW Women's Championship.[5] She then made successful title defences against Vice, Nicole Matthews, and Lylah Lodge in singles matches, as well as against Matthews and KC Spinelli in a three-way match.[5] Dashwood lost the title to Matthews in a
tables match on 26 October,[12] and went on to lose a title rematch to Matthews in December 2010.[12] Tenille's last match in ECCW was on 7 May 2011, where she was defeated by Matthews.[5]
In March 2011,
Shimmer announced that Dashwood had signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (
WWE).[15] In July 2011, Dashwood decided to undergo surgery for her shoulder, which had caused her problems throughout her career.[16] After the surgery she applied again and the company signed her.[17] In June 2012, Dashwood relocated to
Tampa, Florida, and eventually reported to WWE's
developmental territoryFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW).[18] She made her FCW in-ring debut on 1 August
live event, participating in a
battle royal.[19] In August 2012, Dashwood revealed Emma as her new ring name.[20]
NXT (2012–2014)
WWE went on to
rebrand FCW into
NXT in August 2012.[21] Emma made her televised debut on 28 November episode of NXT, where she competed against
Audrey Marie in a losing effort. Emma then debuted the
gimmick of a clumsy dancer on 9 January 2013 episode of NXT.[22][23] From April, Emma began to rack up wins over the likes of
Bayley and Audrey Marie, while becoming one of NXT's most popular wrestlers.[24][25] On 26 June episode of NXT, Emma competed in the
NXT Women's Championship tournament to crown the inaugural champion. She defeated
Aksana in the first round,[26] and
Summer Rae in the semi-finals on 10 July episode of NXT,[27] before losing to
Paige in the finals on 24 July episode of NXT.[28]
On 7 August episode of NXT, Emma won a dance competition against Summer Rae to become the number one contender for the NXT Women's Championship, but Rae then attacked her to start a feud.[29] In the following months, Emma teamed up with Paige to feud with Rae and
Sasha Banks, collectively known as the Beautiful Fierce Females (BFFs).[30][31][32] On 18 December episode of NXT, Emma was challenged by
Natalya for Emma's shot at the NXT Women's Championship,[33] which was contested on 1 January 2014 episode of NXT, in which Emma was victorious. On 27 February at
NXT Arrival, Emma received her title match against Paige, but was unsuccessful in capturing the championship.[34] After Paige was stripped of the championship in April, Emma lost to
Charlotte in a tournament to determine the new champion. On 5 June episode of NXT, Emma and Paige saved Bayley from an attack from Summer Rae, Sasha Banks, and Charlotte. On 12 June, Emma teamed with Paige and Bayley to defeat the BFFs.[35]
On 13 January 2014 episode of Raw, Emma made her first appearance on the main roster when WWE acknowledged her appearing amongst the live audience.[36][37] Her appearance made her the first Australian woman to debut on WWE television.[2] Emma continued to appear in the crowd on Raw and SmackDown that month, with tensions developing between her and
Summer Rae.[38][39]
On 3 February episode of Raw, Emma was invited into the ring by
Santino Marella to participate in a dance-off against Rae, which Emma won by a fan vote.[40] In the following weeks, the feud between Emma and Rae continued, and Emma eventually began teasing an
on-screen relationship with Marella.[41][42][43] Emma and Rae faced off in a match on 24 February episode of Raw, in which Emma was victorious.[44] This led to
mixed tag team match against Rae and
Fandango on 3 March episode of Raw, which Emma and Marella won.[44] On 25 March episode of Main Event, Emma teamed up with
Natalya, The
Funkadactyls (
Cameron and
Naomi) and
Eva Marie in a losing effort to the team of Rae,
Alicia Fox,
Aksana,
Layla and
Tamina Snuka.[45] On 27 March episode of Superstars, Emma once again defeated Rae by submission.[44] On 6 April, Emma made her
WrestleMania debut, competing at
WrestleMania XXX in the 14-
Diva "
Vickie Guerrero Invitational match" for the
Divas Championship, which was won by the defending champion
AJ Lee.[46] The following night on Raw, Emma and Marella once again defeated Rae and Fandango in a mixed tag team match, with Emma making Rae submit.[47] On the following episode of SmackDown, Emma started a feud with Layla, when she replaced Summer Rae as Fandango's dance partner and valet.[48][49] This led to Emma using Marella's finisher, the Cobra Strike, later dubbing it the Ven-Emma, to defeat Layla on 21 April episode of Raw.[50] In the beginning of July, Emma's alliance with Marella ended after he announced his
legitimateretirement from in-ring competition.[51]
Throughout the year, Emma racked up victories over the likes of Cameron[52] and Alicia Fox,[53][54][55] but also lost to them,[56][57] and to the likes of
Nikki Bella,[58][59][60] Summer Rae[61] and
Paige.[62][63] In November, at
Survivor Series, Emma took part of a four-on-four
elimination tag team match, where she eliminated Summer Rae before her team won the match with a clean sweep.[64] While returning to NXT in early 2015, Emma competed in various matches on the main roster,[65][66][67] including a
battle royal to determine the number one contender for the Divas Championship, which was won by Paige.[68]
Return to NXT (2015–2016)
On 28 January 2015 episode of NXT, Emma announced that she would be returning to NXT, stating that her tenure on the main roster was not working out.[69] The following week on NXT, Emma was defeated by
Carmella in her return match.[70] In March, Emma turned
heel after criticising
Bayley in a backstage segment,[71][72] which prompted a match between the two on 1 April episode on NXT, in which Emma was defeated.[73] Emma continued her feud with Bayley, when she provided a distraction during Bayley's match with
Dana Brooke, ensuring Brooke the victory and forming an
alliance with her in the process.[74] On 6 May episode of NXT, after Emma was defeated by
Charlotte and later attacked by Bayley,[75] a
tag team match was made between Emma and Brooke and Bayley and Charlotte at
NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, which Emma and Brooke lost.[76] On 27 May episode of NXT, Emma defeated Bayley, and after the match, Emma and Brooke attacked Bayley and Charlotte.[77]
With her new heel direction, Emma preceded her finisher, the Emma-Lock[78][79][54] (
Muta lock, by a
hair-pullstomp to the opponent's back)[80][81] Emma ended her feud with Bayley when the latter returned from injury in mid-July, and defeated Emma.[82] On 26 August episode of NXT (which was taped at the
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn event), Emma won a
fatal four-way match against
Becky Lynch, Charlotte, and Dana Brooke.[83] In mid-September, Emma and Brooke were involved in a feud with newcomer
Asuka, and confronted her during a contract signing with
William Regal,[84] which led to a match between Brooke and Asuka at
NXT TakeOver: Respect on 7 October, where Emma was attacked by Asuka after attempting to interfere.[85]
Throughout November, Emma started provoking Asuka,[86][78] including an attack planned by Emma and Brooke, which occurred on 25 November episode of NXT,[79] resulting in a critically acclaimed[87] match between her and Asuka at the
NXT TakeOver: London event on 16 December,[80][88] which Emma lost, despite interference from Brooke.[89] On 13 January 2016 episode of NXT, Emma competed in a number one contender's battle royal, which was won by Carmella.[90] On 23 March episode of NXT, Emma lost against Asuka in the main event, which turned out to be her last televised match in NXT.[91]
Return to main roster and departure (2016–2017)
On 22 March episode of Main Event, Emma made her return to the main roster alongside
Summer Rae by attacking
Alicia Fox and
Natalya during a match between Paige and
Naomi, distracting Paige, and subsequently aligning herself with
Team B.A.D.,
Lana and Rae, after a reconciliation between Lana and Summer.[92] The following week, in her return match, Emma defeated Paige on 28 March episode of Raw, after being helped by Lana. Post-match, she along her allies, attacked Brie Bella, Natalya, Alicia Fox and Paige, before a returning
Eva Marie cleared the area.[93] As a result, a
10-Diva tag team match between the
Total Divas team (Brie, Fox, Natalya, Eva and Paige) and the newly dubbed team B.A.D. & Blonde (Naomi,
Tamina, Lana, Emma, and Rae) was announced for the
WrestleMania 32's pay-per-view pre-show.[94] At the event on 3 April, they were defeated by team Total Divas after Naomi submitted to Brie Bella.[95][96] After WrestleMania, Emma began a feud with
Becky Lynch, defeating her in singles competition on 2 May episode of Raw.[97] The following week, Emma and the debuting
Dana Brooke assaulted Lynch during a backstage segment.[98]
On 16 May, WWE announced that Emma had suffered a back injury during a
live event that would require surgery, causing her to go on hiatus.[99] On 3 October 2016 episode of Raw, a
repackagevignette was shown, teasing about a "makeover of Emma to Emmalina".[100] WWE continued to display the vignettes of her upcoming return the following weeks.[101][102] In late 2016 and again in early 2017, journalist
Dave Meltzer described the vignettes as merely a running inside joke, and stated that "there's no spot ready for her" on television.[103][104] Reportedly, the Emmalina gimmick was dropped due to WWE producers feeling that Dashwood could not pull off the character with the direction they would like to display it, which was to be a throwback to the likes of
Sable and
The Kat.[105] The Emmalina character first appeared on 13 February 2017 episode of Raw, only to announce "the makeover from Emmalina to Emma".[106]
Emma appeared on 3 April episode of Raw as her previous villainous persona. She teamed with
Charlotte Flair and
Nia Jax against Brooke,
Sasha Banks, and
Bayley in a losing effort.[107] On 7 May, Emma suffered a shoulder injury at a
live event in Liverpool, England.[108] Emma made her return on 12 June episode of Raw in a six-woman tag team match, where she, Jax, and
Alexa Bliss were defeated by Banks, Brooke, and
Mickie James.[109] On 4 September episode of Raw, Emma teamed with Jax to defeat both Bliss and Banks to earn spots for herself and Jax in the
Raw Women's Championship match at
No Mercy,[110] her first pay per view match since the 2014 Survivor Series. At the event, she was unsuccessful after Bliss pinned the returning
Bayley.
On 9 October episode of Raw, after confronting General Manager
Kurt Angle about who would face the debuting
Asuka, Emma defeated Sasha Banks, Alicia Fox, Bayley and Dana Brooke in an elimination match to earn the right to face Asuka at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, where she lost via submission. Frustrated over her loss, Emma challenged Asuka to rematch. On 23 October episode of Raw, Emma was defeated by Asuka which would be her final match in WWE.
On 29 October 2017, WWE announced that Dashwood had officially been released from her WWE contract.[111]
Independent circuit (2017–2022)
In November 2017, several independent promotions announced they had signed Dashwood to perform at their shows, beginning in February 2018.[112] Dashwood's post-WWE debut was on 3 February, headlining a WrestlePro event in which she defeated
Angelina Love. According to the journalist Sean Ross Sapp, Dashwood's appearance drew a huge crowd and praise.[113] Dashwood's independent circuit performances have included victories over
Rachael Ellering on 11 February,[114] and
Deonna Purrazzo on 2 March 2018.[115]
Dashwood announced after her surgery her wrestling comeback for independent promotions for the end of July 2019.[116]
Ring of Honor (2018–2019)
Tenille debut in ROH and on 9 February 2018, Dashwood debuted (under her real name) in
Ring of Honor (ROH), at its Honor Reigns Supreme show. She was introduced as the newest member of ROH's
Women of Honor division, and, the 16th and final entrant in ROH's tournament to crown the first
Women of Honor Champion. Later that night, Dashwood teamed with
Mandy Leon, defeating
Kelly Klein and Stacy Shadows.[117] With her new ring name, she also renamed some of her signature moves. The Dil-Emma[89] (
Rope hung Boston crab)[118] became the Tarantula and the Emmamite Sandwich[119][120] (
Running crossbody to an opponent seated in the corner)[118][121] became a Taste of Tenille.
At ROH Manhattan Mayhem (March 2018), Dashwood teamed with Deonna Purrazzo in a victory over Jenny Rose and
Sumie Sakai.[122] In the first round of the Women of Honor Championship tournament, Dashwood defeated Stacy Shadows.[123] She defeated
Brandi Rhodes in the second round at the
ROH 16th Anniversary Show.[124]Sumie Sakai then defeated Dashwood in the semi-finals and went on to win the tournament and the championship at ROH's
Supercard of Honor XII 7 April 2018.[125]
At ROH's State of the Art, on 17 June, Dashwood defeated
Thunder Rosa.[126] At the
ROH Best in the World PPV she won her tag team match together with Sumie Sakai, Jenny Rose and
Mayu Iwatani.[127][128] On
Death Before Dishonor XVI, Dashwood unsuccessfully challenged Sakai for the Women of Honor Championship. Backstage, after the match, Dashwood was attacked and injured, the attacker's identity remained unknown.[129] The background of the injury storyline was that Dashwood needed time to recover from a full body flare up of an autoimmune disease and a dislocation, torn labrum and fracture of her shoulder, for which a surgery was needed. Ring of Honor announced that she will continue to work with the company during her recovery time.[130][131] In an ROH TV episode in April 2019 Bully Ray put Dashwood backstage through a table, a storyline to write her off ROH.[132]
Impact Wrestling
Championship pursuits (2019–2021)
On 29 July 2019,
Impact Wrestling announced on Twitter that Dashwood had signed with the company.[133] During her time with Impact, Dashwood also wrestled for
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at their
All Out Buy In, participating in the women's Casino Battle Royal.[134] On 30 August 2019 edition of Impact!, Dashwood made her TV debut with the company, confronting
Knockouts ChampionTaya Valkyrie before attacking her on the entrance ramp.[135] Dashwood won the following matches against
Kiera Hogan and
Madison Rayne and challenged Valkyrie for the Knockouts Championship.[136] Valkyrie retained against Dashwood as the champion at
Bound For Glory, ending their feud.[137] Dashwood won a rematch against Valkyrie later in 2020, but was attacked by her after the match.[138]
After several months of hiatus during the
COVID-19 pandemic, Dashwood returned on 1 September 2020 of Impact! by interrupting the Knockouts Champion
Deonna Purrazzo's "Black Tie Affair", informing Purrazzo that she's going after her championship.[139] On 22 September of Impact!, Dashwood defeated
Jordynne Grace in the main event,[140] the episode also tied the highest viewership of the year for Impact on AXS TV.[141] Grace won the rematch the following week, resulting in a final match and win by Dashwood on 3 October at
Victory Road.[142] At
Bound for Glory, Dashwood competed in the 20-wrestler
IntergenderCall Your Shot Gauntlet match, which was won by
Rhino.[143]
In early 2021, Dashwood began feuding with
Decay after losing a match to
Rosemary on 12 January episode of Impact!. At
Hard To Kill, Dashwood and Kaleb lost to
Crazzy Steve and Rosemary. The rivalry continued at
No Surrender, where Dashwood teamed with XXXL (
Ace Romero and
Larry D) against Decay (
Black Taurus, Crazzy Steve and Rosemary), which Decay won. Dashwood would then begin her next feud against
Havok and Nevaeh, defeating both of them in singles matches on Impact!. It led to a match at
Sacrifice, where Dashwood and Kaleb defeated Havok and Nevaeh. At
Hardcore Justice, Dashwood defeated
Havok, Rosemary, Jordynne Grace, Alisha and
Su Yung to become the #1 contender for the Impact Knockouts Championship.[149] She received the title opportunity against
Deonna Purrazzo at
Rebellion, which Dashwood lost due to interference by
Kimber Lee.
Taylor Wilde rescued Dashwood from a post-match assault by Kimber and
Susan. This led to Wilde and Dashwood defeating Kimber and Susan at
Under Siege.
The Influence (2021–2022)
Dashwood began feuding with Jordynne Grace and
Rachael Ellering after inviting Ellering to join her as co-host of the All About Me talk show segment and Ellering bringing Grace with her, which Dashwood did not take lightly. This resulted in a match between Dashwood and Grace at
Against All Odds, which Dashwood won. After trading wins with Ellering on Impact!, Dashwood and Kaleb lost a tag team match to Grace and Ellering on 15 July episode of Impact!. Two days later, at
Slammiversary, Dashwood teamed with
Brian Myers to compete against
Matt Cardona and the returning
Chelsea Green in a mixed tag team match, which Dashwood and Myers lost.
On 12 August episode of Impact!, Dashwood defeated
Taylor Wilde with the assist of the returning
Madison Rayne.[150] As a result, Dashwood and Rayne formed an alliance called The Influence, alongside Kaleb. In their first match as a team, the Influence trio defeated Wilde in a
handicap match on 26 August episode of Impact!. Dashwood would then lose a rematch to Wilde at
Victory Road to end the rivalry.
Influence began pursuing the
Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Championship as Dashwood and Rayne unsuccessfully challenged Decay (Havok and Rosemary) for the titles at
Knockouts Knockdown. On 30 September episode of Impact!, Influence defeated Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering to earn a future shot at the Knockouts World Tag Team Championship. Dashwood also advanced in the tournament for the new
Digital Media Championship by defeating Alisha on 20 October, thus qualifying for the six-way match to determine the inaugural champion at
Bound for Glory. Dashwood would be unable to compete at the event and was replaced by her Influence teammate Madison Rayne, who failed to win the title.
Dashwood returned to action in December and Influence began feuding with
The IInspiration (
Cassie Lee and
Jessie McKay) over the Knockouts World Tag Team Championship, defeating them for the titles at
Sacrifice on 5 March 2022. At
Multiverse of Matches, Influence retained the titles against Decay,
Gisele Shaw and
Lady Frost, and Savannah Evans and
Tasha Steelz in a four-way match. At
Rebellion, Influence successfully defended the titles against IInspiration in a rematch. Dashwood and Rayne lost the titles to Rosemary and Taya Valkyrie at
Slammiversary. Shortly after the title loss, Gisele Shaw began teaming with Influence. At
Against All Odds, Dashwood and Shaw unsuccessfully challenged Rosemary and Valkyrie for the titles. Dashwood's final match in Impact came against
Masha Slamovich on 14 July episode of Impact!, which Dashwood lost.
Return to WWE (2022–2023)
On 28 October 2022 episode of SmackDown, Dashwood made her surprise return to WWE as a face for the first time in nearly 5 years, under her former ring name Emma, accepting
Ronda Rousey's open challenge for the
SmackDown Women's Championship, where she failed to win the title.[151] On 21 January 2023 edition of SmackDown LowDown, Emma was announced to be in the 2023 Women's Royal Rumble Match, marking her first Royal Rumble appearance. Emma entered the match at number four, reuniting with former tag partner Dana Brooke during the match. She was eliminated by
Dakota Kai from
Damage CTRL after Brooke was eliminated. On 17 March 2023 episode of SmackDown, Emma teamed with
Tegan Nox to challenge
Liv Morgan and
Raquel Rodriguez for a spot in the Women's WrestleMania Showcase match at
Wrestlemania 39, though they were unsuccessful. As part of the
2023 WWE Draft, Emma was drafted to the
Rawbrand. [152][153] On 3 July 2023 episode of Raw, Emma competed on the brand for the first time in over 5 years teaming with
Nikki Cross in a losing effort. On 21 September, 2023, Emma announced she had been released from WWE along with several other talents (including real-life partner
Riddick Moss).[154][155] In December 2023, Dashwood stated in an
Instagram post that she was unsure if she'd ever return to in-ring competition.[156]
Other media
Dashwood regularly appeared in the WWE
web seriesThe JBL and Cole Show, until its cancellation in June 2015. In September 2015, Dashwood began a cooking show on
YouTube entitled Taste of Tenille,[157] which ran till 2016 and at times also featured other wrestlers cooking with her. Dashwood continued the series in 2020.[158]
On 30 June 2014, Dashwood was arrested in
Hartford, Connecticut. She arrived backstage, but did not appear on the episode of Raw that aired live that night.[163] Police released her after she agreed to appear at Hartford Community Court,[164] which she did the following day on 1 July. According to her lawyer, she forgot to pay for an
iPad case when using a self-checkout machine for her purchase at a
Walmart. The journalists
Bryan Alvarez and Sean Ross Sapp talked with loss-prevention managers at Walmart who, after looking into the case, confirmed that Dashwood did pay for her purchase, except for the one improperly scanned item. The employees criticized the arrest, stating that the clerk should have just reminded her that one item was not properly checked in instead, especially considering the low price of the forgotten item.[165] She was ordered by the court to perform one day of community service[166] and an online course, after which the charge was dismissed. WWE initially released Dashwood, but reversed their decision within just a few hours, once the announcement of her release sparked a large online backlash from WWE fans.[167][168]
Dashwood revealed in August 2018 that she has fought the autoimmune disease
psoriasis since she was fourteen years old. During her tour in Australia and New Zealand, in July 2018, a bad flare up happened, resulting in her wrestling in pain the following weeks. Dashwood explained that her greatest fear growing up with the condition was that she could not achieve her dream of becoming a professional wrestler.[169][170]
While she was initially reluctant to share the information about her disease, Dashwood explained in an interview she felt it was important so people know they are not alone with the disease and that there is no reason to be ashamed about it.[171][172]
On 4 August 2022, Dashwood revealed that she is dating Michael Rallis, who is best known by his ring name
Riddick Moss.[173] On 3 June 2023, Dashwood and Rallis announced their engagement.[174] The couple married on 8 March 2024.[175]
^Ravens, Andrew (21 September 2023).
"WWE Has Released Emma". Wrestling Headlines.
Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.