| Carmella | |
|---|---|
 Carmella after her WWE return in 2022. | |
| Birth name | Leah Van Dale |
| Born | October 23, 1987 (age 37) Spencer, Massachusetts |
| Resides | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Spouse | Mason Wolfe (m. 2022) |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Carmella |
| Billed height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Billed weight | 110 lb (49 kg) |
| Billed from | Staten Island, New York |
| Trained by | Sara Amato WWE Performance Center |
| Debut | June 2013 |
Leah Alvarez (née Van Dale; born October 23, 1987) is an American professional wrestler, dancer and model. She is currently signed to WWE, where she performs under the ring name Carmella on the Raw brand. Carmella is a former one-time WWE Women's Tag Champion alongside her partner Charlotte Flair; the two would end up being the final Women's Tag Team Champions before the titles were retired in 2022.
She is best known for her time in both World Championship Wrestling where she was the first-ever and longest-reigning WCW Women's Champion as well as All Elite Wrestling.
Early life[]
Leah Van Dale was born on October 23, 1987 in Spencer, Massachusetts. She is the daughter of Paul Van Dale, a former mixed martial artist and professional wrestler, who worked as a jobber for the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE) in the 1980s and 1990s, making the younger Van Dale a second generation wrestler. Van Dale is of Italian and Dutch descent. She grew up in Spencer, Massachusetts, where she graduated from David Prouty High School in 2006. She graduated from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2010. Van Dale was a cheerleader for the New England Patriots for three seasons, ending in 2010. She successfully auditioned for the Los Angeles Lakers dance team, appearing as a Laker Girl during the 2010–2011 season.
Professional wrestling career[]
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE[]
Van Dale applied to be part of WWE Tough Enough in 2010, but withdrew from the selection process after being accepted as a Laker Girl and moving to Los Angeles.
World Championship Wrestling / WCW (2020)[]
Coming Soon
World Wrestling Entertainment / NXT (2021)[]
Coming Soon
All Elite Wrestling / AEW (2021–2022)[]
Coming Soon
Return to WWE (2022–present)[]
Coming Soon
Lifestyle[]
On February 3, 2020, Van Dale launched her own wine label called Capo Cagna.
Personal life[]
Van Dale is a certified fitness instructor and a personal trainer. Van Dale is a lifelong fan of professional wrestling, and idolized Miss Elizabeth as a child. It would be revealed that Van Dale was dating fellow professional wrestler, Mason Wolfe. On January 1st, 2022 both Alvarez and Van Dale announced that they were engaged with Alvarez proposing to her on New Year's Eve the night before. It was revealed in mid-late February 2022 that Van Dale and Alvarez had officially gotten married in a private ceremony. It was revealed in June 2024 that Van Dale had given birth to a child – a daughter; with the couple having not revealed the pregnancy publicly until then.
In wrestling[]
- Finishing moves
- Code of Silence (Figure-four necklock)
- Princess Kick (Superkick)
- Signature moves
- Big boot
- Bronco buster
- Crossbody
- Guillotine choke
- Monkey flip
- Reverse STO
- Rope-aided Hurricanrana
- Sit-out rear mat slam
- Single Leg dropkick
- Suicide Dive
- Super frankensteiner
- Lou Thesz press
- Tilt-a-whirl headscissors takedown
- Turnbuckle handstand into a frankensteiner
- Nicknames
- "The Princess of Staten Island"
- "Mella is Money"
- "Untouchable"
- "The Most Beautiful Woman in (all of) AEW
- "The Most Beautiful Woman in (all of) WWE
- Entrance themes
- "Fabulous" by CFO$
- "Tredici" by Def Rebel
- "She's Bad (Fabulous Remix)" by Def Rebel
- "Pinnacle" by Mikey Ruckus (Used while apart of the Pinnacle)
Championships and accomplishments[]
- World Championship Wrestling
- WCW Women's Championship (1 time)
- World Wrestling Entertainment
- WWE Women's Tag Team Championship (1 time, last) – with Charlotte Flair