WWE NXT's Arianna Grace On Why She Entered A Pageant And What She Took From It

After sustaining a torn ACL and meniscus in her knee in October 2022, Arianna Grace embarked on an 11-month recovery journey. Though she was sidelined from in-ring competition, the "WWE NXT" star was granted permission to compete in the 2023 Miss Universe Canada pageant earlier this year. During a recent appearance on "Wilde On," Grace explained the motivation behind entering this prestigious pageant.

"I was like 'I need something. I need something for me. I need to distract myself' [during the time away from the ring]," Grace said. "Actually, Miss Universe Canada had always been a dream of mine. In high school, they nominated me for 'most likely to be Miss Universe.' So it's kind of one of those weird full-circle things. Obviously I didn't win, Ibut I got pretty close ... It's actually crazy, when I started at the [WWE] PC, I don't know what happened, if it was stress or all the bumping because it's a lot of grueling work, but I put on at least maybe 20 pounds. Then after the injury, I was like, 'It seems as though I gained some pounds, let's use this pageant as motivation to get myself into great shape for when I come back.' It also gave me a distraction, so it benefited me in different ways."

Following her run in 2023 Miss Universe Canada, Grace returned to the ring in September 2023, albeit in a losing effort to Fallon Henley at a "WWE NXT" live event. Later that month, Grace resurfaced on WWE television. In October, Grace was entered into the 2023 "NXT" Women's Breakout Tournament, where she defeated Brinley Reece in the opening round. Grace's journey in the tournament soon came to an end, though, as she lost to Kelani Jordan in the semi-finals.

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