WWE Superstar Arianna Grace Vying to Become Miss Universe Canada

As one promising young Superstar inches closer to returning from a catastrophic knee injury, a new door has opened in the process.

The last time the WWE Universe saw Arianna Grace compete inside the ring was in October 2022, when she teamed with Kiana James to take on Sol Ruca and Fallon Henley. Unfortunately, news came out after the match aired that Arianna suffered an ACL tear – an injury that would require surgery and extensive rehabilitation.

Which Beauty Competition is Arianna Grace Competing In?

Not only is Arianna close to returning to the ring, but she'll be taking her talents to the Miss Universe Canada competition as she prepares for her official NXT return! In a Threads post on August 13, Arianna announced she would be participating in the pageant and, predictably, she is excited!

"Feeling so grateful for the life I live, I get to live two of my dreams at the same time this week," Arianna wrote. "I am a WWE wrestler AND I'm competing for the title of Miss Universe Canada this week. It almost seems surreal, but I made it happen. Hard work always pays off."

The winner of Miss Universe Canada will go on to represent the country in the Miss Universe competition. If Arianna's performance goes to plan, the WWE Superstar will look to become the first Miss Universe Canada winner to be crowned Miss Universe since Natalie Glebova accomplished the feat in 2005. Arianna will compete under her real name, Bianca Carelli, throughout the competition, which is slated to kick off on August 17. It wouldn't be the first time Arianna ascended to the top of the Canadian pageant world, however: She was crowned Miss Teen Ontario-World in 2013.

Arianna's participation in Miss Universe Canada is fitting – after all, her NXT persona can be loosely defined as a villainous beauty pageant queen!

Which Ex-WWE Superstar is Arianna Grace Related To?

Arianna is in unique company as one of the handful of second-generation WWE Superstars currently on the roster – she is the daughter of long-time fan favorite Santino Marella! The former Intercontinental and United States Champion made a career out of giving the WWE Universe countless hilarious, and bizarre, moments:

After winning the Intercontinental Championship during his debut match in Italy, Santino Marella enjoyed an extensive WWE run lasting almost ten years. Long-time members of the WWE Universe recall his unlikely partnership with Beth Phoenix in the late 2000s and his unforgettable stint as his alter ego, "Santina."

Predictably, Santino has high hopes for his daughter, predicting a prosperous WWE career for Arianne. In an appearance on WWE legend JBL's YouTube show in 2022, Santino went on the record with his thoughts.

"She's a beast, man," Santino confessed. "She's gonna be an absolute top-tier player. She was identified from a young child. You know, she won her school speeches and she was Miss Teen Ontario and she's a television personality and she's tall and she's strong. In a couple years, I can't wait to go to WrestleMania, just as a parent going to watch their kid. I don't wanna do anything. I don't wanna sign, I don't wanna talk to anybody. I'm just here to watch my kid and I just cannot wait for that."

If her father's sports entertainment acumen is any indication, we wouldn't be surprised to see Arianna Grace ascend to the top of NXT in the next few years – with an eventual debut on the main roster to follow! But for Arianna, first thing's first: She's about to take the first steps toward becoming Miss Universe.

You can tune in to Peacock to watch WWE's Payback on September 2. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe on Peacock.