Kylie Rae Makes WWE In-Ring Debut

Kylie Rae made her WWE in-ring debut ahead of this week's live "WWE Raw" taping at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Now going by the name Briana Ray, the veteran wrestler faced Dana Brooke in a singles match that will air on "WWE Main Event" later this week. The spoiler for the match can be found here. 

Bro!!! Kylie Rae is here! #wwe #WWERaw #WWEMainEvent pic.twitter.com/sejT7huRdi

— Christine (@ShiningPolaris) December 13, 2022

As noted earlier, Rae was part of last week's WWE tryouts held at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando and was joined by the likes of KC Navarro, Dutch and Vincent Marseglia. According to Fightful Select, the tryout was held specifically for veteran indie wrestlers, and a source close to Rae said that "she seemed in high spirits" after the week-long auditions for WWE jobs. It's unknown if Rae has signed a full-time WWE contract or if Monday's match was part of her tryout. 

In November 2020, while signed to IMPACT Wrestling, Rae cast doubt over her future as a pro wrestler after announcing her retirement to focus on mental and physical health. She would eventually return to the ring at a Warrior Wrestling event in June 2021 and has been active on the indie circuit ever since. In recent months, she has wrestled frequently for promotions such as Freelance Wrestling and Limitless Wrestling, with her latest match coming against B3CCA on December 3.  

Over the years, Rae has also worked for AEW, IMPACT, NWA and NJPW, and her recent match for WWE gives her the unique distinction of wrestling for nearly all the major pro wrestling promotions. In fact, she was one of AEW's earliest signings but asked for her release in June 2019 owing to personal reasons.

Rae, known for her fun-loving persona, has previously drawn comparisons to Bayley's "hugger gimmick" and received moral support from the veteran WWE superstar following her abrupt retirement in 2020. Fans on social media are excited about a potential program involving the two women – if and when Rae gets called up to WWE's main roster.