Dashing Diva tougher than she looks
Becoming a world-class wrestler might seem an unlikely dream for an eight-year-old girl growing up in Victoria but it was reality for Tenille Dashwood.
Fast-forward to today and the 24-year-old has made good on that goal, being named the first Australian to join an elite group of women who are taking the wrestling world by storm - the Divas.
Under her stage name Diva Emma, Dashwood is emerging as World Wrestling Entertainment's brightest new star, appearing in a host of shows broadcast to 13 million fans in more than 100 countries.
But the Melburnian says moving to Canada for training and to Florida to chase the big time was not an easy road for a teenager.
"It's been years of training, years of working out and researching different diets and training routines," Dashwood said in Perth yesterday.
Once she was accepted into the WWE fold, Dashwood spent a tough year learning the ropes at the company's Orlando training facility, where she was taught skills including how to fall safely and pull off stunts as she progressed through the ranks.
However, it's been the character training - the showy side of wrestling that critics call "fake" - that the petite blonde has particularly enjoyed.
Dashwood has even developed her own signature move, dubbed the "Emma lock".
The WWE Live Tour comes to Perth Arena on August 9.
