KIANA JAMES

A product of the 2022 NXT Women's Breakout Tournament, the corporate-heel persona of Kiana James became one of NXT's defining characters — winning the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship alongside Fallon Henley at NXT Vengeance Day in February 2023 before dropping the titles to Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn at Stand & Deliver. After a knee injury wiped out the bulk of her initial main roster run, James re-emerged on SmackDown in early 2026 by pinning Charlotte Flair in a triple threat to qualify for the Women's Elimination Chamber match.

On SmackDown she signed Giulia to her clientele, helping boost the Japanese Superstar to a Women's United States Championship victory — but that alliance officially collapsed on the June 5 SmackDown in Bologna, Italy, where James entered the Queen of the Ring first-round Fatal 4-Way as the third entrant at Royal Rumble in January 2026, lasting 27 minutes before being eliminated by Raquel Rodriguez — the same Rodriguez who pinned James to advance to the Queen of the Ring semi-finals that night, triggering the on-screen split with Giulia.