PROFILE
BIOGRAPHY
Barbara "Barbie" Blank (born January 15, 1987) is an American model and professional wrestling valet currently working for World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand under the ring name Kelly Kelly.
Blank was a full-time bikini model for Venus Swimwear until World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Vice President of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis spotted her in a bikini catalogue and contacted her modeling agency, offering her and Victoria Crawford contracts. Despite having no previous wrestling experience, her agent advised her to accept the offer and she was assigned to the WWE's developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) for her training. Even after being called up to WWE's main roster, she continued to fly to Louisville, Kentucky once a week, first to work OVW shows as a ring announcer and referee before starting to wrestle. One of her first matches took place at the September 7, 2006 OVW TV Tapings where she participated in a Women's Battle Royal won by ODB.
Blank debuted for the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) brand as Kelly (Later Kelly Kelly) on the June 13, 2006 edition of ECW on Sci Fi, becoming the youngest diva on the WWE roster. Her character was an exhibitionist and as such debuted on the show performing a striptease for the crowd. The next week, while performing another striptease, Kelly was interrupted by her storyline boyfriend Mike Knox who came to the stage and covered her with a towel before dragging her backstage. This became Kelly's routine – repeatedly dancing/giving a striptease for the audience, only to be interrupted by Knox who was upset by her exhibitionism and constant showing of her body to other men.
Kelly became a de facto valet for Knox when he began "forcing" her to accompany him to ringside so he could keep an eye on her during his matches. As a result she found herself involved in the feud developing between Mike Knox and partner Test and Tommy Dreamer and his partner The Sandman, including being dragged into the ring and spanked by Dreamer. She made her ECW in-ring debut at the August 22, 2006 edition of ECW on Sci-Fi in a losing effort in a six-person Mixed tag team match which saw herself, Knox, and Test lose to Dreamer, Sandman and Torrie Wilson, although she never actually tagged in to the match. Knox became increasingly protective and jealous when Kelly began showing interest in CM Punk, including congratulating him after wins and watching his matches from the entry way. Things came to a head when Kelly dressed as Punk for ECW's "Halloween Costume Contest", enraging Knox, and leading to a match between the two (which Punk ended up winning). Her in ring pay per view debut came at the ECW brands December to Dismember, where she and Knox lost a mixed tag team match to Kevin Thorn and Ariel after Knox abandoned her in the ring. It's worth noting that before the match she wished CM Punk luck in his main event match, and after Knox left her The Sandman saved her from a beating at the hands of Ariel.