Who is Lash Legend, making her debut on WWE NXT?
Lash Legend, who appeared on NXT 2.0, is Anriel Howard, who played basketball professionally for the Seattle Storm in the WNBA.
She signed with WWE in December 2020 and has been training at the WWE Performance Center. Prior to signing with WWE, she had never competed in a wrestling ring before.
Legend made her first appearance in a backstage segment on the September 21, 2021 episode of NXT 2.0. She spoke with Franky Monet to confirm she will be debuting her talk show Lashing Out with Lash Legend next week.
Next week @HailStateWBK great Anriel Howard makes her WWE debut as @lashlegendwwe. There couldn’t be a more natural fit for the business in terms of God-given athleticism and entertainment value. I think she’s going to be a great one. https://t.co/jsx6UrJkZE
WWE's signing of Lash Legend has been seen as something of a coup, due to Legend's gifted talent and charisma. Following her signing, legendary wrestling reporter Dave Meltzer spoke about her signing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
"Also signed is Anriel Howard, 23, the most decorated athlete the company has ever signed. Howard was a 5-foot-11 forward who played college basketball at Mississippi State and Texas A&M and later briefly with the WNBA’s Seattle Storm. She was a second round draft choice of the Storm in 2019 and played a few games early last season before being cut. As a senior in 2019 at Mississippi State, she averaged 16 points and eight rebounds per game, was first team All-SEC and Honorable Mention All-American and helped lead her team to the NCAA tournament. She had played three seasons at Texas A&M and holds the school’s rebounding record with 1,002 boards, as well as the school record of 9.8 per game and had 32 double doubles (ten points scored, ten rebounds in the same game). Her 439 rebounds in the 2017-2018 season are the ninth most in SEC history and was seventh in the nation. As a sophomore, she was 22nd in the nation in rebounds."
"When she came out of Westlake High School in Georgia, she was listed as the No. 16 prospect in the country. She was a four-sport star including winning the state championship twice in the triple jump and also was a star in volleyball and cross country. She was also the school’s homecoming queen, and was a National Honor Society winner and was looking at sports broadcasting as her career. She was a three-time all-state player who scored more than 2,000 points in high school and was nominated to the McDonald’s All-American team." Dave Meltzer said. (h/t WrestleTalk)
Lash Legend is set to be the next big thing in WWE
Anriel Howard will now be known as "Lash Legend."
#WWENXT https://t.co/bIR2g7xtsB
Her background tells you so much about Lash Legend. She is going to be a huge deal in WWE. Adding to her natural talent and her WWE training, she could be in for a successful run with the company.
All eyes will be on Lashing Out with Lash Legend on NXT 2.0 next week to see the former basketball star shine.