Before WWE, Lacey Evans served in the US Marines, worked as military police and started a construction company to support her family

Before she became known to wrestling audiences as Lacey Evans, her working life followed a very different path. She spent years in the US Marine Corps, trained for military police duties and served on a specialist response team. Outside her military responsibilities, she also took steps towards running a construction business. Family remained part of those decisions, including her efforts to support her younger siblings while building a life with her husband and daughter. Wrestling came later, after she watched a fellow service member compete at a local event. By the time she entered WWE's development system in 2016, Evans had already experienced a career that extended well beyond the wrestling ring.How Lacey Evans supported her seven siblings before becoming a WWE starEvans has spoken about a difficult upbringing in which resources were limited and she shared what she had with her seven siblings. Her early circumstances were far removed from the polished character she would eventually present on television, where her appearance and manner became part of her professional wrestling identity.Family responsibilities continued into adulthood. Evans eventually helped three of her siblings by providing them with accommodation and work through her construction business.Lacey Evans served as a US Marine before joining WWEEvans joined the US Marine Corps and trained for a role that required discipline, physical preparation and the ability to respond to difficult situations. She went on to work as military police and served with the Special Reaction Team, a specialist unit associated with responding to serious security incidents.Her military background later became an important part of her public profile as a wrestler. Before entering sports entertainment, her responsibilities had centred on military duties rather than performing for a television audience.The original WWE profile of Evans also described her as graduating with honours from Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The installation is home to the US Army's Military Police School, among other training establishments.Lacey Evans started a construction company while serving in the US MarinesEvans also began a business venture before leaving military life behind. While still serving in the Marines, she established a construction company, taking on responsibilities outside her military role. The business became part of her efforts to provide financial and practical support for her family, including employing and housing three of her siblings.Running a company alongside military service would have involved demands beyond those of a single full-time job. The available biographical account, however, does not provide detailed information about the company's name, its size or the projects it completed. Those details should not be added without further documentation.Her business experience nevertheless formed a distinct chapter of her working life, preceding her entry into professional wrestling.Lacey Evans joined the WWE Performance Center in April 2016Evans became interested in professional wrestling after watching a staff sergeant compete at a local event. Seeing someone from her military environment take part in the sport introduced her to a possible career outside the service. She subsequently began wrestling on the independent circuit in the southeastern United States, where performers typically gain experience at smaller promotions before pursuing opportunities with larger organisations.The move was a departure from her established professional life. Independent wrestling provided an opportunity to learn the demands of performing in front of live audiences and develop an on-screen identity. Evans eventually secured a place at the WWE Performance Center, the organisation's training facility for developing wrestlers, in April 2016.From the independent circuit to WWE's development systemThe WWE Performance Center offered Evans a route into the organisation's developmental programme. She went on to compete in the Mae Young Classic, a women's wrestling tournament that gave participants an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities to a wider audience.Her presentation combined a carefully styled, vintage-inspired glamour with a character shaped around her military background. WWE promoted her under the nickname “The Lady of NXT”, incorporating elements of her personal history into her wrestling persona.Balancing her career with family lifeDuring her early WWE period, Evans was also raising a daughter with her husband. Her original profile described her daughter as four years old at the time and noted that the child accompanied her to many NXT shows.That account placed family life alongside her developing wrestling career, rather than treating the two as separate parts of her story. Evans had already taken on family responsibilities while serving in the Marines and establishing her business. Entering WWE introduced a different set of demands, including training, travel and performances.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.