When WWE Raw began in 1993, the new TV show had ring girls featured throughout the broadcast.
These women would carry signs for Raw or featured slogans associated with the show.
WWE quietly fizzled out the idea of ring girls not long after, but now one is entering a much different field
Running for Office
Themis Klarides, now a 57-year-old attorney, is one of the WWE ring girls and is looking to challenge Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal at the polls.
Klarides has served as a representative in the Connecticut legislature for 20 years and was the first woman leader of the state’s Republican lawmakers.
Many consider Klarides, a moderate, the favorite to win the GOP primary on August 9, and challenge Blumenthal head-on in the senate race.
The incumbent Democrat won his last race with 63% of the vote last time around.
Time as a Ring Girl
Representatives for Klarides told the New York Post that her time as a WWE Ring Girl was a part-time role to help pay for law school and they are unaware of how much she was paid.
During a 2018 appearance with ‘In the Arena‘ podcast, Klarides recalled her time backstage and how she felt like the odd one out (via New York Post.)
“I would be in the back with all the wrestlers and the other girls in our swimsuits and all their wrestling gear and I would have all my bar review books out studying for the bar.”
Klarides’ legal studies were referenced on air by then-announcer Todd Pettengill.