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Linda M. Miles (born August 28, 1978) is an American former professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. She worked under the ring name Shaniqua for World Wrestling Entertainment's (WWE) SmackDown brand between 2002 and 2004. She won the second season of WWE Tough Enough alongside Jackie Gayda, receiving a one-year contract with WWE.

Basketball

After graduating from Hughes High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, Miles attended Rutgers University, where she played basketball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. She graduated from Rutgers in 2001. In May 2001, she tried out for a roster spot with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA, but was released during the team's training camp. Miles and her Rutgers teammates were featured in a 2004 documentary film of the team's 2000–2001 season entitled This Is A Game, Ladies.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Entertainment (2002–2004)

In 2002, Miles entered and won the second series of WWE Tough Enough. She and co-winner Jackie Gayda were awarded developmental contracts with the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment.

Miles made her in-ring debut on the June 8, 2002 episode of WWE Velocity and faced off against her villainous trainer, Ivory, with Gayda in her corner. Miles lost to Ivory after Gayda turned villainous by pushing her off the top turnbuckle, costing her the match. On the June 13 episode of SmackDown!, Miles teamed with WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus to defeat the team of Gayda and Ivory. The two divas were then placed on the Raw brand. On the June 24 edition of Raw, Miles teamed with Trish Stratus to defeat Gayda and Molly Holly.

Later in 2002, Miles became the onscreen manager of Shelton Benjamin. It did not last long, however, as Benjamin formed Team Angle with Kurt Angle and Charlie Haas. Miles then disappeared from WWE television.

In late-2002, Miles was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling for further training and development.

Miles returned to WWE television in June 2003 as a villain under the name "Shaniqua", the dominatrix manager of the Basham Brothers. She often interfered in matches, including a match where she surprisingly had to interfere to ensure the Bashams' victory over two jobbers. In the late summer of 2003, Shaniqua began to establish her dominance over the weaker divas. She interfered in the Bourbon Street Bikini Contest on the September 4 episode of Smackdown!, attacking all of the Divas except for Sable, who had escaped. After attacking Dawn Marie and Torrie Wilson, she press slammed Nidia over the top rope. She then began a brief feud with fellow SmackDown! divas Torrie Wilson, Dawn Marie and Nidia. One week after the Bourbon Street Bikini Contest, Dawn Marie challenged Shaniqua to a singles match in which Shaniqua won by disqualification after interference from Nidia and Wilson, who struck Shaniqua with a steel chair. The following week, Shaniqua defeated Wilson and Nidia in a handicap match. After said handicap match, the villainous Shaniqua attacked Dawn Marie, who had accompanied Nidia and Wilson to ringside, by delivering a big boot to her chest and then ramming her head into the ring post, proving that while on SmackDown! Linda Miles was the most dominant Diva on the SmackDown! roster. The feud then ended abruptly and Shaniqua was not seen on TV again until the October 2 episode of Smackdown! where she interfered in a match between the APA and the Basham Brothers, allowing the latter to achieve victory. For her troubles, she was nailed with a Clothesline From Hell via Bradshaw and was put out of action for several weeks. She made her return during the No Mercy PPV and gained a measure of retribution on Bradshaw by clubbing him in the back with a night stick during his tag team match against the Bashams. Upon Shaniqua's return, she had new breast implants which were explained via storyline by permanent swelling as a result of the Clothesline From Hell weeks earlier. Shaniqua then spent the next few weeks in the Bashams corner during their feud with Los Guerreros, regularly interfering in matches. By late-2003 and early-2004, Shaniqua and the Basham Brothers sparked a feud with the then WWE Tag Team Champions Scotty 2 Hotty and Rikishi, with Shaniqua almost being given the Stink Face by Rikishi during house shows weekly between November 2003 and February 2004, and was eventually given the humiliating move at a house show. Shaniqua joined her team in a handicap WWE Tag Team championship match against Rikishi and Scotty Too Hotty at No Way Out. Shaniqua's team lost when she was pinned following a Banzai Drop from Rikishi. This marked her last televised appearance with WWE.

Miles was subsequently once again assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling. She was released from WWE on November 12, 2004.

Toryumon (2005)

After leaving WWE, Miles wrestled one final match. On May 14, 2005 in Mexico City, she wrestled for Toryumon as part of its eight anniversary show, losing to fellow former WWE Tough Enough contestant Nidia Guenard. She then retired from professional wrestling.

Basketball refereeing career

After leaving professional wrestling, Miles began working as a college basketball referee.

Championships and accomplishments

• World Wrestling Entertainment
  • Tough Enough II - with Jackie Gayda

References

1. ^ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
2. "FINAL 1998 DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
3. "FINAL 1998 DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STATISTICS REPORT" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
4. ^ Michael McAvennie (2003). "WWE The Yearbook: 2003 Edition". Pocket Books. p. 146.
5. "Linda Miles aka Shaniqua". Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2010. Lethal WOW
6. "Linda Miles goes from WWE wrestler to college basketball referee". wdrb.com. April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2020.

External links

• Linda Miles's profile at Cagematch.net, Wrestlingdata.com, Internet Wrestling Database
• Linda Miles at IMDb

• 1978 births
• 20th-century African-American sportswomen
• 20th-century American sportswomen
• 21st-century African-American sportswomen
• 21st-century American sportswomen
• 21st-century female professional wrestlers
• 21st-century American professional wrestlers
• Living people
• African-American professional wrestlers
• American female professional wrestlers
• Basketball players from Ohio
• Parade High School All-Americans (girls' basketball)
• Professional wrestlers from Ohio
• Professional wrestling managers and valets
• Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's basketball players
• Professional wrestlers from Cincinnati
• Tough Enough winners