There are bruises, and then there are WWE bruises—one of the roster’s superstars recently gave us a masterclass in the latter.
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SmackDown’s Candice LeRae took to Instagram on Aug. 8 to show off a major mark to her fans. Standing alongside fellow WWE wrestlers Johnny Gargano (her husband) and Tommaso Ciampa, the 39-year-old flaunted an epic bruise.
The war wound comes from a tumble she took in Gargano and Ciampa’s tag team TLC match SummerSlam, falling from the top of a ladder inside the ring, only to land on yet another ladder just outside the ring.
In the first slide of her Instagram post, Candice LeRae (real name Candice LeRae Dawson) stuns in daring lace-up boots and a barely-there animal print skirt, revealing the battle scar—a massive bruise snaking up her thigh. She glances down with a smirk, blue hair tumbling past her toned shoulders. Meanwhile, Gargano and Ciampa point out the impressive mark with a mix of awe and playful admiration.
The WWE fan favorite also gave her over 400,000 Instagram followers a close-up of the massive bruise.
She simply wrote #DIY alongside the post. Of course, WWE fans know #DIY is a wrestling tag team made up of Gargano and Ciampa. The name, short for “Do It Yourself,” reflects their no-shortcuts attitude—just hard work and determination to chase their dreams.
WWE Fans Show Their Support for Candice LeRae in Wake of Her Epic Bruise
Of course, LeRae’s fans leaped from the top rope and into the comments section to show their support for the wrestler taking a crazy bump.
“Reminder to anyone reading this, Candice is tougher than your favorite wrestler,” one fan wrote. “Everyone needs to put all the respect on your name. Badass,” a second fan agreed. “You are a champ for taking that bump. You need a singles run, you are amazing,” a third fan gushed.
“You’ve got a pretty sunset tattoo on your thigh! Oh, wait — that’s an…. Oh,” yet another onlooker joked.
Meanwhile, it’s not just bruises and fans showing their love for the WWE Superstar.
Former WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley recently praised LeRae as one of the most underrated talents in the women’s division.
“It’s hard to pinpoint anyone specifically, but I feel like there’s a lot, especially in the women’s division,” Ripley said when asked about a talent who’s underrated. “There’s so many women that I know are so amazing at what they do, and they don’t get enough TV time or the opportunities to really show everyone what they can do.”
Here’s hoping LeRae gets more of the spotlight ASAP.