WWE has officially revealed its newest Performance Center recruiting class, and one name has particularly drawn attention. Marie Malenko, the daughter of wrestling legend Dean Malenko, has shared the news of her WWE signing and will now compete under the ring name Lacey Simon (Simon being their real last name).
NXT’s official X account recently introduced four new WWE signings as part of the latest Rookie Class at the PC. Along with Simon, the group includes Mason Rook, Nicole Martinez (fka Nikki Blackheart) and British bodybuilder Marcus Brown.
Daughter Of Dean Malenko, Lacey Simon, Recently Signed With WWE
Soon after the announcement, Simon posted on Instagram to celebrate the moment. Her post included several childhood photos from WWE events where she was pictured with stars like Beth Phoenix, Naomi, CM Punk, and The Bella Twins. The photos showed just how long she has dreamed about becoming a WWE Superstar.
In the caption, Simon shared her excitement about officially making it to WWE.
“since birth babyyyyyy. knew what I wanted and got it. let’s get to work. Gods plan.✍️ #wwe #wwenxt #wwesuperstar #nepobaby #3rdgeneration,” she wrote.
Even before signing with WWE, Simon had already gained significant wrestling experience.
Using the name Marie Malenko, she made her international pro wrestling debut for Pro Wrestling NOAH in February 2026. She teamed with Sofia Sivan during the company’s Monday Magic event. Later, she returned and earned a tag team victory alongside Sivan and Miyuki Takase.
Simon also competed for Dream Star Fighting Marigold. During her run there, she wrestled Seri Yamaoka to a time-limit draw before picking up her first big singles win against Rea Seto.
Wrestling runs deep in her family. Her grandfather, Boris Malenko, was also a respected name in the business, while her father Dean Malenko is one of the most popular technical wrestlers ever.
Before signing with WWE, Simon reportedly attended a WWE tryout in Orlando earlier this year. Some members of the new Performance Center class have already started appearing around NXT. As for Simon, there is no official word yet on when she will appear on NXT TV.
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