40 Most Popular Female Wrestlers
August 17, 2018 by Steven M. PetersWhile the world of professional wrestling has just started to embrace its female contingent — the WWE introduced two of its three active women’s championships in the last five years, and is set to hold its first all-women pay-per-view event in October 2018 — female wrestlers have been an integral part of the sport for nearly its entire history.
Female wrestlers constitute just 18% of the WWE Superstar all-time roster, and women account for 38% of WWE viewership. With less than equal representation in the wrestling world, the Divas that do stand out must have exceptional talent, power, and appeal to truly separate themselves from the pack.
To determine the most popular women in wrestling, 24/7 Wall St. ranked all female WWE Superstars by constructing an index of Wikipedia page views, IMDb credits, and Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “Woman of the Year” awards.
Click here to see the full list of the most popular women in wrestling.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.
Editor’s note: Due to a data source error, an earlier version of this story listed incorrect debut years for multiple wrestlers. These have been updated to reflect the correct years.
40. Tamina
> WWE debut: 2010
> WWE appearances: 233
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 1,091
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Tamina, or Sarona Moana-Marie Reiher Snuka-Polamalu, performs with the SmackDown brand. She is of Japanese, Fijian, and Samoan ancestry and was born in Vancouver, Washington. Wrestling is in her blood — she is the daughter of Hall of Famer Jimmy Snuka, and her brother was also a professional wrestler.
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39. Layla
> WWE debut: 2006
> WWE appearances: 298
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 657
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Layla El Barrami, who was born in England and has Moroccan ancestry, performed with the SmackDown brand and retired from wrestling in 2015. She has also had careers as a model and dancer. She danced for the National Basketball Association’s Miami Heat franchise and performed at the MTV Video Music Awards. At 5 feet 1 inch tall she is one of the smallest wrestlers on our list.
38. Mandy Rose
> WWE debut: 2015
> WWE appearances: 35
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,519
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Born Amanda Rose Saccomano in Westchester, New York, Mandy Rose only went professional in 2015, but she was already a champion — the 2014 World Beauty Fitness & Fashion Bikini Champion. She has been featured in many fitness publications and has a huge social media following.
37. Melina
> WWE debut: 2004
> WWE appearances: 234
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 933
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 1
Melina Nava Perez started out as a model and began her wrestling career in 2002. She teamed with Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro to form a trio known as MNM. Melina was a WWE Women’s Champion three times and a WWE Divas Champion twice.
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36. Sable
> WWE debut: 1996
> WWE appearances: 116
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,283
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Rena Marlette Lesnar, who performed as Sable, had a successful career as a model before entering the world of wrestling in 1996. In 1999, Sable filed a $110 million lawsuit against the WWF, alleging sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions. The case was settled out of court. Sable was one of the first WWE Divas and appeared on the cover of Playboy. She appeared three times before retiring in 2007.
35. Candice Michelle
> WWE debut: 2004
> WWE appearances: 137
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 558
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 1
Candice Michelle Beckman joined the WWE in 2004 after participating in the WWE Diva Search. In 2007, she defeated Melina to win the WWE Women’s Championship. She also appeared in GoDaddy’s Super Bowl commercials. She was released from the WWE in 2009 but had one last fight as an independent in 2017.
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34. Angelina Love
> WWE debut: N/A
> WWE appearances: N/A
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 510
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 2
Lauren Ann Williams, better known as Angelina Love, hails from Canada. She began wrestling in 2000, spent time with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), and signed with the WWE in 2004. She held the title of TNA Knockouts Champion a record six times.
33. Alicia Fox
> WWE debut: 2006
> WWE appearances: 321
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 1,186
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Victoria Elizabeth Crawford was a model before becoming the WWE wrestler known as Alicia Fox. She is the longest-tenured female performer, having been with the WWE since 2006. Fox was recently defeated by Ronda Rousey, who made her name as a mixed martial artist, in a high-profile match.
32. Becky Lynch
> WWE debut: 2014
> WWE appearances: 204
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,027
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 1
Becky Lynch, born Rebecca Quin in Ireland, is signed to the WWE’s SmackDown brand. She began her wrestling career in Europe and won the World Queens of Chaos Championship in 2006. Before that she attended acting school and has performed in numerous plays. She was also a flight attendant on Irish airline Aer Lingus.
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31. Dixie Carter
> WWE debut: N/A
> WWE appearances: N/A
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 883
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 2
Dixie Carter has enjoyed success as a businesswoman as well as a wrestling personality. She has a degree in business administration from the University of Mississippi and served as president and chairwoman of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, the second largest wrestling promotion company in the country after WWE. Carter was responsible for bringing Hulk Hogan to TNA.
30. Torrie Wilson
> WWE debut: 2001
> WWE appearances: 166
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 1,546
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 3
Torrie Wilson performed in both World Championship Wrestling and WWE for almost nine years before retiring in 2008. She now promotes herself as a health and fitness guru, and attributes her motivation to her battle with an eating disorder while in college.
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29. Renee Young
> WWE debut: 2013
> WWE appearances: 336
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 1,469
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Renee Young is an unusual entry on our list in that she has made her name as a sports broadcaster for both the Raw and SmackDown brands rather than a wrestler. She is married to wrestler Jonathan Good, who is better known by the ring name Dean Ambrose.
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28. Carmella
> WWE debut: 2014
> WWE appearances: 143
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,805
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Carmella, who was born Leah Van Dale, has had a varied career. Before signing with the WWE she attended the University of Rhode Island and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, spent three years with the New England Patriots Cheerleaders, and was a dancer with the Los Angeles Lakers. She is also a character in the video game WWE 2K17.
27. Vickie Guerrero
> WWE debut: 2005
> WWE appearances: 401
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 1,139
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Vickie Guerrero has had an incredibly wide-ranging career. Guerrero was first introduced to audiences as the wife of Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero, as their relationship was featured in various WWE storylines. After her husband’s death in 2005, Guerrero rose through the ranks to become general manager of both SmackDown and Raw. Guerrero has also managed several wrestlers, and has wrestled in the WWE Divas division. She is known to audiences for her catchphrase, “Excuse me!”
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26. Naomi
> WWE debut: 2010
> WWE appearances: 307
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 1,817
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Trinity Fatu, known to wrestling fans as Naomi, began her career as a dancer for the NBA’s Orlando Magic and also performed with hip-hop star Flo Rida. She then became a WWE Diva and later joined the SmackDown LIVE brand. She won the SmackDown Women’s Championship twice and also won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal.
25. Gail Kim
> WWE debut: 2003
> WWE appearances: 111
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 1,192
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 2
Gail Kim began her career on the Canadian-American independent circuit and was hired by WWE in 2002. She was the first WWE Diva to win a championship in her debut match and went on to win seven TNA Knockouts championships. She was the first woman to be inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame. Kim recently retired from in-ring competition, and currently serves as a producer for Impact Wrestling.
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24. Bayley
> WWE debut: 2012
> WWE appearances: 183
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,347
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 1
Born Pamela Rose Martinez, Bayley has been a wrestling superfan since she was 10 years old. In 2015, Bayley competed in the first WWE Iron Man Match to feature two women wrestlers. In 2017, she defeated Charlotte Flair (No. 3 on our list) to win her first Raw Women’s Championship.
23. Maryse
> WWE debut: 2006
> WWE appearances: 272
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,484
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Born Maryse Ouellet, Maryse is a French-Canadian performer with the SmackDown brand. She also manages her husband Michael Mizanin, known as The Miz. She began her career as a model and joined the WWE in 2007 after participating in the Diva Search competition. She was the first two-time Divas Champion and is one of the longest-tenured champions.
22. Kelly Kelly
> WWE debut: 2006
> WWE appearances: 206
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 1,989
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 1
Kelly Kelly is the ring name of Barbara Jean Blank. She began her career as a model and became the youngest WWE Diva at the age of 19. She debuted on the WWE Extreme Championship Wrestling television program. She became known for Kelly’s Exposé, a weekly segment in which she performed a striptease that was regularly interrupted by her on-screen boyfriend Mike Knox. In 2011, she won the Divas Championship.
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21. Nia Jax
> WWE debut: 2015
> WWE appearances: 106
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 4,167
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Savelina Fanene, aka Nia Jax, is an Australian with part Samoan ancestry. She is also the cousin of The Rock. At 6 feet tall, Jax is the biggest woman on our list — and she embraces her size. In fact, Nia Jax is the only female wrestler in the WWE to have her weight announced by the ring announcer. Jax herself says, “I’m not like most girls.”
20. Lilian Garcia
> WWE debut: 1999
> WWE appearances: 709
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 481
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Lilian Garcia began her WWE career in 1999 as a ring announcer. Garcia frequently sang the National Anthem on the Monday Night Raw shows, and also performed for the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball. Garcia was the first female to announce at WrestleMania, and was the first Diva to be in WWE for more than 10 years.
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19. Stacy Keibler
> WWE debut: 2001
> WWE appearances: 158
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 1,716
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 3
Stacy Keibler is an actor, dancer, cheerleader, and professional wrestler. She started out as one of the Nitro Girls, a World Championship Wrestling dance team, and later took on the role of Miss Hancock, a manager who did table dances. Keibler is known for her very long legs — she was nicknamed “The Legs of WCW” and “The Legs of WWE” — and for having dated George Clooney.
18. Brie Bella
> WWE debut: 2008
> WWE appearances: 346
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 3,370
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Brie Bella is the ring name of WWE wrestler Brianna Monique Danielson. She and her identical twin sister Nikki have appeared together as The Bella Twins and even secretly switched places during matches. She is married to professional wrestler Daniel Bryan.
17. Natalya
> WWE debut: 2008
> WWE appearances: 462
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,645
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
Natalya Neidhart is unique as a third-generation wrestler — she is the daughter of wrestler Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, and the granddaughter of Stu Hart. She learned to wrestle in the “Hart Dungeon,” a gym and training center in the basement of the family home. She was a SmackDown Women’s Champion and a Divas Champion.
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16. Victoria
> WWE debut: 2000
> WWE appearances: 213
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 728
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 3
Victoria is the WWE ring name of Lisa Marie Varon. She also used the name Tara in Impact Wrestling. She started out as a personal trainer and bodybuilder before becoming a professional wrestler. She won the WWE Women’s Championship twice, and the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship five times.
15. Chyna
> WWE debut: 1997
> WWE appearances: 228
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 4,152
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 1
Chyna was the ring name of Joan Marie Laurer. She majored in Spanish literature at the University of Tampa before taking up wrestling. She was billed as the “Ninth Wonder of the World” — Andre the Giant was billed as the eighth — and won a number of WWE championships. Chyna died in 2016, reportedly from an overdose of alcohol and drugs.
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14. Asuka
> WWE debut: 2015
> WWE appearances: 88
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 4,156
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 1
Asuka is a Japanese wrestler who performs with the SmackDown brand. She was named Female Competitor of the Year in 2016 and 2017 and Overall Competitor of the Year in 2017. She also boasts the longest undefeated streak in WWE history at 914 days.
13. Beth Phoenix
> WWE debut: 2006
> WWE appearances: 199
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 1,382
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 3
Beth Phoenix is the ring name of Elizabeth Kociański-Copeland. She is a former WWE Divas Champion and a three-time WWE Women’s Champion. In 2017, when she was 36 years old, Phoenix became the youngest person ever inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Before becoming a wrestler, Phoenix earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and criminal justice from Canisius College. After retiring, she earned a master’s in forensic psychology from Argosy University.
12. Michelle McCool
> WWE debut: 2004
> WWE appearances: 256
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,180
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 3
Michelle McCool is a former two-time WWE Divas Champion and two-time WWE Women’s Champion. She earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from Florida State University and taught at a middle school for four years before becoming a professional wrestler.
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11. Alexa Bliss
> WWE debut: 2013
> WWE appearances: 146
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 5,890
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 1
Born Alexis Kaufman, Alexa Bliss is a WWE wrestler and the current Raw Women’s Champion. She is also the first person to hold both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s titles. Bliss is just over 5 feet tall, and has participated in a variety of sports — including softball, track, kickboxing, gymnastics, cheerleading, and bodybuilding — since her youth.
10. Lita
> WWE debut: 1999
> WWE appearances: 277
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,188
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 4
Lita, born Amy Dumas, was a WWE wrestler from 2000 to 2006 and won the WWE Women’s Championship four times. She participated in the first two Raw main events featuring women and defeated the No. 1 and No. 2 most popular wrestlers on our list — Stephanie McMahon and Trish Stratus. Lita was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014. After retiring from wrestling she formed the punk band The Luchagors.
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9. Sasha Banks
> WWE debut: 2012
> WWE appearances: 209
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 4,231
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 2
Sasha Banks, the ring name of Mercedes Ton, currently performs on the Raw brand. She has held a number of championships, including the NXT Women’s Championship and the WWE Raw Women’s Championship — which she has held a record-tying four times. In 2016, Banks and Charlotte Flair became the first women to headline a WWE pay-per-view event. She is of German and African-American descent and is a cousin of rapper Snoop Dogg.
8. Paige
> WWE debut: 2012
> WWE appearances: 180
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 6,052
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 2
Paige, the ring name of Saraya-Jade Bevis, is an English wrestler who signed with the WWE in 2011. As the daughter of professional wrestlers, Paige has been wrestling since childhood. She was the first NXT Women’s Champion and the youngest WWE Divas Champion — winning the title at the age of 21.
7. Ronda Rousey
> WWE debut: 2017
> WWE appearances: 17
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 9,639
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 0
“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey achieved international fame as a martial artist before becoming a professional wrestler. She won a bronze medal in judo at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and then began a career in mixed martial arts. She was an Ultimate Fighting Championship Women’s Bantamweight Champion and a Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion. In 2015, she was named Best Female Athlete Ever in an ESPN poll. Rousey signed a contract with WWE in 2018 and made her in-ring debut at at WrestleMania 34.
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6. AJ Lee
> WWE debut: 2011
> WWE appearances: 237
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,642
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 3
AJ Lee is the ring name of April Jeanette Mendez. Of Puerto Rican descent, she grew up in New Jersey and wrestled on the independent circuit there before signing with the WWE. She won the Divas Championship three times and was voted Woman of the Year by readers of Pro Wrestling Illustrated each year from 2012 to 2014. Lee was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is an advocate for mental health awareness. Her 2017 autobiography, “Crazy Is My Superpower,” was a bestseller.
5. Mickie James
> WWE debut: 2005
> WWE appearances: 261
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,550
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 4
Mickie Laree James-Aldis was born in Virginia and grew up riding horses. She made her main roster wrestling debut in 2005, and has nine championship titles between WWE and TNA — a national record. James is also a country music singer, and uses her song “Hardcore Country” as her entrance music.
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4. Nikki Bella
> WWE debut: 2008
> WWE appearances: 358
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 7,567
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 1
Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace competes in the WWE under the ring name Nikki Bella. She has appeared with her identical twin sister, Brie Bella, who ranks No. 18 on our list, as The Bella Twins. She has won two Divas Championships, with her second reign lasting a record-setting 301 days. She was named Diva of the Year by Rolling Stone magazine in 2015.
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3. Charlotte Flair
> WWE debut: 2012
> WWE appearances: 330
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 5,086
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 3
Charlotte Flair is the ring name of Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr. The daughter of Hall of Famer Ric Flair, she appeared with him in World Championship Wrestling as a teenager. She is the only wrestler to have held all four WWE championships and is the longest-reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion, having held the title for 147 days. In 2016, Flair and Sasha Banks became the first women wrestlers to headline a WWE pay-per-view event. The same year, Pro Wrestling Illustrated named her the world’s top female wrestling personality.
2. Trish Stratus
> WWE debut: 2000
> WWE appearances: 306
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 2,245
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 5
Starting out as a fitness model, Trish Stratus began her WWE career in 2000 as a manager. She started competing in 2001, and was named WWE’s Diva of the Decade just two years later. After going on to win a record-setting seven WWE Women’s Championships, Stratus retired in 2006. She was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
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1. Stephanie McMahon
> WWE debut: 1998
> WWE appearances: 415
> Daily avg. Wikipedia page views: 4,779
> Pro Wrestling Illustrated “Woman of the Year” awards: 5
Our list is topped by a woman with wrestling in her blood. A member of the McMahon dynasty, Stephanie McMahon is the daughter of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon. She has held a variety of positions in the company and currently serves as Chief Brand Officer of WWE and commissioner of the Raw brand. As a professional wrestler, she has won the WWF Women’s Championship once.
Detailed findings
Some of the most popular women in wrestling are not wrestlers at all. Examples include Lilian Garcia, who made her mark on the sport as a ring announcer. Garcia was the first female to announce at WrestleMania, and the first woman to be in WWE for more than 10 years. Another example is Dixie Carter, who rose to prominence while serving as president and chairwoman of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, the second largest wrestling promotion company in the country after WWE. Despite never competing in the ring, Carter was a two-time runner-up for Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “Woman of the Year” award.
As one might expect, the most popular female wrestlers are typically — or stereotypically — young, attractive, and glamorous. Many have worked as models, dancers, or cheerleaders. They have also appeared on the covers of magazines such as Playboy. While that might outrage feminists, this is also a list of powerful and assertive women, some of whom have risen to top managerial positions in wrestling.
Methodology
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), formerly known as World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF), is the largest professional wrestling company in the world. Its wrestlers compete under two main brands, SmackDown and Raw.
To determine the most popular women in wrestling, 24/7 Wall St. ranked all female WWE Superstars according to an index based on Wikipedia page views, IMDb credits, and Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s “Woman of the Year” awards. The number of first place, runner-up, second runner-up, and third runner-up “Woman of the Year” awards were combined into a total score and given full weight in the index. The number of television appearances, based on IMDb credits for WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, and WWE NXT programs, were given a half-weighting and were included the index. Daily average Wikipedia pageviews for the period August 6, 2017 to August 6, 2018 were given full weight and included in the index. A wrestler’s debut year in the WWE is based on her first IMDb credit in one of the WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, and WWE NXT programs. Only women who are considered Superstars by WWE or who have won PWI’s “Woman of the Year” award were considered.
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