Lisa

> "You wanna know why they call me The Idol? It's because everyone and their damn momma wants to be me!"
>
> - Lisa

 Birth name
 Born
 Resides
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 Debut

Lalisa "Lisa" Pranpriya Manobal (March 27 1997) is a Thai professional wrestler, singer, rapper and dancer. She is a member of the Korean pop girl group BLACKPINK, and is currently signed to Unlimited Nonstop Wrestling (UNW) where she works under the ring name Lisa, and is currently a member of the stable Moné Inc. She is a one-time RAW Women's Champion, a one-time NXT Women's Champion, a one-time UNW Tag Team Champion and a winner of the 2021 Royal Rumble. She is one of the few female wrestlers that have held a male championship, winning the UNW Tag Team Championships with her partner Candice LeRae in 2020. Lisa has earned several accolades, including five Guinness World Records, a Mnet Asian Music Award, a Gaon Chart Music Award, and the first MTV Video Music Award and MTV Europe Music Award ever won by a K-pop soloist. She is one of the most influential K-pop idols globally, and has been the most-followed K-pop idol on Instagram since 2019. She is widely regarded as one of the most revolutionary wrestlers ever, due to her style of matches displayed throughout her tenure as a professional wrestler.

## Early life

Born as Pranpriya Manobal on March 27, 1997 in Buriram Province, Thailand, she later legally changed her name to Lalisa, meaning the one being praised, on the advice of a fortune teller in order to bring in prosperity. As an only child, she was raised by her Thai mother and Swiss stepfather. Lisa's mother is named Chitthip Brüschweiler. Her stepfather is Marco Brüschweiler, a chef, currently active in Thailand. Lisa completed secondary education at Praphamontree School I and II.

After starting dance classes at the age of four, she competed regularly in dance contests throughout her childhood, including in "To Be Number One", and joined the eleven-member dance crew We Zaa Cool alongside BamBam of Got7. In September 2009, the group entered the competition *LG Entertainment Million Dream Sanan World* broadcast on Channel 9 and won the "Special Team" Award. Lisa also participated in a singing contest as a school representative for "Top 3 Good Morals of Thailand", hosted by the Moral Promotion Center in early 2009, where she finished as a runner-up.

### 2012-2015: Pre-debut

In 2010, 13-year-old Lisa auditioned to join South Korean record label YG Entertainment in Thailand. From a young age, Lisa gained an interest in K-pop idols, namely admiring artists Big Bang and 2NE1, and wished to someday follow a similar path. Among the 4,000 applicants, she was the only individual to qualify, which prompted then CEO, Yang Hyun-suk into offering Lisa a chance to become a YG Entertainment trainee. Lisa also impressed one of the judges, Danny Im of 1TYM, at the auditions, with him later praising her on-stage confidence and her off-stage attitude.

In 2011, Lisa moved to South Korea to begin her formal training as a trainee, which lasted five years. She officially joined the label as their first non-ethnically Korean trainee on April 11, 2011. In November 2013, she appeared in Taeyang's music video for the single "Ringa Linga" as a background dancer, alongside members of iKon and Winner. In March 2015, Lisa undertook her first modelling job for street-wear brand Nona9on, following South Korean cosmetics brand Moonshot in 2016.

## 2016-present: Debut with BLACKPINK and K-pop career

In August 2016, Lisa debuted as one of four members of South Korean girl group Blackpink, as well as the first non-ethnically Korean to debut under the agency. Blackpink debuted with single album *Square One* with lead singles "Whistle" and "Boombayah". "Whistle" achieved a perfect "all-kill", topping all South Korean charts upon debut. As of September 2022, the group has released three studio albums, *Blackpink in Your Area*, *The Album* and *Born Pink*, three extended plays, *Blackpink*, *Square Up* and *Kill This Love*, and two single albums, *Square One* and *Square Two*.

Lisa was cast by the MBC military variety program *Real Man 300* as a permanent member on the show as part of the Korea Army Academy edition from September 21, 2018, onward. The show marked her first permanent role on a television program since debut. Her appearance earned her an unofficial award titled "Character of the Year" through the 2018 MBC Entertainment Awards.

On November 5, 2018, she unveiled her YouTube channel, *Lilifilm Official*, focusing on travelling and lifestyle alongside dance performances. As of July 2019, she accumulated over 1.3 million subscribers, and received a YouTube Gold Play Button. Notably, one of the dance performance videos went viral in 2020 due to a meme where screen caps of her legs were juxtaposed onto a character or public figure's torso, often with the caption "Did it work?". Celebrities including Dolly Parton, Stephen Colbert. James Corden, Luke Evans, and Lil Nas X participated in the meme as well, posting photos of themselves with Lisa's legs.

In March 2020, Lisa served as the dance mentor throughout the iQIYI's Chinese girl group survival program *Youth With You Season 2*. In February 2021, she returned as the dance mentor in the Chinese boy group survival show *Youth With You Season 3.*

On April 19, 2021, an official from YG Entertainment revealed to South Korean media outlet *The Korea Herald* that Lisa would debut as the third soloist from her group with schedules later to be officially announced through a notice. On July 12, through *Star News*, her label revealed filming for her music video is going underway.

Lisa's debut single album *Lalisa* and its lead single of the same name were released on September 10, 2021. Upon release, the music video for "Lalisa" became the most-viewed video by a soloist in 24 hours with 73.6 million views, breaking the record held by Taylor Swift's "Me!" featuring Brendon Urie, which received 65.2 million views in 24 hours, for which she earned two Guinness World Records. The song debuted at number 84 on the US *Billboard* Hot 100 and at number two on the *Billboard* Global 200, becoming Lisa's first top-ten hit on the latter. The single album sold 736,221 copies in Korea on the first week of release, setting the record for the highest first-week sales among all female artists and making Lisa the first female soloist to achieve 500,000 copies in first-week sales. Following its success, B-side track "Money" was sent as the album's second single to US contemporary hit radio and peaked at number 90 on the *Billboard* Hot 100 and at number ten on the *Billboard* Global 200, earning Lisa her second career entries on both charts and her second top-ten global hit.

In October 2021, Lisa confirmed her collaboration with DJ Snake, Ozuna, and Megan Thee Stallion by dropping a teaser of the song. Entitled "SG", it included songwriting and composing credits for Lisa and was released on October 22 alongside the music video. The collaboration debuted at number 19 on the *Billboard* Global 200 and at number two on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, and became her first number-one song on the Latin Airplay chart.

On August 28, 2022, Lisa won the MTV Video Music Award for Best K-Pop Video for "Lalisa" and became the first solo K-pop artist in history to win an MTV Video Music Award. On November 13, she was awarded the MTV Europe Music Award for Best K-pop and became the first solo K-pop artist in history to win an MTV Europe Music Award as well. She was awarded two Guinness World Records in 2023 for the feats, and another for being the most followed K-pop artist on Instagram as well.

In April 2023, it was announced through *Osen* that Lisa would feature on BigBang member Taeyang's second extended play *Down to Earth*, set to be released on April 25.

## 2020-present: Professional wrestling career

### 2020: "BLACKPINK is the Revolution"

In 2020, the world of professional wrestling was shaken up by the news that Lisa, a member of the globally popular South Korean girl group BLACKPINK, had signed with Unlimited Nonstop Wrestling (UNW) for a record fee. The deal had been the subject of intense negotiations with Lisa's management company, YG Entertainment, for some time before finally being accepted.

Lisa's debut in the 2020 Royal Rumble event was highly anticipated and eagerly watched by fans around the world. She entered the ring to a rapturous reception from the live crowd, and wasted no time in making an impact. In a shocking moment, Lisa eliminated Ember Moon, one of the more established and respected superstars in the company.

This set the stage for a months-long feud between Lisa and Moon, as the two women battled it out for supremacy in the ring. Lisa's agility, speed, and impressive martial arts skills proved to be a formidable combination, while Moon's experience and technical prowess were not to be underestimated. Manoban eventually won the feud, which eventually cemented Lisa's place as a force to be reckoned with in the company.

After her successful debut in the 2020 Royal Rumble event, Lisa's run in Unlimited Nonstop Wrestling (UNW) continued to gain momentum. In just a few months, she found herself in a high-profile feud with Tegan Nox, one of the toughest and most respected competitors in the company. The two women were set to face off at WrestleMania for the NXT Women's Championship, and anticipation was at an all-time high.

In the lead-up to the event, Lisa and her management company YG Entertainment negotiated with UNW for the opportunity to put on a cinematic match, a concept that was relatively new in the world of professional wrestling. A cinematic match involves pre-recorded segments and elaborate production values, giving the performers more creative freedom and the opportunity to tell a more intricate and immersive story. After much discussion and planning, UNW accepted the proposal, and Lisa and Nox's match at WrestleMania would go down in history as a true game-changer.

The match itself took place in what was dubbed the "Blackpink House," a house where the members of Blackpink resided while they were filming a reality show of the same name. It is said that this decision was suggested by Lisa and YG Entertainment in order to accommodate for the COVID-19 pandemic that restricted fans from attending live events. The match was a showcase for Lisa's incredible athleticism and striking abilities, as well as Nox's resilience and technical skill. The match was dubbed as a "rollercoaster", from humorous elements to moments of seriousness that brought out various emotions from fans that can only be conveyed through filmic conditions. The use of cinematic elements such as quick cuts, special effects, and dramatic lighting added an extra layer of excitement and intensity, and the fans were all around impressed with the final visual outcome and presentation of the match.

The match between Lisa and Tegan Nox at WrestleMania was met with critical acclaim, with many calling it a revolution in the world of professional wrestling. It was the first time a cinematic match had been used to involve a women's championship, and it set the stage for a new era of storytelling and spectacle in the industry, one necessary for the company to evolve and adapt through the COVID-19 pandemic. In the months that followed, Lisa would continue to defend her title in cinematic matches, each one more elaborate and breathtaking than the last. Her run as NXT Women's Champion was a true testament to her skill and creativity as a performer, and it solidified her status as one of the most innovative and exciting stars in the world of professional wrestling.

### 2020: NXT Women's Champion

Lisa's reign as NXT Women's Champion would go on to break boundaries and push the envelope in the world of professional wrestling. Her first title defense was against Candice LeRae, another formidable competitor in the UNW roster. However, this match had a unique twist - it was a cinematic match that took place in the YG Entertainment Headquarters Building, Lisa's management company's headquarters.

Following the success of the Blackpink House match at WrestleMania, YG Entertainment and UNW's corporate relationship improved significantly. Lisa's presence had brought in a massive audience and had increased profits for both companies. As a result, the two entities worked together to produce another cinematic masterpiece that would keep fans on the edge of their seats.

The match between Lisa and Candice LeRae was a brutal and bloody affair that showcased the incredible skill and athleticism of both competitors. However, controversy would soon follow in the wake of the match's airing. Many viewers complained about the ending scene, where Lisa seemingly threw Candice LeRae off the rooftop of the building to her death.

The scene was shocking and disturbing to many fans, and some even called for the match to be removed from future airings. However, UNW quickly released a statement on the same day acknowledging the complaints and assuring fans that every scene in the match had been planned and filmed with the utmost consideration for the safety of the performers. The controversy surrounding Lisa's title defense against Candice LeRae in a cinematic match continued to garner attention in the weeks following the airing of the match. While UNW may have released a statement addressing the concerns and clarifying that the safety of the performers was the top priority throughout the production of the match, many fans remained critical of the ending.

After successfully defending her title against Candice LeRae in a cinematic match, Lisa's next challenger was set to be Kay Lee Ray, who won a number one contendership match that sealed her spot as Manoban's opponent at SummerSlam. The two wrestlers would exchange personal promos and segments with each other leading up to the match, building anticipation for what would be an intense battle.

During Lisa's reign as NXT Women's Champion, her popularity skyrocketed, leading to record-breaking merchandise sales. Fans couldn't get enough of Lisa's unique blend of music and wrestling, which set her apart from other wrestlers in the industry. NXT was at one point competing with both main shows, RAW and SmackDown, which led to higher ups praising Lisa and getting her involved in more and more segments on the main roster. This however was immediately reinforced by the then NXT GM, who affirmed Lisa's spot as an NXT only talent, in order to attract more viewers and influence ratings.

In a surprising move, Lisa released an album titled "Tear" just one day before her match with Kay Lee Ray. While Lisa's reign as champion continued to draw in huge ratings and profits for UNW, her decision to release an album alongside her wrestling career was a bold move that generated both praise and criticism. The album featured diss tracks directed towards her opponent, as well as a journey of her personal life from the music studio all the way into the squared circle. This decision to release an album which blended the world of music and wrestling brought out huge discourse amongst both fanbases of wrestling and music. Some felt that it was unfair for Lisa to release so much content at once, while others applauded her creativity and innovation.

The highly-anticipated match between Lisa and Kay Lee Ray was a heated and intense battle, with both wrestlers putting their all on the line. In the end, Lisa emerged victorious, retaining her NXT Women's Championship.

### Partnership with Candice LeRae

After successfully retaining her NXT Women's Championship against Kay Lee Ray, Lisa began to set her sights on even bigger goals. She started to popularize the quote "Blackpink is the Revolution", turning it into her own catchphrase, "Lisa is the revolution". During this phase, Lisa began to engage in activities that were unexpected of an NXT Superstar, which resulted in rumors of backstage heat arising. Various dirtsheets published articles alleging that other wrestlers were upset with Lisa for taking up television time that was originally intended for them. However, there was never any concrete proof of these allegations. The champion herself also took her time to quote a tweet from a famous dirtsheet source, calling the allegations "straight up bullshit".

Just weeks later, in a surprising move, Lisa and her former rival Candice LeRae decided to put their differences aside and form a partnership, creating the tag team "Pink Candi". The formation of the team was met with much excitement from fans of both wrestling and Lisa's own personal fanbase. Lisa reportedly pitched the idea of allowing Pink Candi to compete in both tag divisions to UNW higher-ups, arguing that they had the star power and skills necessary to compete in the same division as male wrestlers. YG Entertainment and UNW once again entered round of negotiations over the status of Candice LeRae, which eventually resulted in UNW allowing LeRae to be let go for a few weeks to film scenes, promos, and segments revolving around the tag team. Stepping into a whole new world in terms of segments and presentation, Candice LeRae's performances received good reviews from many and even an off script interview from her tag team partner Lisa, resulted in endless praise.

Lisa and LeRae went on to compete as a team with each other in multiple matches, against multiple tag team partnerships but their most iconic win came against the team of Sasha Banks and Bayley. The match was highly acclaimed by critics and fans alike. Lisa and LeRae decided to pursue the UNW Tag Team Championships, rather than just limiting themselves to the women's division. In a surprising turn of events, they eventually won the UNW Tag Team Championships, becoming one of the first female tag teams to win a men's world tag team championship in the company's history. The result caused a huge spike in social media interactions related to UNW, and many fans were reportedly split on the decision.

### First WrestleMania Co-Main Event, Rivalry with Peyton Royce

On an episode of NXT a week later, as Lisa was celebrating her reign as NXT Women's Champion, her former close friend and music collaborator, Peyton Royce, confronted her. After an intense staredown, the two were booked for a WrestleMania match, which was highly anticipated by fans. This sealed Lisa's commitment to double duty at WrestleMania, one match where she was due to defend the NXT Women's Championship, and the other to defend her and her partner's UNW Tag Team Championships.

YG Entertainment, Lisa's music label, and UNW, a music and film production company, collaborated to create a cinematic match between Lisa and Royce, which was deemed worthy of the grandeur of WrestleMania. The match was filmed over two weeks and required an additional month for editing and final touches. The production was highly ambitious, and the final result was a spectacular and unforgettable match that received critical acclaim.

At WrestleMania, Lisa and LeRae entered as the first ever all-female tag team to hold the men's tag team titles. However, they lost their titles in a dominant fashion to their opponents, ending their reign after just over a month. Despite this setback, Lisa remained determined to deliver an impressive performance in her match against Royce later in the night.

At the showcase of immortals, Lisa found herself scheduled for double duty as she held the tag team titles with Candice LeRae, which she eventually lost. But it was her NXT Women's Championship defense against her former friend, Peyton Royce, that was the co-main event of the night. The match was unique in that it was filmed as a cinematic match, set entirely within Blackpink's personal property, the "Blackpink Castle," and broadcasted for over 80,000 fans in the stadium to watch.

Lisa and Peyton Royce's match was personal and intense, with the two women brawling all over the castle. Social media was buzzing with fans discussing pivotal moments such as the ballroom brawl, dining room fight, and the elevator sequence. However, the ending of the match was the most talked-about aspect, with controversy surrounding the moment where Lisa threw Royce off the roof of the castle and into the surrounding moat to secure her victory.

Despite the ending's controversial nature, fans in the stadium gave the match a standing ovation, and UNW had previously released a statement regarding their involvement and safety prioritization during cinematic match filming. The discourse on social media was tamer than previous matches, with fans discussing the match's overall quality rather than solely the ending.

### Final Days as NXT Women's Champion

After her triumphant performances at WrestleMania, Lisa's star continued to rise as she became one of the highest merchandise sellers in the WWE and the world, thanks in part to her affiliation with Blackpink. Despite her busy schedule, Lisa still managed to defend her NXT Women's Championship against a formidable opponent, Ashi, who excelled in combat.

The rivalry between Lisa and Ashi was intense, with Lisa cutting cinematic promos and releasing singles and albums, while Ashi did most of her talking in the ring. However, one week before their scheduled match at an NXT Takeover PPV, Lisa was nowhere to be found during a segment with Ashi. The frustrated Ashi called out the champion, but Lisa surprised everyone by appearing on top of the rafters with a microphone in hand. The crowd was not pleased with her absence, and Lisa used the opportunity to announce that their match would be a Seoul Street Fight at the coming NXT TakeOver Pay Per View, a stipulation that would allow them to battle it out in a more personal and brutal manner.

Despite her status as a fan favorite, Lisa's reign as the NXT Women's Champion would come to an end at the hands of Ashi in a hard-fought Seoul Street Fight. Although Lisa had a long and iconic reign as champion, her defeat at the hands of Ashi marked the end of an era for the Blackpink superstar. Fans were left wondering what would be next for Lisa, as her career continued to evolve and her star continued to rise. The decision to have Lisa lose her title to Ashi soon became a hotly debated topic, as Ashi would vacate the title as she left the company just less than a month after winning the NXT Women's Championship off of Manoban.

## Impact and Influence

Lisa has often been cited as a positive influence to other fellow performers within the K-Pop music industry. In several interviews, the singers known as Gaga (of girl-group Nature) and Mayna (of Hot Issue) stated that they view Lisa as a role model.

In April of 2019, she was the most-followed K-Pop idol on Instagram, with 17.4 million followers at the time. In April of 2021, she became the first K-Pop idol to amass 50 million Instagram followers; as she continues to engage new fans, this number will undoubtedly continue to rise.

Upon landing her first solo magazine cover shoot—for *Harper's Bazaar* Thailand's May 2019 issue—it was reported by MEI (a distributor for *Harper's Bazaar*) that all 120,000 printed and in-stock copies featuring Lisa were sold out. Generally, it is reported that 30k copies (per issue) are printed, with well-known celebrities possibly having an average of 60k copies printed. However, despite selling 120k copies, the public's demand for Lisa was still not met.

Following Lisa's attendance of the Celine Men's Spring Summer 2020 Collection fashion show (in France, during Paris Fashion Week), Lyst reported that global searches for Celine's Triomphe bag leapt 66% on June 28, 2019; this was after Lisa posted an image of the style on her social media, with the result being the attention of many among the general public.

According to the "2021 Overseas Korean Wave Survey" (conducted by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange), Lisa was listed as one of the twenty "Most Popular Korean Singers Abroad", alongside South Korean musicians G-Dragon, IU, Psy, Blackpink and more. The survey collected data throughout 18 countries worldwide including China, India, Australia, United States, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa and Russia. A total of 8,500 men and women aged between 15 and 59 participated in the survey. In a 2021 survey conducted by YouGov, a British international agency, Lisa was chosen as one of the twenty “most-admired women in the world”, alongside Michelle Obama, Angelina Jolie, Queen Elizabeth II, and many other iconic women.

Lisa's announcement as MAC Cosmetics’ first female K-pop idol to be appointed as a Global Brand Ambassador generated $1.83M in MIV®, with MAC's announcement post generating $506K in MIV® – representing their top branded post of 2020 and making them one of the top beauty collaborations of the year. Her announcement post on Instagram as a Global Ambassador for MAC Cosmetics received more than 5.6 million likes and 74,000 comments. Her partnerships have been noted to feel genuine as she frequently features the same brands across her social media channels. The success of her endorsements and partnerships has been partially attributed to this authenticity. Because of her influencing power and marketing potential, Lisa has been used as an example of changing promotional strategies in the fashion and makeup industry.

Her impact extends to other artists in the music industry. Destiny Rogers' song "Tomboy" had a 1939% increase in streams on the daily Spotify update, following a dance performance video by Lisa, on her YouTube channel, to the song; Shortly after the performance was uploaded to YouTube, Rogers' song and EP Tomboy entered the iTunes and Apple Music charts in numerous countries. On Spotify, the song reached the Top 200 and the top 10 of the Philippines Viral 50 playlist. Rogers herself acknowledged the situation on Twitter, and she thanked Lisa for revitalizing the song. Lisa was praised by Thailand's prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, for promoting Thai culture in her "Lalisa" music video.

On April 10, 2023, researchers at Chiang Mai University named the Thai flower species, *Friesodielsia lalisae*, in her honor.

### In Professional Wrestling

One of the most significant positive aspects of Lisa's impact was her ability to draw in a massive fanbase. Her first appearance on the UNW Pay Per View show immediately led to record-breaking ratings at the time. Fans from all over the world tuned in to watch Lisa's matches, and her presence on the card made every show an instant must-see event.

Lisa's popularity also translated into huge merchandise sales for the superstar. Her fans, who came from her K-pop background, became fanatics of Lisa and eagerly purchased any merchandise bearing her name or likeness. This influx of fans and their unwavering support led to a significant increase in merchandise sales for UNW, making Lisa one of the company's top earners to this very day.

However, Lisa's popularity also brought some negative aspects to UNW. During a Pay Per View event, Blackpink fans hijacked the show by chanting for Lisa throughout the entire event until her match finally arrived in the main event. This situation caused some dissatisfaction among UNW fans, who felt that the show was being disrupted by Lisa's fanbase. Lisa herself addressed the situation, telling her fans to act appropriately when attending wrestling events and highlighting the differences between a wrestling match and a K-pop concert.

Despite the challenges, Lisa's impact on the wrestling world continued to be significant. After her arrival in NXT, many other K-pop idols dipped their toes into the world of professional wrestling, hoping to replicate Lisa's success. However, none were able to last as long as Lisa, who proved that she had both the talent and the drive to become one of the most successful wrestlers in the world.

Manoban's arrival in UNW had a massive impact on the wrestling world and showed her true star power. Her popularity drew in a massive fanbase, resulting in record-breaking ratings and high merchandise sales. While some negative aspects of her impact were shown, such as her fanbase's hijacking of a Pay Per View event, Lisa's presence in the world of professional wrestling has solidified her status as a true wrestling megastar. Her one of a kind impact on the wrestling world will continue to be felt for years to come, and her legacy will be remembered as one of the more remarkable and unique stories in the history of professional wrestling.

## Career History

### Face and Heel Turns

 Face
 Heel
 Tweener
 Heel