Credit: WWE.com
A stunning blonde bombshell who made a name for herself in the dying days of WCW, Torrie Wilson made her WWE debut in June 2001 and wasted very little time becoming one of the most popular Divas in company history.
Wilson became one of the faces of the WWE Divas roster during what many consider the "golden age" of women's wrestling in the company. She was hardly the most skilled wrestler of the lot, delivering her best work in the gimmick matches that kept fans entertained between big matches. Still, she always appeared to be having fun, and the fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous helped maintain her popularity.
One of the biggest benefactors of the brand extension, Wilson was one of SmackDown's franchise players. Her image was plastered right next to Brock Lesnar, The Rock and Kurt Angle on marketing materials, and the exposure she garnered on the brand helpedherland an appearance inPlayboymagazine on two separate occasions.
It is incredibly difficult to become the centerpiece of an entire division, yet that is exactly what Wilson accomplished during the early and mid-2000s. Every major Divas feud on the SmackDown brand involved her, and with good reason. She was incredibly over and the unquestioned female star of the show. It would have been a mistake to neglect her.
When WWE began to drop the overt sexuality of the Divas from its broadcast and turn more toward traditional wrestling matches, talent such as Wilson suffered the most. There was no way to hide the fact that she was inferior to the likes of Michelle McCool, Mickie James, Melina, Beth Phoenix and Lita, and her weaknesses became exposed rather quickly.
By 2007, with the landscape changing rapidly, Wilson opted to depart from WWE.
With the WWE Divas receiving more exposure than ever thanks to increased television time, a number of different ongoing storylines and a hit reality show on the E! Network, relive the career of one of the greatest Divas of all time with some of Wilson's greatest matches and moments.
(Note: Some videos NSFW)
WCW
Wilson made her pro wrestling debut in 1999 during a storyline in which she appeared as a seductress for David Flair. She would accompany the second-generation star to the ring for a while, even appearing at ringside with him when he won the United States Championship.
After turning on the naive young man, she joined the Filthy Animals and became closely associated with Billy Kidman, both on- and off-screen.
In July 2000, she became the valet for "The Franchise" Shane Douglas, rediscovering her inner heel and helping him to torment Kidman on a seemingly weekly basis. In September at Fall Brawl, she and Douglas met Kidman and Madusa in a dangerous Scaffold match.
A month later, she teamed with Douglas to meet Konnan and Tygress in an awful mixed tag team match at Halloween Havoc.
By the time 2000 reached its conclusion, Wilson disappeared from WCW television.
Debut and the Invasion
The WCW/ECW Invasion storyline introduced longtime WWE fans to new talent on a seemingly weekly basis in summer 2001. The men and the women who had competed in the defunct companies began appearing on Raw and SmackDown as part of an angle that many believed would be the biggest moneymaker in wrestling history.
Of course, we know how that ended up, but regardless, the influx of fresh faces made for a more interesting and exciting product.
On the June 28 episode of SmackDown, Wilson made her WWE debut during a backstage segment involving Mr. McMahon, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle and Debra. She humbly introduced herself to the boss, then asked for a moment of time to discuss her contract. It was a rather uneventful introduction to the young woman, but she would play a much bigger role days later.
The July 2 episode of Raw saw Wilson set upMcMahon, leaving him with his pants around his ankles in front of his wife Linda. It was a moment that played up the marital issues between Mr. and Mrs. McMahon but had very little bearing on the future of the blonde newcomer, who suddenly found herself wrapped up in a feud with Trish Stratus and Lita over company superiority.
At the Invasion pay-per-view later that month, Wilson teamed with fellow WCW star Stacy Keibler to take on the top two Divas in WWE in a tag team Bra and Panties match. Referee Mick Foley had the best seat in the house for the battle between the beauties.
The WCW women were introduced to the WWE way of life that night as they were stripped to their underwear and left embarrassed by their more experienced opponents.
Partners early in their careers, the relationship between Wilson and Keibler would disintegrate, leading to a feud that would run for nearly a year before the brand extension separated them for the rest of their WWE careers.
The Dawn Marie Saga
In fall 2002, SmackDown was hitting on all cylinders. Superstars such as Angle, Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit, Edge and the Guerreros were delivering pay-per-view quality matches on a weekly basis while Lesnar dominated atop the show as WWE champion. Paul Heyman, the brilliant mind behind the outstanding booking, had made the B-show the best in all of professional wrestling.
On the orders of McMahon, he also crafted a storyline that would put Wilson front and center. To do so, he called upon former associate and ECW star Dawn Marie, a vivacious brunette who was not shy about flaunting her considerable assets.
Together, she and Wilson would embark on a journey that was equal parts ridiculous and entertaining.
It began innocently enough with Dawn wanting to prove to the blonde, and the entire wrestling world, that she was the hottest Diva in WWE. She challenged Wilson to a bikini contest, then a lingerie contest, but lost both by fan vote. Frustrated, she took things to an unexpected extreme, enlisting an unknowing Al Wilson in a personal vendetta against his daughter.
Dawn and Al began an illicit affair that toyed with Wilson emotionally. She continued to fight back and, more times than not, still managed to defeat Dawn in whatever match they were competing in. As the year came to an end, however, Dawn blackmailed her rival into meeting her in a hotel room. If she did, it was revealed, Dawn would call off a grand wedding to Al.
The two Divas met in the hotel room, and at Armageddon in December, Dawn showed the whole world what occurred there. The women engaged in a fairly passionate kiss, but before any more footage could be shown, the patriarch of the Wilson family demanded it stop.
Weeks later, Dawn proved to be a liar, marrying Al in front of the entire world on SmackDown. Seven days later, the father of Wilson and husband of Dawn would be killed off of WWE in an angle that continued the pattern of ridiculousness.
Playboyand the Return of a Legend
Wilson's popularity was at its peak as 2003 arrived. She was the face of SmackDown, one of the biggest female stars in all of pro wrestling and arguably the hottest woman in the sport. It was only natural that Hugh Hefner andPlayboymagazine would want to continue its relationship with WWE by having her appear in an issue of the publication.
The magazine shoot brought even more attention to Wilson and proved to be the emphasis for a rivalry with the returning Sable, who had not been seen on WWE programming in four years.
Vowing to prove that she was the hottest woman to ever step foot in a WWE ring, Sable began playing mind games with the younger Wilson. One week she would appear to be friendly, the next she would betray her and leave her lying.
Their program led to a huge bikini contest at the Judgment Day pay-per-view in May 2003.
Wilson entered the arena with ring announcer Lilian Garcia singing her theme music, something that put over the importance of what was otherwise a filler segment on SmackDown most weeks. Wilson won, despite stiff competition from her peer, and the storyline between the two was dropped shortly thereafter.
The most popular woman in wrestling would spend the rest of 2003 floating around SmackDown aimlessly as Stephanie McMahon took most of the spotlight away from the rest of the women on the roster.
Wilson would compete against Dawn, Nidia and newcomer Shaniqua and accompany Billy Gunn to the ring but did nothing of any real note. In fact, the following year would be very much the same way as she lost the support of WWE Creative.
It would not be until 2005 and a return to Monday Night Raw that she would again be involved in something meaningful.
Vince's Devils and the End of the Road
In the summer 2005, Wilson, Candice Michelle and Victoria joined together in a group that would eventually be dubbed Vince's Devils by the chairman himself. Together, they portrayed heels, tormenting Divas Search winner Ashley Massaro and providing fresh competition for Women's champion Trish upon her return to the company.
Wilson, who had not been a villain in four years, did a fine job in the role but was clearly better suited as a babyface.
The road to WrestleMania 22 presented her with the opportunity to return to that role.
Candice appeared on the cover ofPlayboy and was convinced that she was some sort of huge star as a result. She eventually betrayed Wilson, leaving her lying in a heap and setting up a Playboy Pillow Fight between them.
Wilson won, but the match was a disaster. Rather than being a buffer between main events, which it was put in a position to be, it went on far too long and earned the jeers of a Chicago crowd far more interested with unleashing their wrath on John Cena than watch beautiful women roll around in their lingerie.
Over the next year, Wilson would compete against Candice in several lighthearted gimmick matches on Raw before returning to SmackDown in 2007. Always one of the most popular women in the business, it was clear that Wilson's time on the roster was winding down.
With her back injured and time off necessary, Wilson was released from her contract in 2008.
In 2012, she appeared at ringside with boyfriend Alex Rodriguez for the huge showdown between Cena and The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII.
