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WRESTLING COLUMNS

The Rise and Fall of Victoria
December 16, 2005 by Bobby Lange


Victoria has come along way since joining the WWE back in mid-2002. She went from a Godfather Ho, to a psycho, to a dancing babyface, to a badass. Victoria debuted in the year 2000 as one of the Godfather's Ho's, and later became known as the head Ho and lead the Save The Ho Campaign. But on August 7, 2000, The Godfather got furious and threw her through a table; but then, the WWE noticed that Victoria had a lot of potential, so they sent her down to Ohio Valley Wrestling and Memphis Championship Wrestling to train, where she worked with Ivory and managed Doug Basham and Damaja - who made up the faction known as the Revolution.

Victoria re-debuted in WWE television on July 7, 2002 on Sunday Night Heat where she squared off with Trish Stratus. Trish won the match, but Victoria then started the feud in which she was given a psycho gimmick. She was finally able to defeat Trish in a Hardcore Rules Match at Survivor Series 2002 to win her first Women's Championship, after spraying Trish with a fire extinguisher, and nailing a Snap Suplex.

Victoria then aligned herself with Steven Richards, and they were one of the oddest couples the WWE had ever seen. Steven then began leading Victoria to victories on RAW. At the following Pay-Per-View, Armageddon, Victoria defended the women's title in a Triple Threat Match against Trish Stratus and Jacqueline, where she won the match to retain the title.

Then at Wrestlemania 19 Safeco Field, she again faced a Triple Threat Match stipulation against Trish Stratus and Jazz. This time, however, Victoria lost to Trish Stratus, thus ending her five month title reign as the Women's Champion. She then began losing her push and rarely ever got title shots and when she did she usually lost.

In 2003, she won the first ever women's Steel Cage Catch at Raw Roulette on November 23, 2003, defeating Lita by escaping the cage. Then, on the Sunday Night heat before the Royal Rumble 2004 she squared off with the Women's Champion Molly Holly and won, thus giving her the right to a title shot.

So when she officially turned face and got that title shot, it was in a Fatal 4 Way Elimination Match - which she won - regaining her 2nd Women's Championship. She then continued her feud with Molly Holly, which eventually lead to a Hair vs. Title match at Wrestlemania 20 at Madison Square Garden. On the line was Victoria's Title, or Molly's hair. As most of us know, Victoria won the match, and Molly's head was shaved.

She then defended her women's title at Bad Blood 2004 in another Fatal 4 Way Match where she lost to Trish Stratus, despite not being the one pinned. So she then started a mini-feud with Trish Stratus, but never regained the title from her that whole year. On May 30, 2005 Raw opened up with a Memorial Day Bikini Challenge which ended with Victoria snapping because she lost. She assaulted everyone in the ring, and gave Christy Hemme a Widow's Peak. So Victoria and Christy started a feud which had Victoria smashing a bottle over Christy's head, Christy getting disqualified in a match because she wouldn't quit choking Victoria, all of which resulted in a match at Vengeance 2005; a match that Victoria would win.

Victoria then joined Torrie Wilson and Candice Michelle in their feud with Ashley Massaro, giving her a devastating Widow's Peak. So, for the next couple of months they feuded with Ashley Massaro and Trish Stratus until in a title match which pitted Trish against Victoria, a cute mystery woman showed up [Mickie James] and beat the tar out of Victoria, resulting in the current feud.

Which leads us to today, where Victoria has now been relegated to jobbing little matches against Trish and Mickie.

by Bobby Lange ..


Augustus wrote:
Shut the hell up! How is Victoria jobbing to Trish Stratus" Trish is the best womens wrestler right now. Mickie James has decent wrestling experience. maybe you should write an article called" The rise and fall of Torrie Wilson". There is a real screw up, the next Joanie Laurer in my opinion.
thomas covenant wrote:
I think that was an amazingly written column. I am shocked to think what a significant push Victoria recieved, thinking back to all the great moments shes been a part of...

Part of me wonders if its just that I disliked the post-tATu Victoria, as she came out dancing with tear-away workout clothes instead of being a dark, almost RAVEN-like FEMALE character.

Even now, its like her finisher's name doens't fit anymore. People seem to ignore it, but only because they don't know the origin story. People who know the first "A" in "APA" stoof for the Acolytes, a name chosen for its "Elite Cultist" meaning. In that way, people don't know the "Widow's Peak" was chosen for its somewhat sinister connotation due to the word "Widow" even though it came from a word for a type of hairline!

All said though, great column, a true joy to read. Please, please do us all a favor, if there is any other wrestler you feel so passionate about, you OWE it to this site to write an article about them, and while this may sound like sarcasm (Since out society now ASSUMES sarcasm when someone is actually being genuine with us), I wear to you I mean it. Keep up the good work, I really hope to see a future article written by you.
Yvette Mendoza wrote:
You are absulotely rights. Unfortunately it is not the first time. WWE is known to make a wrestler a SUPERSTAR and then completely forgetting about them. This has been known to happen with female stars like Molly Holly, Jackie Gayda and Gail Kim. Why do you think they all left. In my opinion, I want to see women wrestlers ACTUALLY WRESTLER. What ever happened to the high flying moves and moonsaults of Lita" What ever happened to REAL WRESTLING like the one victoria would do. this remind me of chyna!
Rob Scribner wrote:
Bobby, are you serious" First off Victoria is not jobbing to anyone as she wins and loses. If she was jobbing, she would lose every week. She just was in a #1 contender's match for a title shot so she obviously has not fallen too far. Should she win every match to make you happy" That being said, Mickie James has been a great addition to the Raw roster and Victoria should not win against her every time. Mickie, (more commonly known as Alexis Laree which I am sure you had no idea about from how you talk about her in your column) has been wrestling in the indies and TNA for years and has made a name for herself while taking plenty of bumps that the other WWE divas wouldn't dare take (with the exception of Victoria who was probably told to tone down her fitness regiment to look more feminine). I have been a Victoria fan for some time now (ever since she turned psycho) and don't have any inkling of thought that the woman's #1 heel is becoming a jobber. Now, it will be interesting to see if (in my opinion it is when) Trish Stratus turns heel, what happens with Victoria, but to say that the #1 woman's heel is a jobber is not true and it makes no sense.
majorfam wrote:
I also agree that Victoria has been jobbing, due to the fact that if there were a shoot match, the outcome would likely be much different. I don't mind seeing her go up against Mickie James, as they both have a lot of talent, but the matches should have a better balance. Does anybody even remember how Trish got her start"

Also, much like Thomas, I miss the old psycho Victoria. The image make-over she was given just isn't doing it. And I'm sorry, but to be made to team with Candice Michelle, with her lack of ability, and right after Victoria was furious with the new talent for not deserving a single thing they got, is out and out WRONG!

Why does the WWE appear to enjoy annihilating perfectly good characters" This isn't the first time I have been infuriated by the use of a wrestler, and probably won't be the last.
Deshawn L Black wrote:
I think that vick is one of the best wwe divas that we have. She does great when she's in the ring. I think that it's time for us to take stand and let it be known that victoria is not being use right in the wwe. I think they need to just take a step back and think about what they are doing and how they are treating her. They are treating her like she is a MAN/WOMEN why in the hell is she fighting men in the wwe they have never made Candice,Torrie,Melina,Stacy,etc fight a man so what is. ALSO why have she never been in playboy no better yet why have she never even been ask to be in playboy that is so rude not to talk about Trish or Stacy because i love them as well as i love victoria but they've as our lovely Trish Stratus and Stacy to times and couldn't even as Victoria once whats up with that.!!!!!!!!!!!! Also i would like to know why there not kissing Sable's but to come back because she made WOMEN look very good wile she was in the wwe. But back to Victoria if you read this Victoria i just want you to know that you are the best and i want you to keep your head up and dont let any of them put you down keep your head up Victoria.
wrote:

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