Name	Beth Phoenix
Names	Beth PhoenixFabulous FirebirdFirebirdPhoenix
Weight
Real height
Birth date	November 24, 1980
Birth place	Buffalo, New York
Resides	Tampa, Florida
Billed	Buffalo, New York
Trainer	Ron HutchinsonJoey KnightRobin KnightwingOVW
Debut	May 2001 }}

Elizabeth Kocianski Carolan (born November 24, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE where she wrestles on the Raw brand under the ring name Beth Phoenix.

Carolan had a successful amateur wrestling career in high school, before being trained by the All Knighters. After her debut in May 2001, she wrestled for numerous independent promotions, and was the inaugural GLORY Champion. She also appeared at the inaugural Shimmer shows. In 2004, she began working for Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), and signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in October 2005. She first debuted on WWE's Raw brand in May 2006, but suffered a legitimate broken jaw the following month. As a result, she had numerous surgeries and returned to OVW for further training. While there, she twice won the OVW Women's Championship, although her second reign is not officially recognized.

She returned to the Raw brand in July 2007, and was heavily pushed, dominating the other WWE Divas and gaining the nickname, "The Glamazon". She won her first WWE Women's Championship at the No Mercy pay-per-view in October, and held it for six months. She then developed an on-screen relationship with Santino Marella, dubbed "Glamarella", and won the Women's Championship for a second time in August 2008, although she lost it in January 2009. In January 2010, at the Royal Rumble she became the second woman in history to enter the Royal Rumble match, and went on to win the Women's Championship for the third time in April, holding it for a month.

Amateur wrestling career

Carolan began wrestling on the Elmira, New York Notre Dame High School scholastic wrestling team. She was the first female varsity wrestler in her high school's history. She became the North-East freestyle women's champion (72 kg weight class) in 1999. She also became the women's champion (72 kg weight class) at the New York State Fair Tournament in 1999. At the time she was also a member of USA Wrestling, a freestyle wrestling association. Her life goal was, according to her, to become a professional wrestler, and she believed that having a solid amateur background would help her reach it.

Professional wrestling career

Training and independent circuit (2001-2005)

After graduating from high school in 1998, she enrolled in both a professional wrestling school and Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. Her first choice for wrestling school was Stu Hart's Dungeon, but because of the location, she decided on a more local school. At the school, she was trained by the All Knighters (Joey Knight and Robin Knightwing), who themselves had trained in the Hart Dungeon. Her professional wrestling debut match was against Alexis Laree. She then competed with various independent promotions, including Cleveland All Pro Wrestling and Apocalypse Wrestling, against both male and female wrestlers, using the name "Phoenix". In 2002, she was one of the first wrestlers in GLORY, an independent organization for women, and was the inaugural champion. She then joined Far North Wrestling (FNW), and was the only female wrestler in the promotion. She defeated Joey Knight and Kevin Grace in 2003 to become the FNW Cruiserweight Champion. Later in 2003 she took part in World Xtreme Wrestling's annual Women's Elite 8 tournament where she made it to the final, before losing to April Hunter. She returned two years later and defeated Nikki Roxx but was bested in the second round by eventual winner Alicia. The following month, Phoenix appeared at the inaugural taping for the Ring of Honor sister promotion Shimmer Women Athletes; during ''Volume 1'' she was pinned by Shimmer founder Allison Danger but scored an upset victory in a non-title match against NWA Midwest Women's Champion MsChif.

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2004–2007)

She was invited to a tryout with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May 2004, and then relocated to Louisville, Kentucky to work for their developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). She debuted on OVW television in July 2004, having expanded her ring name to "Beth Phoenix", and became the on-screen girlfriend and valet of Chris Masters. The storyline was short lived, and the following month Phoenix was repackaged as the manager of Aaron "The Idol" Stevens. She signed a developmental contract with WWE on October 20, 2005, the same month that she broke her hand. The duo was then joined by Shelly Martinez who Phoenix soon feuded with in early 2006. Phoenix then stopped appearing regularly on OVW after debuting on WWE's ''Raw'' television show.

On August 16, 2006, Phoenix returned to action in OVW, defeating Serena. Phoenix began regularly competing for the OVW Women's Championship, unsuccessfully challenging the champion ODB in a battle royal and a four-way match, which was won by Serena. At the October 4, 2006 OVW television tapings, however, Phoenix defeated Serena to win the championship. She lost the championship to Victoria Crawford in a gauntlet match on October 20, and won it back the next day; however, Crawford's title reign is not officially recognised, and as a result, neither is Phoenix's second reign. Phoenix officially dropped the championship in a gauntlet match at the November 1 television taping, after she was eliminated by Katie Lea, who eventually won the match.

On the November 6 episode of OVW, Phoenix came out with her own championship, and claimed to still be the women's champion. As a result, a ladder match was set up, where the winner would become the undisputed OVW Women's Champion. Lea won the match and was presented with the title belt on the first show of 2007. Throughout 2007, Phoenix continued to wrestle in numerous women's matches in OVW. Phoenix made her last appearance in OVW at their August 15, 2007 TV tapings where she lost to Lea in a number one contenders match.

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2006–present)

Trish Stratus's ally (2006)

Phoenix debuted on the May 8, 2006 episode of ''Raw'' as a fan favorite by attacking Mickie James while James was assaulting Trish Stratus. After this incident, James berated Phoenix for "ruining everything" and questioned why she even showed up in the first place. A week later, Phoenix was formally introduced by Stratus and then battered a distracted James on Stratus's behalf. When James finally escaped, Phoenix claimed that James had ruined her life and would not let her get away with it, before calling her a "psycho". On the following episode of ''Raw'', Phoenix attacked James after her match with Torrie Wilson. Then, on the May 29, 2006 episode of ''Raw'', Phoenix and Wilson (with Stratus in their corner) teamed together to defeat Candice Michelle and Victoria, who had James in their corner. During the June 5, 2006 episode of ''Raw'', Phoenix suffered a legitimately fractured mandible during a match with Victoria, but was able to continue the match, and ended up victorious despite the injury. She spent a year having surgeries and recovering, including getting a titanium plate and nine screws placed in her jaw, but she was only out of action for two months, as she returned to action in OVW instead of on the main roster.

The Glamazon and Women's Champion (2007–2008)

On the July 9, 2007 episode of ''Raw'', Phoenix returned as a villain, teaming with Jillian Hall, and the two lost to Candice Michelle and Mickie James. At the SummerSlam pay-per-view, Phoenix won the Interpromotional Divas battle royal to become the number one contender for Michelle's WWE Women's Championship. Phoenix was then pushed as a dominating Diva, calling herself a "Glamazon" and attacking Mickie James, Jillian Hall and Michelle on the September 10 episode of ''Raw''. At Unforgiven, however, she failed to capture the Women's Championship from Candice Michelle. Their storyline rivalry continued when Phoenix pinned Michelle during a non-title mixed tag team match on ''Raw'' on September 24. At the No Mercy pay-per-view in October, Phoenix defeated Michelle to win her first WWE Women's Championship. She retained her belt on the October 22 ''Raw'' in a two out of three falls match, in which Candice Michelle was injured by Phoenix shaking the rope, causing her to fall off the top turnbuckle and legitimately break her clavicle. During a 10-Diva Tag match at Survivor Series, Phoenix's team lost after Melina was pinned by Mickie James. On the November 26 episode of ''Raw'', James defeated Melina in a number one contenders match for Phoenix's Women's Championship, setting up a title match between the two at Armageddon, a match in which Phoenix successfully defended her Women's title. On New Year's Eve 2007, Phoenix successfully defended her title in a Triple Threat match against Melina and James, after pinning Melina.

Phoenix along with then-ally Melina took part in the ''Playboy'' BunnyMania Lumberjack match at WrestleMania XXIV where she defeated Ashley and Maria by pinfall. On April 14, Phoenix faced Mickie James with her Women's Championship on the line and lost, ending her reign as champion. Phoenix also had a rematch on the May 5 episode of ''Raw'' but lost after Melina unintentionally hit her in the face with her boot. On the May 11 episode of ''Raw'', Phoenix and Melina partnered up to go against James and Maria. During the match, Melina unintentionally knocked Phoenix off of the ring apron, resulting in Phoenix abandoning Melina which allowed James and Maria to pick up the win. Later that night, in a backstage segment, Melina and Phoenix fought with one another, ending their alliance. At Judgment Day, Phoenix failed to regain the Women's Championship in a Triple Threat match after James pinned Melina to retain the title. At One Night Stand Phoenix defeated Melina in the first ever Divas "I Quit" match. The next night on ''Raw'', Phoenix teamed with Katie Lea Burchill to defeat Melina and James in a tag team match. She, however, was pinned by James one week later in a non-title match and was once again attacked by Melina post-match.

Glamarella and various feuds (2008–2009)

After little over a month off television, Phoenix returned on the July 14 edition of ''Raw'', where she defeated Santino Marella after he issued an open challenge to any WWE Superstar backstage, pinning him with a roll-up. The storyline continued the following week after Marella lost to the returning D-Lo Brown. Phoenix confronted Marella after the match, and they briefly grappled with each other before unexpectedly sharing a kiss, to which both expressed considerable confusion.

The two then became an onscreen supercouple, and the pairing of The Glamazon and Marella later became known by the portmanteau Glamarella. Within the team she acted as the "straight-woman" of sorts, berating Marella or reacting in disbelief to his over the top, embarrassing antics. At SummerSlam, they defeated Kofi Kingston and Mickie James in an intergender tag team match. Phoenix pinned James, winning the Women's Championship, while Marella won Kingston's Intercontinental Championship. She successfully defended the Women's Championship against Candice Michelle at No Mercy.

On December 8, 2008, she received the "Slammy Award" for Diva of the Year. Phoenix then began feuding with Melina, who returned from injury in November 2008. This storyline included the debut of Rosa Mendes, who was introduced as Phoenix's superfan. At the Royal Rumble in January 2009, Phoenix lost the Women's Championship to Melina. At WrestleMania XXV, Phoenix competed in the 25 Diva battle royal, but was eliminated by Marella, who competed in drag, claiming to be his twin sister "Santina". After WrestleMania, Glamarella split as Phoenix was unhappy with Santino pretending to be his twin sister 'Santina'. Phoenix had a brief scripted rivalry with both 'Santina' and Marella, and challenged 'Santina' for the "Miss WrestleMania" title, but was unsuccessful.

After a brief hiatus, Phoenix returned on the July 27 episode of ''Raw'', teaming with Alicia Fox and Rosa Mendes in a losing effort to Mickie James, Gail Kim, and Kelly Kelly. Phoenix had her first opportunity for the WWE Divas Championship being narrowly defeated by the defending champion, Mickie James, on the August 31 episode of ''Raw'', after winning a number one contender's battle royal that same night.

SmackDown; Face turn and Women's Champion (2009–2011)

On the October 12 episode of ''Raw'', it was announced that Phoenix had been traded to the SmackDown brand for the first time in her career. Phoenix made her in-ring debut for the brand on the October 30 episode of ''SmackDown'', defeating Jenny Brooks, an "enhancement talent". In January 2010, at the Royal Rumble, she entered the Royal Rumble match, eliminating The Great Khali, before she was eliminated by CM Punk. With her entry, she became only the second woman in history to enter the Royal Rumble match, with the first being Chyna.

On the March 12 episode of ''SmackDown'', Phoenix saved Tiffany from an attack by Vickie Guerrero, Michelle McCool and Layla, in doing so becoming a fan favorite. She then went on to defeat Michelle McCool and Layla in a tag team match with Tiffany. The feud with McCool continued at WrestleMania XXVI, where they were on opposing teams in a 10-Diva tag team match, which Phoenix's team lost, although they won a rematch the following night on ''Raw''. Phoenix received a match for the Women's Championship against McCool at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view in April, and defeated McCool in an "Extreme Makeover" match to win her third Women's Championship. On the May 6 episode of ''WWE Superstars'', Phoenix tore her ACL in a match against Rosa Mendes, and as a result, one week later on SmackDown, McCool invoked her rematch clause to face Phoenix in a two-on-one handicap match along with Layla. Phoenix lost her championship when she was pinned by Layla. With the win, Layla and McCool would call themselves co-Women's Champions.

Phoenix returned from her injury at November's Survivor Series pay-per-view and attacked the former co-Champions Michelle McCool and Layla after they lost the Divas Championship to Natalya. Phoenix and Natalya then formed an alliance and at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view in December, Phoenix and Natalya defeated Lay-Cool in the first Diva's tag team Tables match in WWE history.

Return to Raw; Heel turn and The Divas of Doom (2011-present)

As part of the 2011 WWE Draft, Phoenix was drafted back to the ''Raw'' brand. On the August 1 edition of ''Raw'', Beth Phoenix won a divas battle royal to become the number one contender for the WWE Divas Championship by last eliminating The Bella Twins. After the match, she turned heel by attacking the Divas Champion Kelly Kelly who had entered the ring to congratulate her. On the August 8 edition of ''Raw'', Phoenix debuted in her first match as a heel by defeating Eve Torres. On the August 12 edition of ''SmackDown!'' Phoenix & Natalya, now known as The Divas of Doom, debuted together to defeat the team of AJ & Kaitlyn. At SummerSlam, Beth Phoenix challenged Kelly Kelly for the Divas Championship but was unsuccessful, however her feud with Kelly continued. On the August 30th edition of Super Smackdown, Beth & Natalya debuted in their first match as The Divas Of Doom in a winning effort against Alicia Fox & WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly putting Fox in the Glam Slam to win the match.

Other media

Phoenix, along with Candice Michelle and Layla El, appeared in the February 2009 issue of ''FLEX Magazine''.

Personal life

Carolan was raised in Elmira, New York. When she was eleven years old, she won a coloring contest with a prize of tickets to a television taping for World Wrestling Federation. She credits this as when she fell in love with professional wrestling. She cites Owen Hart and Ted DiBiase as her favorite wrestlers. Carolan stated in a 2011 interview on "The Art of Wrestling" podcast that former Diva Molly Holly paid for her to attend wrestling school after Carolan approached her at a WWE meet-and-greet and handed Holly a demo tape. As well as wrestling, Carolan played tennis and ran track in high school. She is a graduate from Canisius College with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. While wrestling in OVW, She also worked as a waitress at a local restaurant.

In wrestling

Finishing move

''Beth Valley Driver'' (Fireman's carry Michinoku driver II) — independent circuit

Chokebomb — OVW

Delayed cradle suplex — 2007–2008

''Down in Flames'' (Michinoku driver II) — OVW

''Glam Slam'' (Sitout chickenwing facebuster) — 2008–present

Signature moves

Canadian backbreaker

Cloverleaf

Military press transitioned into either a slam or a drop

Missile dropkick

Seated double chickenwing hold

Slingshot suplex

Managers

*Trish Stratus

*Santino Marella

*Rosa Mendes

*Natalya

Wrestlers managed

Aaron "The Idol" Stevens

Brent Albright

Chris Masters

*Santino Marella

*Natalya

Nicknames

"The Fabulous Firebird"

"The Glamazon"

*The Most Dominant Diva in the WWE

"The Total Package of Women's Wrestling"

"The Ãœber Diva"

Entrance themes

"Glamazon" by Jim Johnston (WWE) (October 7 2007–present)

Championships and accomplishments

Amateur wrestling

North-East Wrestling

Women's Champion (72 kg weight class) (1999)

New York State Fair

Women's Champion (72 kg weight class) (1999)

Professional wrestling

Far North Wrestling

FNW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time)

GLORY Wrestling

GLORY Championship (1 time)

Ohio Valley Wrestling

OVW Women's Championship (2 times)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked her #2 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2008.

World Wrestling Entertainment

WWE Women's Championship (3 times)

Slammy Award for Diva of the Year (2008)

The Wrestling Clothesline

TWC ranked her #3 of the best 50 female independent wrestlers in 2004

References

External links

WWE profile

Online World of Wrestling profile

Category:1980 births Category:Canisius College alumni Category:American female professional wrestlers Category:Living people Category:People from Elmira, New York

ar:بÙ?Ø« Ù?Ù?Ù†Ù?كس bar:Beth Phoenix bg:Бет ФиникÑ? ca:Beth Phoenix cs:Elizabeth Carolan de:Beth Phoenix es:Elizabeth Carolan fa:بث Ù?ونیکس fr:Beth Phoenix ko:ë² ì?¤ 피닉ì?¤ it:Elizabeth Carolan nl:Beth Phoenix ja:ベス・フェニックス pl:Beth Phoenix pt:Beth Phoenix ro:Beth Phoenix ru:Бет ФеникÑ? simple:Beth Phoenix fi:Beth Phoenix th:เà¸?ท ฟีนิà¸?ซ์

Name	Santino Marella
Names	Boris AlexievJohnny Geo BascoSantino MarellaSantina Marella
Height
Weight
Rank	#27
Birth date	March 14, 1979
Birth place	Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Debut	April 12, 2006
Website	}}

Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1979) is a Canadian professional wrestler of Italian descent best known as Santino Marella in WWE. He is currently competing on WWE's Raw Brand. Since competing for WWE, he has also become a two time Intercontinental Champion, a one time Tag Team Champion with Vladimir Kozlov and the first and final "Miss WrestleMania" as "Santina Marella". Carelli is a judoka and earlier pursued a mixed martial arts career in Japan.

Professional wrestling career

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006–2007)

In the United States, Carelli took wrestling classes at and worked for the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) a developmental territory for the national World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Upon joining OVW, Carelli was given the ring name Johnny Geo Basco. While there, he was involved in an infamous incident with Jim Cornette, the company's head booker and part-owner. After a storyline where he was supposed to act afraid of the Boogeyman but instead laughed, Cornette yelled at and slapped Carelli, leading to Cornette being removed from his position as booker of OVW by WWE.

Paul Heyman was appointed OVW booker to replace Cornette and changed Carelli's ring name from Johnny Geo Basco to Boris Alexiev, giving him a Russian shoot fighter gimmick. As Alexiev he made his debut on April 12, 2006 along with his manager and "comrade", Mr. Strongko. With his new gimmick he was booked to dominate opponents with stiff strikes and submission style wrestling, including a 10-second win over a wrestler named Dewey. He signed a developmental deal with WWE on August 11, 2006, and continued working in OVW.

On January 24, 2007, Alexiev was booked to hold the Television Championship after defeating Mike Kruel, who defended the title for original champion Eddie Kraven. He dropped the title back to Kruel on February 7, but regained it on March 14 after defeating Kruel in a rematch. His second reign lasted for three days, as he dropped it to Shawn Spears on March 17. He was called up to the active roster a month later.

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2007–present)

Debut (2007)

He made his main-roster debut on the April 16, 2007 edition of ''WWE Raw'' in Milan, Italy, as a planted fan named Santino Marella claiming to be from Calabria, Italy. Marella's debut, in which he took the WWE Intercontinental Championship from Umaga in a No Holds Barred match after interference from Bobby Lashley, resulted in both that night and Santino himself being dubbed "The Milan Miracle". The surname Marella was chosen for the character in honor of WWE Hall of Famer Gorilla Monsoon—real name Robert Marella—and was given to Carelli shortly before the trip to Italy. The next day WWE.com posted a profile on Marella with a fictional background saying he was an Italian national who moved to Canada as a child and returned to his native country a few times each year to visit family. It further stated that he moved to the U.S. to begin training with the goal of breaking into professional wrestling, and ultimately WWE. Shortly after gaining the Intercontinental Championship, Marella started a scripted rivalry with Chris Masters, narrowly retaining the title over him in his first defenses. He held the Intercontinental Championship for three months before dropping it back to Umaga on July 2, after having just defeated him at the June 24 Vengeance: Night of Champions pay-per-view by disqualification when Umaga stopped listening to referee's instructions and continued punching Marella.

After losing the title Marella's character became increasingly villainous; he was depicted as possessive and jealous over his girlfriend WWE Diva Maria. Over several weeks they appeared together in a series of segments on ''Raw'', including two mini "game shows" hosted by General Manager William Regal which resulted in retired wrestler Ron Simmons winning a date with Maria, much to Santino's dismay. At the same time Marella, began a campaign of bashing the WWE Films production ''The Condemned'' as its DVD release neared. He was eventually confronted by the film's star, Steve Austin, who argued the film's merits before delivering a Stone Cold Stunner to Marella and soaking both him and Maria down with a hose from a Budweiser truck. During the Austin program, Marella repeatedly mocked Austin and mangled the English language and his catchphrases in promos, giving his character a new humorous bent.

After a short program with Jerry Lawler, he was placed into a tag team with Carlito. At the same time, Maria was chosen to be pose for ''Playboy'' magazine, which was used as part of their storyline. When he was unable to get her to turn the offer down, he attempted to sabotage the cover unveiling, finally pushing Maria to break up with him. At WrestleMania XXIV, Maria was involved in a "Playboy BunnyMania Lumberjack match", during which Santino interfered only to get punched by Jerry Lawler near the end of the match and clotheslined by celebrity Master of Ceremonies Snoop Dogg after the match. Marella's feud with Maria came to an end after she defeated him on the episode of ''Raw'' the day after WrestleMania by dropping her head into Marrella's groin. Marella and Carlito began a feud with Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes over the World Tag Team Championship. During a title match between the two teams, Roddy Piper distracted Marella, who was then pinned and so lost the match for his team. Due to the distraction, Marella started a rivalry with Piper, including a confrontation on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Glamarella (2008–2009)

On the July 14, 2008 episode of ''Raw'', Marella was defeated by WWE Diva Beth Phoenix in a match. Marella issued an open challenge to the entire ''Raw'' roster. The angle continued the following week after Marella lost to the returning D'Lo Brown. Marella and Phoenix shared a kiss, both expressing considerable confusion afterwards. In later weeks, they became an on-screen power couple, later called "Glamarella", a portmanteau of "Glamazon" (Phoenix's nickname) and "Marella". At SummerSlam, Marella won the Intercontinental Championship for a second time, when he teamed with Phoenix against champion Kofi Kingston and WWE Women's Champion Mickie James. Phoenix pinned James after hitting her Glam Slam, thus winning both titles for her team per the pre-match stipulation.

During his second reign, Marella started a quest to become the "greatest Intercontinental champion of all the times" by beating The Honky Tonk Man's record reign of 64 weeks, constantly bringing out a status report called the "Honk-A-Meter". At Cyber Sunday, Marella defended the Intercontinental title against the Honky Tonk Man (who won the majority of fans' votes, beating fellow former champions Roddy Piper and Goldust), losing by disqualification. On the November 10 episode of ''Raw'', Marella lost the title to William Regal and thus failed to reign as champion for more than 64 weeks.

At the beginning of 2009, Marella entered the Royal Rumble drawing number 28. He was instantly eliminated by Kane in 1.9 seconds, thus breaking The Warlord's two second record for shortest Royal Rumble appearance at the 1989 Royal Rumble.

Face turn and Santina Marella (2009)

thumb|Beth Phoenix and Rosa Mendes beating up Santino MarellaFollowing the announcement of a 25-Diva battle royal at WrestleMania XXV to crown the first-ever "Miss WrestleMania", Marella became a fan favorite and was placed in an angle in which he expressed his desire to compete in the match. The storyline called for Marella to challenge Mickie James in a match where he had one arm tied behind his back, and if he won, he would gain entry into the match. He lost, however, and, as a result, the following week, in a bid to prove he was eligible to compete, he revealed he was wearing a mankini, but was subsequently attacked by most of the Divas on the roster. Nevertheless, at WrestleMania XXV, Marella won the 25 Diva battle royal, competing in drag under the disguise of "Santino Marella's twin sister, Santina", and last eliminating Phoenix and Melina. He successfully defended his "Miss Wrestlemania" title against Beth Phoenix on Backlash in only 3 seconds with the help of The Great Khali. On the May 18 episode of ''Raw'', Santina lost the "Miss Wrestlemania" title to Vickie Guerrero. Marella won it back at Extreme Rules when he defeated Vickie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero in a handicap hog pen match. On the June 22, 2009 episode of ''Raw'', Raw's new owner Donald Trump fired Santina, ending the angle.

Feuds around the WWE Tag Team Championship (2010–present)

Teaming with Vladimir Kozlov (2010–2011)

At WrestleMania XXVI, Marella competed in the 26-man battle royal dark match, which was won by Yoshi Tatsu. Marella soon started trying to form a tag team with Vladimir Kozlov, who consistently refused the offer. On the May 31 edition of ''Raw'', Kozlov intervened in a mixed tag team match featuring Marella and aided him in securing the victory. On the July 19 edition of ''Raw'', Kozlov teamed with Marella and in their first match as an official tag team, they defeated William Regal and Zack Ryder. In August, Santino Marella started a relationship with Tamina, the manager of The Usos. Marella and Kozlov beats The Usos in several occasions. He teaches Tamina his finishing The Cobra. At Night of Champions 2010, Marella and Kozlov competed in a Tag Team Turmoil match for the WWE Unified Tag Team championship but were unsuccessful as the titles were won by "Dashing" Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre. On the October 11 edition of ''Raw'' he successfully defeated Zack Ryder to become a part of the ''Raw'' Bragging Rights team against SmackDown. However at the event, Marella was the first of the seven Raw Superstars in the match to be eliminated after being pinned by Tyler Reks. On the October 25 episode of ''Raw'', Marella had a feud with Sheamus after he call Marella an embrassment after he was the first man to be eliminated in Team Raw at Bragging Rights. Sheamus then challenged Marella to a match which he accepted. Later in a match, Marella scored a major upset by defeating former two–time WWE Champion Sheamus; Santino and Sheamus then had two subsequent run-ins, both of which ended in John Morrison saving Santino from Sheamus' post-match assaults. On the November 15 edition of ''Raw'', Marella and Kozlov became the number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championships, defeating The Usos in the process. Marella and Kozlov failed to capture the titles at Survivor Series 2010.thumb|250px|Marella with a portrait in pose The Cobra in 2011. They went on to win the WWE Tag Team Championship in a Four-Way elimination tag team match on Raw on December 6, 2010 against The Usos, The Nexus and the tag team of Mark Henry and Yoshi Tatsu with a distraction created by John Cena and then after the celebration, The Usos' manager Tamina kissed Santino starting a relationship between the two. Tamina afterwards continued to accompany Santino for his matches. Santino and Kozlov retained their WWE Tag Team titles by disqualification at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs against Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater of the Nexus after another Nexus member Michael McGillicutty chopblocked Santino in front of the referee. After TLC Pay Per View, Marella and Tamina beat Ted DiBiase and Maryse in several occasions in a mixed tag team match on RAW. On January 30, 2011, Santino competed in the Royal Rumble entering at number 37, he made it to the final two before losing to winner Alberto Del Rio. At the Elimination Chamber, he and Kozlov lost the titles to Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel of The Corre. On the March 28 edition of ''Raw'', it was confirmed Marella would team up with Vladimir Kozlov, Kane, and The Big Show, against The Corre (Slater, Gabriel, Ezekiel Jackson and Wade Barrett) in an eight-man tag team match at WrestleMania XXVII. However, due to an attack on Kozlov by The Corre during WrestleMania Axxess the day before WrestleMania, Kofi Kingston then took his place in the match. Their team won, when Marella performed The Cobra on Slater, which was followed up by Big Show's right hand punch. On the April 11 edition of ''Raw'', Marella interrupted The Corre to tell them he had formed an alliance called "The Apple" (Allied People Powered by Loathing Everything that you stand for), a pun on apple core. Marella's relationship with Tamina ended when she was drafted to SmackDown as part of the 2011 WWE Supplemental Draft. On August 5, Kozlov was released from his WWE contract, effectively ending the partnership. He then began teaming with Zack Ryder, beginning on the July 21st episode of WWE Superstars Santino teamed with Ryder in a winning effort against the WWE tag team champions David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty. On the August 1st episode of Raw they once again faced Otunga and McGillicutty but lost.

Personal life

Carelli has a daughter. He is also close friends with fellow wrestler Randy Orton

In wrestling

Finishing moves

*As Santino Marella

*''Salute Flying Headbutt'' (Diving headbutt while saluting) - 2008-2010, used as a regular move thereafter

*''The Cobra'' (Right-handed thrust to an opponent's throat, chest or face, with theatrics) – 2010–present

**Whiplash – 2007–2008

*As Boris Alexiev

*Triangle choke

Signature moves

*Combo punches

Hip toss, often followed by a running headbutt drop while saluting

Jawbreaker

Roll-up

STO

Managers

Mr. Strongko

Maria

*Beth Phoenix & Rosa Mendes

*Vladimir Kozlov

Tamina

Tag Teams/Stables

*Vladimir Kozlov

*Zack Ryder

*Evan Bourne

*Various Superstars

Wrestlers managed

*Vladimir Kozlov

Nicknames

*"The Milan Miracle"

"The Italian Stallion"

Entrance themes

"Anvil of Crom" by Basil Poledouris (OVW)

*"You Look So Good to Me (Remix)" by Jim Johnston (As Santina)

"La Vittoria è Mia (Victory Is Mine)" by Jim Johnston (WWE)

Championships and accomplishments

Ohio Valley Wrestling

OVW Television Championship (2 times)

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked him #91 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2008

World Wrestling Entertainment

WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times)

WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Vladimir Kozlov

Miss WrestleMania (2 times, final)

Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Best Gimmick (2007, 2008)

References

External links

WWE profile

Online World of Wrestling profile

Top WWE names emerge in doping scandal

Facebook

Category:1979 births Category:Canadian professional wrestlers Category:Canadian judoka Category:Canadian mixed martial artists Category:Canadian people of Italian descent Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Ontario Category:People from Mississauga

ar:سانتÙ?نو مارÙ?لا bar:Santino Marella ca:Santino Marella de:Santino Marella es:Anthony Carelli fa:سانتینو مارلا fr:Santino Marella it:Anthony Carelli nl:Santino Marella ja:アンソニー・カレッリ no:Santino Marella pl:Anthony Carelli pt:Santino Marella ru:Сантино Марелла simple:Santino Marella fi:Anthony Carelli th:ซานติโน่ มาเรลล่า tr:Santino Marella vi:Santino Marella

Alt	A close-up of a woman with dark brown hair and green eyes. She is wearing a khaki-coloured vest, sunglasses on top of her head, and large gold hoop earrings.
Name	Eve Torres
Names	EveEve Torres
Height
Weight
Birth date	August 21, 1984
Birth place	Boston, Massachusetts
Resides	Los Angeles, California
Billed	Denver, Colorado
Trainer	FCW Staff
Debut	2007
Retired	}}

Eve Torres (born August 21, 1984), is an American dancer, model, and professional wrestler. She is working for WWE on its Raw brand as Eve, as well as her full name. She is a two time WWE Divas Champion.

Torres began her career as a model and dancer. She danced for The Southern California Summer Pro League and went on to become a member of the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Clippers Spirit Dance Team for the 2006–2007 season. She has also appeared on several television shows, including ''Show Me The Money'', ''Sunset Tan'', and ''Deal or No Deal''.

In 2007 she entered the 2007 Diva Search and won, earning a contract with WWE. She first appeared on WWE programming as a backstage interviewer in 2008, and also appeared in non-wrestling contests such as bikini contests and dance competitions. She later became a full-time wrestler in 2009, and was involved in feuds with Michelle McCool, Layla and Natalya. She also managed the tag team of Cryme Tyme. After being traded to the Raw brand in late 2009, she managed Chris Masters before winning the WWE Divas Championship in April 2010, making her the first Diva search winner to win a championship in WWE. She held the championship for 69 days, before losing it in June. After acting as the valet for R-Truth in late 2010, she won the Divas Championship for the second time at the 2011 Royal Rumble in January. Her second reign lasted until April 2011. Afterward, she began accompanying Kelly Kelly during her reign as the Divas Champion.

Dancing and modeling career

While attending the University of Southern California (USC), Torres appeared in commercials and music videos. Torres was the co-captain of the USC Fly Girls dance squad and created much of their choreography. She also danced for The Southern California Summer Pro League, the only summer league for National Basketball Association (NBA) players, in Long Beach, California. After graduating from college, she moved into dancing and modeling full-time. After reaching the tryout finals in previous years, Torres became a member of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers Spirit Dance Team for the 2006–07 season. She also appeared on ''Show Me The Money''.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2007–present)

2007 WWE Diva Search

In May 2007, Torres entered WWE's Diva Search. She was chosen by WWE officials as one of the eight finalists from a group of 50. On October 29, 2007, in Philadelphia, live on ''Raw'', she was crowned the 2007 WWE Diva Search winner, defeating finalist Brooke Gilbertsen and becoming an official WWE Diva. Following her win, she began training for her wrestling debut in WWE's developmental territory, Florida Championship Wrestling.

SmackDown (2008–2009)

Videos promoting Eve's debut on ''SmackDown'' began airing on January 11, 2008. The promo aired for three weeks before Eve made her official debut on the February 1, 2008 episode of ''SmackDown'' interviewing former World Heavyweight Champion Batista. During early 2008, Eve participated in a "Diva Competition" contest to determine the top Diva on ''SmackDown'', participating in a bikini contest, an obstacle course, and an arm wrestling competition before being eliminated. Eve appeared at WrestleMania XXIV as a Lumberjill in the BunnyMania match between Maria and Ashley against Beth Phoenix and Melina. Eve spent the rest of the year competing in similar contests, including a dance-off and a bikini contest, before participating in the Halloween Costume Contest on October 26 at the Cyber Sunday pay-per-view, where she was dressed as Raphael from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. On the 800th episode of ''Raw'' on November 3, 2008, Eve made her televised in-ring debut in a 16-Diva tag team match, which her team lost although she was never tagged in.

Her first main storyline began in early 2009, when she began a scripted feud with Michelle McCool after McCool attacked her. On the February 6 episode of ''SmackDown'', Eve made her singles match debut in a losing effort against McCool via submission. Their feud continued for the next few months, with them competing against each other in singles and tag team matches. Eve then moved into a feud with Layla in mid-2009. After the pair competed in dance and arm wrestling competitions, Eve defeated Layla on the May 29 episode of ''SmackDown'' in a wrestling match. On the June 18 episode of ''Superstars'', Eve pinned Layla once again. After the match, they both shook hands.

Around the same as her scripted rivalry with Layla, Eve became associated with Cryme Tyme (Shad and JTG), appearing in several backstage segments with them. She also began accompanying them to the ring as their manager during their storyline rivalry with The Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, and Natalya). Eve and Cryme Tyme participated in multiple six-person mixed tag team matches against The Hart Dynasty, and Eve also faced Natalya in singles matches and tag team matches involving other Divas. Eve then competed in a Divas Battle Royal at Summerslam making it to the end but getting eliminated by Beth Phoenix. Her final match on ''SmackDown'' was on October 9, when she was defeated in a singles match by Michelle McCool.

Raw and Divas Champion (2009–2011)

On October 12, 2009, Eve was traded to the Raw brand. On the November 2nd edition of ''Raw'', she competed in her first match after being traded: a battle royal which was won by Alicia Fox. She then entered a love storyline with Chris Masters in December 2009, becoming his valet. In January 2010, the WWE Divas Championship was vacated and a tournament was set up to determine the new champion. Eve made it to the semi-finals, before being defeated by the eventual winner, Maryse. At WrestleMania XXVI Eve was on the losing team in a 10-Diva tag team match, but the following night on ''Raw'', she pinned Maryse in a rematch to earn the victory for her team.

On the April 5th edition of ''Raw'', Eve won a "Dress to Impress" battle royal to become the number one contender to the WWE Divas Championship, and the following week on ''Raw'', she defeated Maryse to win the championship for the first time. She successfully defended the championship against Maryse at the Over the Limit pay-per-view in May. At the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view in June, Eve lost the championship in a fatal four-way match, when Alicia Fox pinned Maryse to win the championship. On the July 5th edition of ''Raw'', Eve invoked her rematch clause against Fox but was unsuccessful after Fox feigned an ankle injury. As a result, she received another rematch at the Money in the Bank pay per-view, but lost again to Fox. In mid-2010 she began acting as the valet for R-Truth.

At the Royal Rumble on January 30, 2011, the Raw General Manager added Eve to a two-on-one handicap match for the Divas Championship, turning it into a fatal four-way match. Eve pinned Layla to win the match and become a two-time Divas Champion, despite Michelle McCool pinning Natalya at the same time with Eve pinning Layla. She retained the championship against Natalya in a Lumberjill match on the February 14 edition of ''Raw'', and against Nikki Bella on the March 7 edition of ''Raw''. She held the championship until the April 11 edition of ''Raw'', when she lost it to Brie Bella. Eve appeared at the 2011 Over the Limit event, performing her signature moonsault on Michael Cole after his loss to Jerry "The King" Lawler. On the night of ''Raw'' 23 May, she teamed with Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix, against The Bella Twins, Maryse and Melina. The match, however ended in a no-contest following an interruption by Kharma. On the 30 May edition of ''Raw'', she teamed with Kelly Kelly to defeat The Bella Twins. On the June 13 edition of ''Raw'', an All-Star special, her team got victorious, in a 7 on 7 diva tag team match, teaming with Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, Natalya, A.J. and Kaitlyn to defeat The Bella Twins, Melina, Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes, Maryse and Tamina.

Alliance with Kelly Kelly (2011-present)

On the June 20 edition of "Raw", special Power To The People, she one of among three divas who will face Brie Bella for WWE Divas Championship but lost voted to Kelly Kelly.Afterward she mainly saved and accompannying Kelly Kelly every match over the Bella Twins. On the 4th of July special Independence Day edition of Raw, Kelly teamed up with Eve to defeat The Bella Twins in a tag team match. Eve accompanying Kelly Kelly in her Divas Championship match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in which Kelly Kelly retained against Brie Bella. On the July 25th edition of ''Raw'', she and Kelly Kelly defeated Maryse and Melina in a divas tag-team match. On the August 1 edition of ''Raw'', Eve was a part of a battle-royal to determinate who will face Kelly on the SummerSlam pay per-view for the Divas Championship, however the match was won by Beth Phoenix. On the 8th of August, Eve took on Beth Phoenix in a singles match but failed to win. Kelly Kelly then came to the ring to help Eve. On SummerSlam 2011, Eve accompanied Kelly Kelly for WWE Divas Championship match, which she successfully retained from Beth Phoenix despite accompanied by Natalya.On the August 15, 2011 edition of ''Raw'', Eve teamed up with Kelly Kelly in a winning effort against the Bella Twins. A week later on the August 22, 2011 edition of ''Raw'' she defeated Nikki Bella in singles match.

Other media

In August 2008, Torres, along with fellow WWE Divas Maria and Candice Michelle, appeared on an episode of ''Sunset Tan''. On October 2, 2008, Torres and Maria appeared on a special episode of ''Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed''. Torres, along with Maryse and Michelle McCool, appeared in the January 2009 issue of ''Muscle & Fitness'' magazine. Torres appeared on the November 3, 2009 episode of ''Deal or No Deal'' with Maria and Dolph Ziggler. On July 1, Eve was a Muscle and Perfomance cover girl.

Personal life

Torres was born in Boston, Massachusetts, but grew up in Denver, Colorado and is of Nicaraguan American background. She has one younger brother, Phillip, who appeared on ''Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?'' in October 2008 and won $100,000. She attended the University of Southern California on a full tuition scholarship. During college, she was one of the founding members of the Omega Phi Beta sorority chapter on her campus and held the vice-president position for several years. While in Omega Phi Beta, Torres was awarded for Academic Excellence at the Order of Omega Greek Awards. She graduated with honors and a Grade Point Average above 3.5 in May 2006, with a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. While at USC, she dated future NFL player Reggie Bush Torres is trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and holds a blue belt from the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, California. Torres also participates in kickboxing.

In wrestling

Finishing moves

Handspring standing moonsault – 2009

Moonsault – 2009–present

Snap swinging neckbreaker – 2010–present

Signature moves

Enzuigiri

Standing moonsault with dance theatrics

Wrestlers managed

Cryme Tyme (Shad and JTG)

Chris Masters

*R-Truth

*Kelly Kelly

Entrance themes

*"Pop Energia" by Jim Johnston (2007-2008)

"She Looks Good" by Jim Johnston (October 2008 - July 2011;August 15 2011-present)

*"She Looks Good (Remix)" by Jim Johnston (August 1 - August 15 2011)

Championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked her #5 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2010

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

WWE Divas Championship (2 times)

WWE Diva Search (2007)

References

External links

WWE profile

Online World of Wrestling profile

Official Website

Official Fansite

Facebook

Category:1984 births Category:American ballroom dancers Category:American cheerleaders Category:American female models Category:American female professional wrestlers Category:American practitioners of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Category:Female Brazilian-Jiu-Jitsu practitioners Category:Living people Category:People from Denver, Colorado Category:University of Southern California alumni Category:WWE Diva Search contestants

ar:Ø¥Ù?Ù? تورÙ?س ca:Eve Torres de:Eve Torres es:Eve Torres fa:ایو تورس fr:Eve Torres it:Eve Torres nl:Eve Torres ja:イヴ・トーレス pl:Eve Torres pt:Eve Torres ru:ТорреÑ?, Ив simple:Eve Torres fi:Eve Torres th:อีฟ ทอร์เรส tr:Eve Torres

name	Maria Menounos
title	Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 1996
nationalcompetition	Miss Teen USA 1996
birth place	Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.
height
birth date	June 08, 1978

Maria Menounos (Greek:ΜαÏ?ία ΜενοÏ?νου) (born June 8, 1978) is a Greek-American actress, journalist, and television presenter known in America for her appearances as a correspondent for ''Today'', ''Access Hollywood'', ''Extra'', and abroad for co-hosting the ''Eurovision Song Contest 2006'' in Athens, Greece.

Early life and beauty pageants

Menounos, a Greek American, was born in Medford, Massachusetts to immigrant parents Costas and Litsa Menounos. She has a younger brother, Peter, and is fluent in the Greek language. At age 17, she was an employee of Dunkin' Donuts. Menounos attended the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. Menounos attended Medford High School in Medford, MA. In 1995, Menounos began to compete in beauty pageants. The following year, she won the title of Miss Massachusetts Teen USA and competed at Miss Teen USA where she placed in the top 15, receiving an honorary mention, during the preliminary competition; Menounos placed 13th in preliminaries. The pageant was won by Christie Lee Woods. Maria competed for the title of Miss Massachusetts USA 2000; she was the 1st runner up.

Film and television career

Later Menounos attended Boston's Emerson College where she participated in the now award winning organization, Emerson Independent Video. During her senior year, she was hired as a reporter for Channel One News. Her work for Channel One's 10-minute segments included traveling to El Salvador to report on the earthquake of 2001 and interviewing then President George W. Bush. ''Entertainment Tonight'' hired Menounos as a correspondent in 2002, where she reported on movies, music and fashion. ''ET'' executives offered her a hosting gig for ''ET'' on MTV & VH1; she left the program in 2005 to focus on her acting career, though she would eventually join rival program ''Access Hollywood'' later that Fall as a special correspondent. She went on to co-host a few episodes of the ''Today'' show in the late summer and fall of 2006 as well as in April 2007. In 2003, Menounos appeared on the November 30 episode of ''Punk'd'' where she was one of many celebrities caught in the awkward and embarrassing "Red Carpet Interviews".

In 2004, Menounos briefly appeared in an episode of the UPN series ''One on One'' as Glinda, an eccentric, self-proclaimed "Fairy Godmother to the Stars". In the summer of 2005, she appeared in the comic book film ''Fantastic Four'', where she played a nurse who is romanced by the "Human Torch", played by Chris Evans. Her likeness and voice was featured in the 2005 Electronic Arts video game, ''From Russia with Love'' as Eva Adara, Red Grant's henchwoman, which stars Sean Connery as James Bond. She is also the spokesperson for Pantene hair products. Menounos presented the 2006 ''Eurovision Song Contest'' (along with Greek singer Sakis Rouvas) that took place in Athens.

She is a correspondent for ''Today'' as well as ''Access Hollywood'' in an overall deal with NBC Universal to act in films and television shows. She also has recurring roles on CBS' ''Without a Trace'' and as Jules in the second season of The CW's ''One Tree Hill'' (during its run on The WB). Menounos also appeared on the ''Scrubs'' episode "My Extra Mile", which aired in May 2006 where she is attracted to John Dorian because she likes his hair. In 2006, Menounos appeared in the music video for "A Public Affair" by Jessica Simpson. On April 27, 2007, Maria starred in ''Kickin' It Old Skool''. In 2007, Menounos continued in her run as international spokesperson doing print and television commercials for Pantene hair products as well as print ads for New York & Company. From December 17 to December 20, 2007, Menounos hosted the reality game show miniseries ''Clash of the Choirs''.

In 2008, she became the host of ''Hollywood Green'' on the Planet Green network. "Maria Menounos brings glamour to green living as the hostess of Hollywood Green. Both as the special correspondent for daily entertainment newsmagazine "Access Hollywood," and on Hollywood Green, Maria provides TV viewers with comprehensive coverage of entertainment and news personalities." In 2008, she had a role in the movie ''Tropic Thunder''. In 2008, she became the first journalist to interview the entire Obama family as a whole. She is represented by Jon Rosen at WME (William Morris Endeavor).

In May 2008, she played in the AVP Cuervo Gold Crown Huntington Beach Open, but was eliminated in the qualifying round. On July 13, 2008, Menounos starred in the celebrity softball game at Yankee Stadium in New York. In November 2008, when Richard Belzer fell ill, she filled in as host for the North Shore Animal League's Dogcatemy Celebrity Gala, which takes place at NYC's Capitale. Since 2009, she has hosted reunion specials of MTV's ''The Real World'' and the ''Real World/Road Rules Challenge''. Menounos appeared on the 2008 ''Knight Rider'' series episode "Fly By Knight", which aired on February 11, 2009 where she played a DEA agent who is in charge of investigating a plane crash. On October 12, Menounos joined Nancy O'Dell guest hosting ''WWE Raw''. She made her professional wrestling debut in a six diva tag team match with Kelly Kelly and Gail Kim against Beth Phoenix, Rosa Mendes, and Alicia Fox. Menounos's team was victorious, with the match highlighted by Menounos slapping the much larger-statured Phoenix.

On August 4, 2011, it was announced that she is joining Warner Bros.' ''Extra'', where she will co-host the show with Mario Lopez. She'll also have on-air duties at Dr. Drew's ''Lifechangers'', and will develop new projects.

Production

At the age of 17, Menounos produced ''In the Land of Merry Misfits'', an independent film fairy tale. The 35 mm feature film was produced by Menounos while attending Emerson College with director Keven Undergaro, then head writer for MTV's ''Singled Out''. The negative of the film was stolen and the film was never completed but her work on the film, and the film's director, helped her land her reporting job at Channel One News and at MTV (''ET on MTV''). Menounos, however, never forgot the film or the film's director. In 2005, Menounos personally funded the recovery and restoration of the film, which was narrated by John Waters and starred an eclectic group in the Waters vein â€” including former WWE champion Bob Backlund, actress Josie Davis from the TV show ''Charles in Charge'' and B-movie icon Randal Malone. The film premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.

Menounos also directed ''Longtime Listener'' starring Wilmer Valderrama. The film was an official selection of the Tribeca Film Festival 2006.

Popular awards

Menounos appeared in ''FHM'' magazine and in ''People'' magazine in 2004 as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People." In another poll conducted by askmen.com, Menounos was voted one of the top five girls a guy would most want to marry, along with Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and Jessica Alba. She has also beaten Jessica Alba and Charlize Theron for "Cyber Vixen of the Year" on Spike TV's video game awards. On August 8, 2010 she won the Madden NFL Pro-AM MVP award. She also won MadTV's "Smokin' Hot TV Personality" Award for 2010.

Charity work

Menounos founded the charity "Take Action Hollywood!" after her trip to South Africa. Reporting on the devastating effects of the AIDS crisis she was inspired to create TAH!, a charity that utilizes the power of the entertainment industry and the medium of film to affect for positive social change. Maria also created the Cosmo Girl Cup, a national, annual competition and award given to the group of teens who do the most in their communities to affect for positive social change. Menounos also presented at the Earth Day Network's Climate Rally in Washington, DC on April 25, 2010. She encouraged people to go green and threw carrots into the crowd. Menounos acted as the Masters of Ceremony for the First Annual Los Angeles CureSearch Walk for Children's Cancer held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California on October 24, 2010.

See also

List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters

References

External links

Maria Menounos at NNDB

Maria Menounos at MySpace

Maria Menounos on Twitter

Maria Menounos on Sportstownchicago.com

Category:1978 births Category:American television reporters and correspondents Category:Emerson College alumni Category:Eurovision Song Contest presenters Category:American people of Greek descent Category:American Christians Category:Eastern Orthodox Christians from the United States Category:Living people Category:Actors from Massachusetts Category:Miss Teen USA 1996 delegates Category:People from Medford, Massachusetts

de:Maria Menounos el:ΜαÏ?ία ΜενοÏ?νος es:Maria Menounos fr:Maria Menounos nl:Maria Menounos pl:Maria Menounos pt:Maria Menounos ru:МеноуноÑ?, МариÑ? fi:Maria Menounos sv:Maria Menounos tr:Maria Menounos

Name	Alicia Fox
Alt	An African-American woman with dark curly hair, wears a camouflage dress with a red belt and white fur trim on the shoulders.
Names	Alicia FoxToriVictoria Crawford
Height
Weight
Birth date	June 30, 1986
Birth place	Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Billed	Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
Trainer	OVW StaffFCW Staff
Debut	July 1, 2006
Retired	}}

Victoria Elizabeth Crawford (born June 30, 1986) is an American model and professional wrestler best known by her ring name Alicia Fox. She is signed to WWE where she performs on the SmackDown brand.

Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Crawford was a model. She signed a contract with WWE in 2006, and debuted in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), a WWE developmental territory in July. That same year, on October 20, she won the OVW Women's Championship, but lost it the following day. Her reign is not officially recognized by OVW. The following year, she moved to Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), another WWE developmental territory, where she competed regularly until 2009.

Crawford debuted on ''SmackDown'' in June 2008, using the name 'Alicia Fox' and the gimmick of a wedding planner. In November, she moved to the ECW brand, where she managed DJ Gabriel. As part of the Supplemental Draft, she moved back to SmackDown in April 2009, before being traded to the Raw brand two months later. Throughout the rest of 2009, Fox began unsuccessfully challenging for the WWE Divas Championship. She briefly managed Zack Ryder in May 2010, and the following month she won the Divas Championship for the first time. Fox held the championship until August 15. In late 2010, Fox appeared as a 'Pro' on the third season of ''NXT''. She returned to the SmackDown brand in April 2011, as part of the 2011 supplemental draft.

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

Developmental territories (2006–2009)

In 2006 Crawford signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), WWE’s developmental territory. She debuted on July 1, 2006, as a special guest referee in a match between Shelly Martinez and ODB. It was not until September 6 that she made her in-ring debut, under the new ring name Tori, in a OVW Ladies Battle Royal which she ultimately lost when she was thrown over the top rope by ODB. She spent the next month competing regularly in both singles and tag team matches, against opponents including Mickie James, ODB, and Katie Lea. In late September, she began managing Elijah Burke, accompanying him to the ring for matches against Chet The Jet. At the OVW television tapings on October 18, having reverted back to her real name, Crawford challenged Beth Phoenix for the OVW Women's Championship but lost following interference from Serena Deeb. Two days later, on October 20, Crawford won a gauntlet match at a house show to win the OVW Women's Championship. The following night, however, Crawford lost the championship to Phoenix, who won an eight-woman elimination match. Crawford's championship win is unrecognised by OVW, and the promotion considers Phoenix's two reigns as champion as a single, uninterrupted reign. Crawford continued to feud with Phoenix in early 2007, facing her in several tag team matches, in which Phoenix teamed with ODB and Crawford teamed with Lea or Deeb. Simultaneously, Crawford participated in the "Miss OVW" contest, which was won by ODB. Crawford had a series of matches with Milena Roucka in April, before moving onto a feud with Maryse Ouellet. Her final appearance in OVW was on July 21, when she participated in a three-way match for the OVW Women's Championship which was won by ODB.

Crawford debuted for Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) on September 2, 2007, participating in a best body contest. Her FCW in-ring debut came on September 25, where she and Nattie Neidhart defeated The Bella Twins (Brianna and Nicole) in a tag team match. She quickly began feuding with The Bella Twins, while allying herself with Neidhart. The Bella Twins defeated the team of Crawford and Neidhart on two consecutive occasions, and on October 23, Crawford lost to Nicole in a singles match. A week later, she and Sheamus O'Shaunessy were defeated by Brianna and Kofi Kingston in a mixed tag team match. In December, Crawford teamed with Tommy Taylor in a loss to Brianna and Robert Anthony. The feud continued into 2008, with the Bellas defeating Crawford and Maryse Ouellet on January 8, and Crawford and Neidhart on January 19 and January 29. Following the completion of this feud, she began competing regularly against her former tag team partner, Neidhart. Neidhart won their first singles encounter on February 5 and was on the winning side of a tag team match on February 23, before Crawford won a singles match on February 26. Following her debut on SmackDown, Crawford changed her ring name to 'Alicia Fox'. She started managing Jack Gabriel in September, and teamed with Gabriel in mixed tag team matches against Mike Kruel and Wesley Holiday and Gabe Tuft and Melina, while continuing to compete in singles competition as well. Fox competed in the Queen of FCW tournament between December 2008 and February 2009, defeating Jenny Cash and Tiffany en route to the final, where she lost to Angela Fong.

Brand switches (2008–2010)

Crawford debuted on the June 13, 2008 episode of ''SmackDown'' in a backstage segment with Vickie Guerrero, which saw her introduced as Guerrero and Edge's wedding planner, Alicia Fox. During their wedding reception on the July 18 episode of ''SmackDown'', Triple H revealed Edge kissing Fox the day before the wedding on camera. Fox involved herself in the WWE Championship match at The Great American Bash when she attempted to help Edge, but she was stopped by Guerrero. The confusion surrounding her interference caused Edge to accidentally spear Guerrero.

After a three-month hiatus from WWE television, Fox resurfaced on the November 18 episode of ''ECW'' managing English wrestler DJ Gabriel, in a fan favorite role. Their on-screen association was explained by WWE claiming that Fox had moved her wedding planner business to England during her hiatus from WWE television, and that she had met Gabriel there, in storyline. Gabriel and Fox began feuding with the Burchill siblings (Paul and Katie Lea) in late December 2008. Fox made her in-ring debut on the January 6, 2009 episode of ''ECW'', in a loss to Katie Lea Burchill. The following week, on the January 13 episode of ''ECW'', Gabriel and Fox defeated the Burchill siblings in a mixed tag team match, giving Fox her first win as part of the brand. In March, Fox and Gabriel feuded with Tyson Kidd and Natalya, with Natalya defeating Fox on March 3 on ''ECW''. Fox competed in the 25 Divas battle royal at WrestleMania XXV, which was won by Santina Marella.

Fox was drafted to the SmackDown brand as a part of the 2009 Supplemental Draft on April 15. She made her in-ring debut as a SmackDown diva as a heel on the April 30 episode of ''WWE Superstars'', teaming with Michelle McCool to defeat Maria and Gail Kim. After winning her debut match, Fox became aligned with Michelle McCool, with the pair teaming together in tag team matches as well as accompanying each other to the ring for singles matches. She was in the corner of McCool when McCool won the WWE Women's Championship at The Bash.

On June 29 it was revealed that Fox had been traded to the Raw brand. The following week, she made her ''Raw'' debut in a tag team match teaming with Maryse against Gail Kim and Mickie James in a losing effort when Kim pinned Maryse. She gained her first victory on ''Raw'' on July 13, when Fox, Maryse, and Rosa Mendes won a six-Diva tag team match when Maryse pinned Mickie James. Fox picked up her first pinfall victory by pinning Kelly Kelly during a tag team match on the July 20 episode of ''Raw''. On the August 10 episode of ''Raw'', Fox was involved in a fatal four-way match to determine the number one contender for the WWE Divas Championship, but was unsuccessful. The following month, on the September 14 episode of ''Raw'', she defeated Gail Kim to become the number one contender to the Divas Championship. She received a match for the championship at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view against Mickie James on October 4, but was unsuccessful. Fox became the number one contender to the Divas Championship again on the November 2 episode of ''Raw'', by winning a battle royal which involved The Bella Twins, Eve Torres, Gail Kim, and Kelly Kelly. She challenged Melina two weeks later for the championship, but was unsuccessful. Melina vacated the Divas Championship due to injury, and a tournament was set up to determine the new champion in early January 2010. On the January 11, 2010 episode of ''Raw'', Fox defeated Kelly Kelly in the first round of the tournament, but lost to Gail Kim in the semi-finals two weeks later. Fox was on the winning team in a 10-Diva tag team match at WrestleMania XXVI, but on the losing side the following night in a rematch on ''Raw''. On the April 5 episode of ''Raw'', Fox was involved in a "Dress to Impress" battle royal to determine the number one contender to the WWE Divas Championship, but was unsuccessful, and the match was won by Eve Torres.

Raw and Divas Champion (2010)

Fox began a storyline with Zack Ryder in May 2010, after he requested that she and Gail Kim be ringside on several occasions to watch his matches, so he could impress them and find a new valet. During his match with Evan Bourne on the May 10 episode of ''Raw'', Fox interfered on Ryder's behalf, but was stopped by Gail Kim. The following week, Bourne and Kim defeated Ryder and Fox in a mixed tag team match. She later turned on Ryder, attacking him in order to collect a "bounty" from the Raw guest host, Ashton Kutcher.

At the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view on June 20, Fox competed in a fatal four-way match for the WWE Divas Championship, which also involved Gail Kim, Eve, and Maryse. Fox pinned Maryse to win both the match and the championship for the first time. She successfully defended the championship for the first time on the July 5 episode of ''Raw'', defeating Eve after feigning an ankle injury. As she faked an injury to retain the championship, Eve was granted a rematch at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view by Raw's anonymous General Manager, where Fox was again able to successfully retain the championship. Fox was part of the victorious team in a six-Diva tag team match on August 2, and declared herself to be undefeatable and the greatest Divas Champion in history. The former Divas Champion Melina made her return from injury to attack Fox. The following week Melina pinned Fox, receiveing a title match at SummerSlam. On August 15, at the SummerSlam pay per-view, Fox lost the Divas Championship to Melina.

Return to SmackDown; Face Turn (2011-present)

Fox announced that she would be mentoring Maxine on season three of ''NXT'' on August 31. Maxine failed to win the competition, and was the second rookie Diva eliminated on the November 2 edition of ''NXT''. On the September 6 edition of ''Raw'', Fox faced Melina in a rematch for the Divas Championship, but was unsuccessful. Fox was involved in a battle royal to determine the winner of the Diva of the Year Slammy Award on the December 13 edition of ''Raw'', but was eliminated by Natalya. The following week, she was part of a triple threat number one contenders match, which was won by Melina.

On April 26, 2011, Fox was drafted back to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2011 supplemental draft. During the taping of the May 3 edition of ''SmackDown'', Fox suffered a shoulder injury in her first match back for the brand, in which she was defeated by Layla. After the match she was attacked by Kharma who caused the injury. However, she recovered after 3 weeks of being out of action. She returned on the May 27 edition of SmackDown, victorious in a tag team match with Tamina against Kaitlyn and the debuting AJ. On the June 3 edition of ''SmackDown!'', she and Tamina, this time with Rosa Mendes in their corner, once again defeated the team of Kaitlyn and AJ. On the June 17 edition of Smackdown, Alicia Fox teamed with Tamina and Rosa Mendes picking up a victory against Natalya, AJ, and Kaitlyn. Fox, then competed in ''WWE Superstars'' having two victories over Natalya & Kaitlyn in a singles matches. On the August 1 edition of ''Raw'', Fox competed in a number #1 contender battle royal for the Divas Championship, which was won by Beth Phoenix. On August 4 edition of ''WWE Superstars'', Fox defeated Kaitlyn. On the August 11 edition of ''WWE Superstars'', Fox got her seventh victory in a row by defeating Tamina. On the 19th of August edition of Smackdown, Alicia teamed with Natalya against AJ and Kelly Kelly in a losing effort. After the match, Fox and Natalya proceeded to argue in the ring. As Fox attempted to exit, Natalya knocked her to the floor before placing her in a sharpshooter, turning her face in the process. On the August 30 edition of ''SmackDown'', Fox cemented her face turn by teaming with Kelly Kelly in a losing effort to Beth Phoenix & Natalya.

Personal life

Crawford has a younger sister named Christina who trained under a developmental contract with WWE at FCW under the ring name Caylee Turner before appearing as a contestant on WWE Tough Enough. Following her stint on Tough Enough, Christina signed another developmental contract and returned to FCW still using her ring name. Prior to becoming a professional wrestler, Crawford was a model, and signed with WWE after being seen in a fashion catalogue by Johnny Ace.

In wrestling

Finishing move

''Watch Yo Face'' (Scissors kick)

Signature moves

Bridging Northern Lights suplex

Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker

Managers

Michelle McCool

Rosa Mendes

Wrestlers managed

Elijah Burke

DJ Gabriel

Michelle McCool

Zack Ryder

Rosa Mendes

Tamina

Championships and accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated

PWI ranked her #17 of the best 50 female singles wrestlers in the PWI Female 50 in 2010

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

WWE Divas Championship (1 time)

References

External links

WWE profile

Online World of Wrestling profile

CageMatch profile

Category:1986 births Category:African American professional wrestlers Category:American female models Category:American female professional wrestlers Category:Living people Category:People from St. Johns County, Florida Category:Professional wrestling managers and valets Category:African American women in sports

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