Kelly Kelly: Vince McMahon Taught WWE Diva How To Strip

"I was like, ‘well, whatever I have to do get my foot in the door.’"

By Benjamin Richardson /

WWE

Former 'Diva' Kelly Kelly, who steamed up SyFy's airwaves as a teenage exhibitionist in WWE's version of ECW, has revealed that it was none other than Vince McMahon who taught her how to striptease.

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The ex-model, real name Barbie Blank (honest), was wheeled out for ogling eyes when ECW relaunched in 2008, performing a weekly 'Extreme Exposé' burlesque. Before Kelly went too far with her undressing, boyfriend Mike Knox would interrupt, protecting the world from 'indecency'. It was very similar to The Kat's gimmick ten years prior, in that it was the same.

Kelly eventually graduated to the main roster, where she was allowed to be a fully-fleshed (and fully-clothed) wrestler. She left the company in 2012, but has since returned for cameos at Royal Rumble 2018 and WWE's first all-women's PPV, Evolution.

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Speaking with Chris Van Vliet about her time in the company, Kelly let on that it was the company's president, then 62-years-old, who taught her the appropriate - or inappropriate - dance moves:

"Paul Heyman called me and said we have this idea. 'You’re gonna come out and you’re gonna do this strip-tease and then your jealous boyfriend is gonna come out and wrap you in a towel.'"

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Kelly felt she had no choice if she wanted to get into the business:

"Vince is like, ‘It’ll be fine, I’ll teach you the moves’. I was like, ‘well, whatever I have to do get my foot in the door.’ I’m like sitting there and I’m watching Vince McMahon, who I watched when I was 13 years old and I just idolised, and he’s got a chair and he swings his jacket around."

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It's a bit grotty, all told.