For four months in late 2002, early 2003, Dawn Marie was a key part of WWE storytelling as she was engaged in a very heated, personal feud with Torrie Wilson. Determined to prove that she was the hottest, sexiest Diva in the company, she challenged Torrie to a bikini contest. When she lost, she began targeting the beautiful blonde's father Al in an attempt to play mind games with her rival. She slipped Al a key to her hotel room, was caught in the shower with the much older man and was repeatedly spotted making out with Torrie's dad. It only served to fuel the intensity and the hatred between the two stunningly beautiful women. Dawn was oftentimes on the losing end of matches and contests against Torrie, including a regular wrestling bout at No Mercy and a Trick-R-Treat match on SmackDown. Yet, no matter how many times she lost, she always ended up with the upper hand in the rivalry, thanks to her ability to plan and scheme. She became engaged to Al, then revealed that she had feelings for Torrie and blackmailed her into meeting in a hotel room. At Armageddon, she produced a video that showed her and Torrie kissing (to the delight of the fans) and then proceeded to marry Al in a surreal ceremony a few weeks later. Al's storyline death led to an uncomfortable funeral segment and the match between Dawn and Torrie at Royal Rumble ended the feud. From there,Dawn floated around the SmackDown brand, wrestling Torrie on occasion and eventually becoming Paul Heyman's assistant but never really doing anything of importance. Why the company took someone who proved to be a great character and performer for four months and then did nothing to follow up with the momentum she gained during that period is a question that was never quite answered. She would feud with Miss Jackie to end 2004 but would be released from her contract in 2005. Dawn Marie was a throwback to the Divas of the Attitude Era. Her character was a highly sexual one that provided a nice alternative on SmackDown from the more wrestling-minded women of Raw. A great talker who made the most out of a largely ridiculous feud with Torrie, she was never given the opportunity to add to her resume. A major disappointment and a missed opportunity for WWE with one of the more undervalued and underutilized female performers.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
