10 WWE Divas Who Refused To Get Naked
WWE.comI'm sure most fans would like people to think that the only reason they stay tuned in when the WWE Divas are wrestling is for the athletic ability on display and the in-ring storytelling. That they enjoy the women wrestlers in the same way they do the men, viewing them as nothing other than competitors trying to reach the pinnacle of their chosen profession Come on, son. When women wrestling began, that may have been true, as most of the performers were average to below average-looking scrappers who were much more intimidating than titillating. But since the late 90s, female wrestling has taken a dramatic turn, evolving into more exhibitionist displays with a peep show aesthetic, with a roster populated with gorgeous models. That's not to say the wrestling was bad. Quite the contrary, actually. Along with the influx of eye candy came a drastic improvement in workrate. WWE's women's division had a renewed focus, and oftentimes what was going on in the ring was nearly as important as the angles happening outside it. Those prime years are long gone, however. The PG Era has toned down the sensationalistic sexuality of the Attitude Era ladies, and the talent level has decreased significantly. But we're not here to talk about that. We're here to talk about boobs. Along with the shifted focus of the Divas came a desire to use them to garner WWE's much-coveted mainstream publicity. Beginning with Sable, WWE Divas began appearing in Playboy at a rapid rate. Torrie Wilson, Chyna, Christy Hemme and Maria Kanellis were just some of the stars who posed for extremely successful pictorials. But not every superstar diva was willing to shed their clothes for Hugh Hefner's magazine, nor any other photographer's lens. Those are the ladies we're going to focus on in this article. So for all you Googlers out there, don't waste your time combing through page after page of search results hoping to mine some undiscovered treasure. Parade, consider me your raincloud. It doesn't exist. Here are 10 WWE Divas Who Refused To Get Naked.
10. Lita
WWE.com2014 WWE Hall of Fame class member Amy Dumas was one of the most popular female performers of all-time. She made her American debut in ECW as Miss Congeniality after training in Mexico in the lucha style. It was this training that helped her stand out from the other women on the roster when she joined WWE as the valet of Essa Rios. That pairing didn't last long and the newly-christened Lita soon joined up with The Hardy Boyz as the third member of Team Extreme. Due to her unique look and reckless style (as well as her visible thong), Lita's popularity skyrocketed and she quickly became a star. So great was her adulation from fans that she was used to get heat on "Stone Cold" Steve Austin after his heel turn because the audience was refusing to boo him. She was arguably as over as her Hardy brother compatriots, and she was awesome in the ring to boot. Despite being one of the top females on the roster during a time when Playboy came calling on a near annual basis, Lita never posed for the magazine, nor did she bare her body for any other outlets. The closest she came was some risqué photoshoots for the Divas magazines and a nipple slip during she and Edge's "live sex celebration" on Raw.
9. Debra
WWE.comMaking her debut for WCW alongside real-life husband and former NFL star Steve "Mongo" McMichael, Debra quickly turned heads with her in-your-face cleavage and impressive legs in scantily clad business suits. Pairings with the Four Horsemen, Jeff Jarrett and Stone Cold kept her on our television screens for nearly a decade. The woman born Debra Marshall is probably most famous as the now ex-wife of Steve Austin, which increased her role with WWE prominently. She was a little older than her contemporaries, as she was already in her late 30s by the time she began working for the company, but she was incredibly popular nonetheless. Unlike the majority of the women on the roster at that time, she was primarily a valet, rarely engaging in any actual wrestling matches. Her marriage to the biggest star the business had ever seen probably prevented her from ever being pressured or possibly even asked to do the requisite Playboy shoot. It's hard to imagine Steve Austin would have been open to sharing the intimate parts of his wife with the entire world. Such an offer would have probably led to The Texas Rattlesnake giving that sumbitch Hefner a stunner and then stomping a mudhole in him and walking it dry.
8. Molly Holly
WWE.comThere was always something about Nora Greenwald that set her apart from her colleagues in the WWE women's division. Amidst the sea of oversexualized bombshells, here was this innocent young lady whose popularity was due more to her wrestling and wholesome personality than any risqué behavior. Nora showed up on WCW television in 1999 as Miss Madness, one of Randy Savage's valets, while she trained the rest of the women at the Power Plant. After Team Madness turned on her, she started wrestling under the name Mona, before being cut in 2000. She arrived on WWE programming in 2000 as Molly Holly, a cousin to Bob and Crash, but her most popular role was when she donned a superhero costume and became Mighty Molly, sidekick of The Hurricane. Never really a candidate for any sort of nakedness, it's that sort of pureness that resulted in her popularity. Molly baring skin for the world to see? It just wouldn't have felt right.
7. Kelly Kelly
Barbie Blank's first gimmick in the WWE version of ECW was literally that of being a stripper...well, an "exhibitionist". Her "Kelly's Exposé" segments were one of the only watchable portions of the show in its infancy, and the newly-named Kelly Kelly was majorly over with crowds. Her attempts to flash her goods were interrupted by her on-screen boyfriend Mike Knox, which of course made him a huge heel. Want to get a guy booed? Have him deny men their chance to see some hooters. Along with Layla El and Brooke Adams (NKA Ms. Tessmacher in TNA), she formed Extreme Exposé, whose job was to engage in regular dance routines for the viewers. Of course like any pro wrestling faction, the group had to EXPLODE and a feud was born. Kelly was one of the lesser-talented workers on the roster and was used mainly as a sex symbol during her time with the company. Were she to have debuted for WWE about five years earlier, it's a safe bet she would have been among the girls asked to bare it all. She's come mighty close a few times, but her exposés were never quite extreme enough for her fans.
6. Victoria
WWE.comNo one could argue that Lisa Marie Varon isn't one of the most talented female workers to ever step foot inside a wrestling ring. The California native broke into the business as a fitness model and bodybuilder who was encouraged to become a wrestler by another bodybuilder-turned-WWE-star, Chyna. Her introduction to WWE fans was one of the Godfather's hos, and she eventually took a bump through a table before being sent down to developmental. When she returned as Victoria in the summer of 2002, she was immediately inserted into an angle with Trish Stratus, who was the Women's Champion at the time. Victoria had a slightly different look, an exotic beauty, more muscular and fit with dark hair, and that helped to differentiate her from most of the other girls in the company at the time. She never came close to shedding all of her clothing, preferring to be taken seriously for her wrestling rather than just serving as eye candy. Varon has had an impressive career, and while she should have no regrets for all she's accomplished, I'm sure there are many fans who regret that she never joined her contemporaries like Torrie Wilson and Ashley Massaro in revealing the Black Widow in her au naturel state.
5. Ivory
WWE.comFor long-time fans of the wrestling business who remember the campy greatness that was G.L.O.W., you may recall this next lady competing under the name Tina Ferrari. With a career that began all the way back in 1986, the woman born Lisa Moretti is as seasoned as they come. She finally made her way to the big stage of WWE in 1999, where, like Victoria, her first brief role was as one of Godfather's hos. The first angle she was involved in saw her play a love interest for "Sexual Chocolate" Mark Henry. It quickly became obvious that she was a standout worker amongst the divas and could be counted on to carry the lesser-experienced girls in matches. Ivory joined the Right To Censor faction, and while I'm sure her uptight, overly-conservative character was meant to be a grating turn-off, it was actually incredibly hot. RTC was a prominent group during this time for WWE, and Ivory was involved in some important mid-card storylines. Her real strength was serving as a trainer, helping prepare the future generation of women for the ring. She showed her affinity for working with rookies as a coach on Tough Enough and for Ohio Valley Wrestling. Despite being nearly 40-years old when she debuted in WWE, she always stood out with a subdued, reluctant sexiness that was hard to forget,
4. Melina
WWE.comMelina Perez took the WWE by storm, emerging on the scene as the valet for MNM, the paparrazi-followed d-bags that everyone loved to hate. It wasn't her charisma, her wrestling ability, or even her looks that got her over...it was that ring entrance. The self-proclaimed "most dominant diva in WWE" would position herself on the apron doing a full split, then slide forward and under the ring ropes, giving fans in the arena and those watching at home a generous glimpse of her nether regions. She had a successful run in WWE, but is better known for her real-life relationship with John Morrison, which was on and off for several years, as well as her rumored affair with Batista. She was also the cause of a super weird stalkerish vibe from Mick Foley all throughout his book The Hardcore Diaries. Melina is a woman who was never afraid to show off her goodies, and one would not be shocked to find her photographed fully disrobed, but sadly, it's never happened. Unless someone wants to search through John Morrison's phone.
3. Stacy Keibler
WWE.comWhile most of the divas on this list are curvaceous, buxom beauties, one woman with a different look stands above the crowd, and does so using her incomparable set of legs. Stacy Keibler first appeared on WCW as Skye, the winner of a contest to crown a new Nitro Girl. During this time she was still a member of the Baltimore Ravens cheeleading squad while also attending school full-time Her first foray as an onscreen character was as Ms. Hancock, valet for the tag team of Standards & Practices. WCW thrust her into some pretty putrid angles after that, including some pregnancy nonsense with David Flair. She jumped to WWE during the invasion, and quickly became a crowd favorite. Stacy used her popularity and exposure to propel herself into being, if not the most successful, then definitely the most visible of all the ex-divas. She was a contestant on Dancing With The Stars, finishing 3rd, and dated Hollywood megastar George Clooney for two years. She recently got married to Future Ads CEO Jared Pobre and the pair are expecting their first child later this year. Keibler seemed like a surefire bet to be the next diva to do the Playboy tour due to her rabid popularity, but to the chagrin of many fans it just never came to fruition.
2. Miss Elizabeth
WWE.comFor wrestling fans in the 1980s and early 90s, Elizabeth Hulette was the absolute picture of class. A stunning beauty who was always dressed elegantly, Miss Elizabeth was as integral a part of Randy Savage's success as his own charisma and talent. The couple married in 1984 and she accompanied him to WWE, where he chose her to be his valet after a courtship by every other manager in the company. At the same time audiences were falling in love with the glamorous Elizabeth, so too was George "The Animal" Steele, which led to Savage's first major program. Macho and Liz presented an interesting dynamic, with Randy playing the vicious heel who would stop at nothing to gain a win, while Elizabeth never resorted to such deeds and managed to maintain her innocence. It was fairly revolutionary for its time. She was the centerpiece of some classic angles such as the Mega-Powers, Ric Flair's photoshop scandal and the WrestleMania VII retirement match vs. The Ultimate Warrior. Although her life came to a tragic end due to some substance issues, her legacy in the business is incomparable. The thought of Miss Elizabeth in a state of undress for public consumption seems totally ludicrous, and that's a testament to the level of respect fans had for her.
1. Trish Stratus
flickrPerhaps the most surprising name on this list is WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. That's not in any way a statement of her character, but She. Came. So. Close. So. Many. Times. The former fitness model has a nearly unlimited portfolio of incredibly revealing photos that leave little to the imagination. The woman that many fans refer to as WWE's only true perfect 10, Trish Stratus is one of the biggest female stars to ever appear on wrestling programming. She debuted as the manager of the appropriately-named tag team T & A, and instantly fans were mesmerized by the voluptuous blonde vixen. Trish had no qualms with using her sexuality to get over, and many of her segments were heavy on teasing and innuendo. But she wasn't all about T & A (the tag team or the body parts), because she developed into one of the greatest women workers ever. One half of the only divas match to ever main event Raw (along with Lita), fans respected Stratus for her wrestling as much as they desired her for her appearance. Publicly, Trish was open to the idea of posing for Playboy, but one has to believe that if she was truly interested it would have happened in a heartbeat. She was far more popular than any of the other divas who did so, with the exception of possibly Sable, so if she had been game, cameras would have been clicking within days. She's parlayed her success in wrestling into other avenues and has done very well for herself, even earning a Top Choice Award for Business Woman of the Year, a result of the same drive that led her to the pinnacle of the wrestling world. As I mentioned before, she came frustratingly close to uncovering all her assets on many occasions, and one of the WWE Divas videos has a wet t-shirt scene that comes as close as you can get. But the fact that she never went all the way does feel a little...unstratusfying.