Though she didn't set foot inside a WWE or WCW ring during the Monday Night Wars, the influence ECW's "Head Cheerleader" had over the time period is undeniable. ECW's famously edgy product had as much sex as violence, and it was a style that WWE largely copied en route to becoming the most popular wrestling company in the history of the world. Standing tall with the innovators was Francine, Shane Douglas's loyal valet and the most prominent woman in Extreme Championship Wrestling. Francine was more than just a trailblazer of smut, though -- she also got very physical, helping initiate the infamous ECW "catfights" with women like Beulah McGillicutty and Kimona Wanalaya. She was once on the receiving end of a press slam from Bam Bam Bigelow that broke her pelvis, but was back in "The Franchise's" corner before long. Even after Douglas left ECW, Francine stayed, continuing to forge her path as an original diva.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
