It's been mentioned a few times in this feature that WWE hired a bunch of women in the mid 2000s that they hired through model searches. In 2004 they did their first Diva Search, which was won by Christy Hemme. In 2005 they did it again and that was won by a buxom blonde named Ashley Massaro. Ashley was popular with the male fans because she's absolutely gorgeous. Personality wise she tried to show off as this punk rocker type of girl that would often wear a backwards hat and ring attired that was different from the other girls. Mostly fans just liked her because of her looks. Like several other WWE girls during that period, she posed nude in Playboy magazine and as a result of that she was pushed pretty hard by management even though she looked lost when she was in the ring. Her WrestleMania 23 Women's Title loss to Melina was a terrible match. A year later she had another WrestleMania match, this time teaming with Maria. It's pretty sad knowing that she got to be in two WrestleMania matches when some of the other divas that were better than her didn't even get the chance to be in one. She lasted in WWE for about three years. During that time, she really didn't improve a lot in the ring. There were times where it looked like she was trying hard, but then there were matches where she seemed totally disinterested. It was another case of somebody just doing the job because she had nothing else going on. Ashley asked to be released in 2008 and hasn't been mentioned since she left. While WWE likely had high hopes for the former Diva Search winner, it appeared as though she just didn't have a passion for the wrestling business.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
