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Victoria On Winning WWE Women’s Title From Trish Stratus, Learning From Ivory, Decision To Leave WWE

December 24, 2020 | Posted by Blake Lovell
Victoria Trish Stratus Image Credit: WWE

In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, Victoria (aka Lisa Maria Varon) discussed winning the WWE Women’s title from Trish Stratus, learning from Ivory, her decision to leave WWE, and much more. You can read her comments below.

Victoria on her matches with Trish Stratus: “Trish and I – our matches – you just say sorry later and just go. We just did anything, and we didn’t want to be known as the best female wrestling match. We wanted the best match on the card. All of us girls were going, ‘What can you do super dangerous, where people think you’re freaking knocked out or you knocked your head off?’ We pushed that envelope. Fit Finlay is the one that created my character and without him, I don’t think I would have been nothing. I wouldn’t have made it.”

On winning the WWE Women’s title from Trish at Survivor Series 2002: “It was at Madison Square Garden. I broke my nose, chipped my tooth, and I got a lump on my head. When I broke my nose, [the referee] goes, ‘Do you want me to finish it?’ And I was like, ‘No, I can’t. Just tell her to stay away from me for a little bit. I can’t see.’ Your eyes water when you break your nose. I still continued on and the match got messed up a little bit in the end. I was supposed to crush her with the mirror on her head, and she stepped on the mirror running the ropes. I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ My go-to move was the suplex. I did that as a finish after putting the fire extinguisher, and I grabbed the wrong one. She’s like, ‘Get in here. Just forget it. Forget it.’ I go, ‘I got it.’ I started cursing, and I got it and sprayed her. I should have just rolled her up, but I did a suplex. What the hell? That was my go-to move though. I loved the suplex. Of course, going backstage, you’re like, ‘Everything got screwed up back there. I’m going to get yelled at. They’re going to fire me.’ It was a great storyline. We loved it. You can’t do anything wrong when you’re psycho.”

On learning from Ivory: “Ivory – that was my role model. She was so nice to me when I first got into the business. She came down to Memphis, and I had a singles match with her. I didn’t think I was ready for a singles match. I was in Memphis, and that was not even my second year because I was in UPW for four or five months. Moved to Memphis and they sent her down to wrestle me. Super giving and a very good leader. When I came up to TV, she goes, ‘Do you guys want to drive with me? I’ll show you the ropes. We’ll get up early to go have breakfast. We’ll go to the gym.’ Maybe the tanning salon back then. We’ll go to the building and start getting ready. The friendliness – she was super humble, and she taught a lot. That’s where I learned when every new girl came in, even if they lasted a week, I was like, ‘Hey, do you want to drive with us? You won’t feel lonely.’ It’s very clique backstage. It’s very high school. You don’t know who to talk to. You’re looked at like, ‘Who is this new chick?’ So, I became friends with all the newbies. Of course, who would they want to have an angle with? Their new friend, Lisa. I didn’t do that purposely, but they trusted me. You’ve gotta trust your opponent.”

On her decision to leave WWE: “I talked to Vince, Johnny Ace, and Stephanie McMahon. I asked them, ‘Do you see the title in my future?’ And their face gave it away. If I would have known if I would have been an enhancement talent, like a Fit Finlay – all the new guys would go through him because he’d teach them the ropes in the ring – I would have stayed if I had been told that. But the fans when going out to the parking lot to get our rental car, ‘Victoria, you could’ve totally kicked her ass.’ They weren’t believing my ability. You want that facade still to be ‘she’s such a badass.’ I think people were starting to feel sorry for me. I was like I don’t want that, and I don’t want to hate the business. So, I thought I was done. I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grow up, and I told them that. I go, ‘I know I’m in my 40s, but I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.’ I’m a kid still here, and I don’t want to hate the business. I still love it, I still have passion. I didn’t want to be that bitter vet – you meet those people at Comic-Con that just talk so badly about the business. I wanted to appreciate what I did and love it still. We had a 30-day no-compete clause. TNA called me. I was like, ‘I need to think about it.’ They’re like, ‘We need to know tonight because we want to debut you Monday.’ So, I said, ‘Let me just sign for a year. Let me see if I like it.'”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit The Chris Van Vliet Show with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.