Victoria Recalls Being Forced Out Of WWE Women's Locker Room Early On

Lisa Marie Varon, better known to wrestling fans as former WWE Women's Champion Victoria, began her on-screen career in a unique fashion by portraying one of The Godfather's "hos". The ever-popular WWE Hall of Famer would regularly walk down to the ring with a handful of females every time he would appear during the Attitude Era.

Victoria has now opened up about this particular time in her career and the initial struggle she faced when starting out with the Stamford-based company.

"I didn't realize where they used to get the girls from," Victoria told NBC Sports Boston's "Ten Count" show. "They would get the girls, the entourage, from like, strip clubs, from their local strip clubs and stuff like that to come out like, 'Wooo!' You know, get the crowd rowdy.

'They didn't know I was going to wrestling school, and when I went to the locker room – you know, I came back to the locker room after I was working in the ring, just grappling and stuff like that and introducing myself. I came back and my stuff was outside of the room. I was like, 'Oh.' And I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' And someone said, 'You know, this is for contracted girls only,' and I go, 'Oh, okay.' I didn't make eye contact, and I just took my bag. I go, 'Okay, okay. I just signed a three-year deal, but that's okay,' and I got dressed in the janitors closet."

Victoria revealed that it was WWE Hall of Famer Ivory that took her under her wing and taught her the ropes. She ultimately went on to become a key player in the WWE Women's Championship scene between 2002 and 2004. Victoria first captured the title at Survivor Series in 2002 where she defeated Trish Stratus in a Hardcore Match. She won the gold for a second time on "Raw" in February 2004 by winning a Fatal Four-Way Elimination Match that also involved then-champion Molly Holly, Jazz, and Lita.

The 51-year-old left WWE in 2009 and went on to sign for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (Impact Wrestling). Victoria found great success with the promotion by becoming a five-time TNA Knockouts Champion. She would leave the organization in 2013 to focus on ventures outside the ring. Her last major appearance came when she entered the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble Match – her first time in WWE ring for the first time in over a decade – but she was ultimately eliminated by Shayna Baszler.

To quote this article, please credit Ten Count and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription