Ashley Massaro

Biography

Ashley Marie Massaro was born on May 26, 1979, in New York City, New York. A beauty as well as a geek, Ashley attended New York State University, where she put the “model” back in “model student” by appearing in a number of magazines and pageants. In 2002 alone, she was featured in Stuff and Long Island Summer Magazine and she was crowned Miss Hawaiian Tropic USA. That prestigious honor led to a number of other opportunities, and Ashley was subsequently featured in that year’s Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Girls and Lifestyles Calendar and the Hawaiian Tropic Girls of the South Calendar.

ashley massaro enters the wwe diva search

Ashley remained in high demand as a swimsuit model until 2005, when she decided to switch gears and enter the WWE Diva Search. “I was in a pageant in Vegas and there was a casting director there. When I found out she was from WWE, I just flipped,” Ashley recalls. “She took a 30-second clip and told me to do whatever I wanted, so I just went wild trying to impress her. I wanted to do anything I could so she would take me with her, and she did. She took me to L.A. and that was it, I was chosen to be one of the eight girls to compete on the show.”

ashley massaro wins the www diva search

Ashley’s enthusiasm proved to be a huge asset on the show and she eventually beat out her fellow eight competitors to win the $250,000 grand prize and a one-year contract with the WWE. Ashley still vividly recalls waiting to hear her name announced during the last few moments of the final episode. “Those few minutes seemed like hours,” she says. “It sounds so cliché to say that, but that's the truth. I couldn't take the suspense, so much so that I was twitching, I was freaking out. My hand was slapping against my leg, I was in tears… I was crying already before they even said who won. Win or lose, I was going to cry.”

ashley massaro in the wwe

Unfortunately, the crying didn’t stop there. Ashley received a rude welcome to the big time on August 22, 2005, when she was viciously beaten backstage by fellow Divas Candice Michelle and Torrie Wilson. “I was so sore, I was like damn!” she recalls. “My back was aching.” Luckily, she soon recovered from the unprovoked attack and went on to defeat Michelle in that year’s Fulfill Your Fantasy Diva Battle Royal before she was ultimately defeated by Victoria.

ashley massaro's wrestling injury

2006 was a roller-coaster year for Ashley. She began by winning the inaugural Bra and Panties Gauntlet match before suffering a gruesome leg injury on February 20, 2006, in a Women’s Battle Royal match against Mickie James. “I went over the top rope and landed on my leg,” Ashley recalls. “Mickie gave me a head scissors and was pulling me over and Candice dumped me over the rope and I landed on my leg.” The injury resulted in a spiral fracture, a severed nerve and several broken bones in her foot that required the insertion of a five-inch metal plate and eight screws. “I knew this was a possibility, and you hear the tragic stories of people getting injured in the ring for years and it just comes with the territory,” she says. “You just have to try and be safe.”

Ashley triumphantly returned to the WWE action in a non-active role a few weeks later, and further into the year, she also became the manager for the tag team of Paul London and Brian Kendrick. Content with her efforts and her growing star status, WWE rewarded her with a three-year contract extension.

ashley massaro appears in playboy

2007 got off to an encouraging start when Ashley appeared on an episode of Smallville and was asked to model for Playboy. “When I first got there, I was so nervous, but it wears off fast because there's so much going on and there's so much other stuff that needs to be done other than you just dropping your robe,” she recalls. “For the first second you feel naked, but after that it's more like, ‘Let's do this!’ I got into it.” In fact, her photos were so stunning that Ashley was named the cover girl for the magazine’s April issue. Although WWE was happy to have the additional publicity, many of Ashley’s fellow Divas resented the fact that she received so much attention,  and as a result, she got wound up in feuds with Jillian Hall and Melina.

ashley massaro is suspended from the ring

In fact, one of her fights against Hall, on April 13, 2007, loosened a screw in Ashley’s ankle and she was forced to undergo an additional surgery to have it repaired. Adding insult to injury, Ashley was suspended indefinitely after accidentally spilling coffee on Vince McMahon during an airing of  SmackDown! on June 8, 2007. Only time will tell when this blond bruiser will be allowed to return to the ring.

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