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Female Wrestling Superstar Away From Ring But Not Her Fans

Posted: Aug 14th 2010 By: CMBurnham

Three-time world champ female wrestler Beth Phoenix is out of action ? temporarily ? with a knee injury.

But the World Wrestling Entertainment Diva is not straying too far from the ring.

The 29-year-old superstar known for her beauty and muscles will make a guest appearance Friday at matches sponsored by Florida Championship Wrestling.

"I love the fans. I love to interact with them," Phoenix said.

She is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE, where she wrestles on the SmackDown brand. She will be available for autographs at the matches at Florida National Guard Armory, 4004 Airport Road.

Doors open at 6:45 p.m. for fans who buy Gold Circle Ringside tickets, which are $25 and include a first row reserved seat and a photo with Phoenix. General admission fans are admitted at 7 p.m. and bell time is 8.

Phoenix early this year tore her anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. She hopes to return to action in about two months.

Phoenix said she first fell in love with wrestling as a youngster when she watched televised matches with her grandmother. At 11, she won a coloring contest with a first prize of tickets to pro matches.

She was hooked.

She said she wrestled on her high school team in her hometown of Elmira, N.Y., and later went to wrestling school to turn pro. She moonlighted as a wrestler during college and got her first big break when she debuted on WWE's Raw brand in May 2006.

A broken jaw sidelined her for a while but she returned to the ring and started wracking up titles and the nickname "The Glamizon."

The knee injury was harder to cope with than the broken jaw because it was more difficult to keep up with her physical training, she said.

She promises she's working hard and will return to wrestling "bigger, badder and better than ever."

General admission tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for children. Advance tickets are available at Buddy's Home Furnishings at 408 E. Baker St., Plant City, or 11766 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Seffner.

Due to her injury, Phoenix won't be wrestling but the card includes a heavyweight title match, tag team, women wrestlers and more.

Florida Championship Wrestling holds matches monthly at the armory. Phoenix said she's familiar with the organization and said its matches feature the "superstars of today and tomorrow" in a family-friendly format.

She said she's visited Plant City a few times, including at the Florida Strawberry Festival.

Tags: Beth Phoenix, WWE,