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WWE?s Phoenix rises as role model for women with Pin-Up Strong

Posted: Feb 18th 2012 By: CMBurnham

With her mix of beauty and brawn, WWE divas champion Beth Phoenix takes seriously her status as a role model for women.

This is why the blonde powerhouse teamed with fellow female grappler Natalya in establishing the ?Pin-Up Strong? movement.

Phoenix is a big fan of classic Hollywood glam and takes a classy approach to looking great.

?I think that in combination with living a healthy lifestyle and really presenting a good role model for women is kind of what ?Pin-Up Strong? encompasses,? Phoenix explained. ?It?s basically just words that I wanted to put out there for young women to identify themselves with. I wanted to show them that women of all shapes and sizes can be beautiful and powerful and set a good, classy example. You can find more out of your life, find success and be classy at the same time.?

The Glamazon believes these attributes can be found in the diverse roster of WWE divas. All smart, sexy and powerful in their own ways.

?If you look at us, there is every shape and size, color, creed and hairstyle you can imagine,? Phoenix said. ?Everybody brings a different type of beauty to the table. Natalya and I of course put ourselves at the front of the line. We have the new diva Kharma, who is a voluptuous woman and brings a fearsome type of beauty. We have Eve [Torres] and Kelly Kelly, so we have all shapes and sizes. I think when you look at the WWE divas, there is definitely not just the aesthetic and attractive standpoint, but everybody has something to offer.

?Eve Torres has an engineering degree. She is a trainer for Women?s Empowered at the Gracie jiu-jitsu school. Each girl has something incredible to offer. I kind of coin the term ?Pin-Up Strong? to encourage women to find themselves and find beauty in a classy way and put themselves out there at any shape or size.?

Phoenix lives by the mantra that isn?t only about breaking records but also breaking hearts.

?There is nothing wrong with going to the gym and looking great doing it,? Phoenix said. ?Me specifically, I never fit the model mold and was always different. In some ways I can see how you could perceive that as holding me back, but I see it as the opposite. Being unique among the divas has kind of pushed me to the forefront. Where you can see I?m not a 100-pound model, but I do bring something else to the table that I think a lot of girls look up to. I?m not 100 pounds, but I still pursue what I want and have that constant that kind of what ?Pin-Up Strong? is all about.?

The dominant diva has seen her message resonate with fans all over the world.

?I can?t tell you how many women of all shapes, sizes and ages have felt that maybe they don?t have this million dollar beach ready body, but that doesn?t mean you can?t be the best version of you that you can be. It?s about loving yourself for who you are. I?ll never be Kelly Kelly, and I don?t want to be because I want to be me. I want to take care of myself and be the best version of myself that I can be.?

Phoenix, who began training at Ron Hutchinson Wrestling Academy at Sully?s Gym I in Toronto, recently got the chance to visit the place where her journey in this business began.

?Rob Fuego still runs a wrestling school up there and I just sort of popped in there to see some of the new female students training,? Phoenix said. ?A couple of the girls approached me. It was awe-inspiring for me because one of the little girls, her name was Jessica, told me she had my poster on her wall and that she looked up to me. It blew my mind because I still feel like them. To know I have influence and can reach someone so far away, influence them to want to do this job and step out of the mold, blows my mind.?

The youngster also elicited memories when Phoenix was just a young fan, born in Elmira, New York and idolizing her heroes from afar.

?I was just like her,? Phoenix said. ?I was 14-years-old with Alundra Blayze on my wall. It was nuts for that to happen to me. It was surreal. I even told her that I was just like you. I was a small town girl who had big dreams. Along the way there were a lot of people who told me no, but I just really, truly believed I can do this. I had that inner confidence that I encourage other women to have.

?It doesn?t mean necessarily becoming a WWE diva. It can be anything. Maybe it?s fitting into a dress for graduation. I don?t know. It could mean meeting a significant other or wanting a certain job or career, anything in life. It?s having that inner confidence to do that and to not let anything hold you back.?

The champion didn?t let anything stand in her way of reaching the brass ring. Although she did have some help along the way. Nora Greenwald (Molly Holly) put a good word in for Phoenix, and that led to her stint with Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE?s developmental territory. Much like those who assisted her down the road, the champion tries to give back as much as possible.

?I made myself available to girls at that school and gave them my email, so if they do need help or support they know they can reach out to me, and I can help them,? Phoenix said.

?You can pick someone out who has passion and that really wants to do this but just needs a little bit of encouragement. Only you can do it for you, but Molly gave me that support that I needed and that little encouragement to show that someone believes in me. Not only someone but the women?s champion believes in me.

?It was like, ?Holy cow. If she believes in me, the sky is the limit. I can do this.? That is really all it took to block out all the haters and all naysayers to move forward no matter what anyone else thought. Molly was that inspiration for me.?

Now standing atop the WWE diva division, Phoenix has successfully defended her championship against the top women in the company. However, there is criticism from those who believe the divas don?t get enough television time to develop their characters and show their abilities.

?It?s not how much you get or have to perform. It?s what you make of it,? Phoenix responded. ?It?s what kind of impact you make and can you connect with the crowd in any amount of time. For example I can pick a wrestler out of the blue like Ron Simmons, who entertained many years as a wrestler and is the first black heavyweight champion. He had so many accolades but really endeared himself to our crowds with one word: ?Damn.? He was one of our most favorite and beloved characters for many years on the show.

?How long did that take? Two seconds. It?s really in what you do with your time. Do I think the divas can perform and excel? Absolutely. Have I had the opportunity just this year to have six singles pay-per-view matches which I would say a good length of time? Yes. Those opportunities I treasure, including one in Madison Square Garden, which was amazing. No matter if I?m given the opportunity to be on television for five seconds or for 15 minutes, I try to make sure to do something special and something the fans will remember.?

Phoenix is hoping to do both of those things on Sunday, Feb. 19 at the WWE Elimination Chamber PPV against Tamina Snuka, daughter of Superfly Jimmy Snuka.

?I?ve been so excited. Everybody has been listening to me blab forever about working Tamina,? Phoenix said. ?I get to work with Natalya all the time, who is third generation, but now we have the daughter of Superfly Jimmy Snuka. She is the real deal. She definitely has that flavor and incredible athletic ability that is second to no one else.

?She is very special and very physical, which I look forward to a girl who can go and really bring it. Someone who can hit as hard as I hit, and we can go toe-to-toe, and it?s a challenge. She has really been waiting for an opportunity like this. I think she has been in the company for maybe three years and really been pushed to the forefront for this opportunity.

?I really see her shining week after week. I?m really looking forward to our match. There is not only going to be a great diva?s match with a great amount of physicality, but you are going to have that nostalgia behind it. I certainly grew up watching her father and admiring everything he has done. I?ve done my share of studying Roddy Piper?s strategies. So I?m looking forward to putting some of that in the match. I think you are going to have a good match at the Elimination Chamber.?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZbZseTuQ1I

Moving forward the Glamazon is ready to confront any challenge that comes her way. She would love to have an opportunity to perform at WrestleMania 28 in Miami.

?It?s hard to pick [an opponent],? Phoenix said. ?I would even like to go one-on-one with Natalya at some point. We have that ?who is better? mentality that we haven?t been really able to explore yet. Kharma is an ideal opponent. I?ve seen so many fans who have said that it?s the match they want to see. They would like to see these two titans who have never crossed paths kind of mix it up. Then there is Trish [Stratus]. We?ve met before in tag matches, but we come from two different eras. We have never had a singles encounter. That would bring something entirely different to the table.

?Alundra Blayze has come from another different era. She was literally one of the females who inspired me to do this. So that?s a really controversial match because of the way she left the WWF. She has kind of been this notorious figure toward the beginning of the Attitude era. So it?s interesting to see all of those options.

?Do I have a favorite opponent out of those? No. Bring it all on. Whoever it is, I will know the opportunity to have a WrestleMania match would be spectacular. It would be the highlight of my career.?

Even though her role at the big event is to be determined, Phoenix is looking forward to enjoying all the festivities in Miami.

?WrestleMania always brings so much energy and craziness,? Phoenix said. ?You just have so much going on. It?s not only a special occasion for everybody and anybody in the wrestling business, but I would say the WWE Universe shows up in droves from all over the world. I can imagine that when you put us all in a hotbed like Miami, throw on top of that the hometown of The Rock, you have a recipe for nonstop partying and celebration the entire week. I think that there are a lot of cool things going on.

?WrestleMania Axxess this year, I kind of got a sneak peak of some of the things that are coming. I think it?s going to be the best one yet. Then there is the Hall of Fame on Saturday with great superstars going in like Arn Anderson. We have so many awesome figures that are going to be there.

?The Hall of Fame is always great to see highlight moments with speeches and celebrities, which is not taking away from WrestleMania. It?s all the momentum leading into the big day. People say it?s the most spectacular show of the year. I would say it will be awesome, especially in Miami. Everyone is excited about it.?

? Daniel Bryan and CM Punk defend their respective championships inside the Elimination Chamber at the WWE Elimination Chamber PPV 8 p.m. EST Sunday, Feb. 19.

? WrestleMania 28 comes to Sun Life Stadium 8 p.m. EST Sunday, April 1 in Miami Gardens. For full details, visit www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania.

? Like Facebook WWE WrestleMania 28 Miami.