* Who Is This Girl? *

Several months ago, nobody knew who Ivory was. Now, after capturing the Women's Championship, fans of the World Wrestling Federation recognize Ivory as the feisty competitor who won't back down from anybody. She hasn't been here long, but she has already managed to turn a few heads, including those of Debra and Jeff Jarrett.

So is Ivory just another woman the World Wrestling Federation brought in to look pretty? Or is this pesky superstar going to create waves within the women’s division? I was lucky enough to talk with Ivory about her past, her influences and her thoughts on the future of women in professional wrestling. I was very surprised to learn, as I believe you will be too, that the woman we see on RAW each week as Ivory is more than just a pretty face whose not afraid to mix it up.

If I had to describe Ivory in one word, that word would be confident. From the beginning of our conversation, I could tell that this woman was really into herself. And so she should be. Ivory has worked very hard to get to where she is today. She has paid her dues and earned her spot on the World Wrestling Federation roster.

Originally Ivory never planned on getting into the business of professional wrestling. She was only 20 years old and very content with her life as a student when a friend dragged her along to an audition for the now defunct Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW). "It was very freakish that I even met up with this whole world," she admits. "I thought I was going to be a career woman and here I am learning how to slip and slide."

This was where Ivory developed a passion for the business. She was trained by Mondo Vierro in a small boxing gym in California. Vierro was a very passionate man himself. When it came to professional wrestling, Mondo demanded respect. Ivory recalls one morning when "some of the girls were joking about how silly it looked. Mondo went over and grabbed this big blonde and threw her to the ground, put her into an armbar and beat the crap out of her until she started crying. It was then that I realized 'I like this sport, I like this man, and I like the way he teaches.'"

Before she knew it, she was Tina Ferrari of GLOW. "One thing led to another. One night turned into two nights, then I did the pilot and then I was the champ."

Unfortunately for Ivory's sake, the checks weren't coming in as consistently as she had hoped. As much as she didn't want to, she was forced to go out and find a another job. On the flipside, however, Ivory was lucky enough to have her education to fall back on. She spent several years working with Revlon in their front office before finally growing tired of the "nine to five" life. She stayed on with Revlon as a make-up artist, which allowed her to travel from city to city, a position she was a little more comfortable with.

In addition to her jobs with Revlon, Ivory also created a class that she teaches at local community colleges. The class is called Make-up: how to apply, how to buy and what to lie. She has been teaching the class for over three years and continues to juggle it along with her Federation schedule. "These last three weeks have been really weird because I would be with the guys and girls of the Federation one day, and then I would race over to the airport and go teach a class of 80 women and entertain them for five hours," said Ivory of her busy lifestyle. As if that wasn't enough, Ivory also spends time performing at Universal Studios in California. She can be seen cracking her whip and jumping off 15 feet tall towers in the Universal stunt shows. "I feel more like who I am when I'm doing performances," admits Ivory. However, "I feel most comfortable when the robe's off and the ding ding happens and I'm tangling up."

Women in sports is something Ivory feels very strongly about. With her current role within the Federation, Ivory has been given the opportunity to voice her opinions to women world-wide. All too often, women athletes get looked down upon. Ivory feels as though a woman athlete is something special. "In Hollywood, I would go to these parties with all these beautiful people. I could always walk in the room and know that there is not one other woman in this room who can do what I can do, and I look just like all of them. It’s a really neat secret about yourself, it makes you really unique."

Unfortunately for many women athletes, there is no professional level of competition for their respective sports. Boys are taught from an early age to ride their athletic ability as far as they can, in hopes of one day becoming a professional athlete. The same does not hold true for girls. Most young girls are taught to become either mothers or career women. The idea of inequality in sports is a very sobering thought for Ivory. "I think the saddest thing is when college is over and there is nowhere for them to perform their sports," said Ivory. "They turn out to be people who sit behind a computer and their not supposed to be there," she continued. "I’ve done that a couple times in my life and I just don’t fit in. The shoe doesn’t fit and it’s pinching you every minute."

Ivory has come a long way from her days in the boxing gym in California. Hard work and determination has really paid off for this scrappy superstar. After many years of doing jobs that weren’t her style, Ivory is very excited to see what the future holds for her here in the World Wrestling Federation. "I feel lucky that I’m in the Federation right now because it’s a shoe that finally fits."