WWE Icons: Beth Phoenix FULL RECAP
From being the first female competitor on her high school wrestling team to redefining the role of women in sports-entertainment, Beth Phoenix lives her motto, “If you don’t fit in, that’s because you’re not mean to.
Below is a full recap of WWE Icons Episode 2 featuring Beth Phoenix.
The Intro
The episode kicks off with Beth through ziplock bags of gear that act as symbols of how far she’s come. They are very sentimental to her and can’t put a price on the story behind every piece. Her daughters don’t fully understand the meaning of gear, but regardless of the profession they choose, Beth just hopes they love something as much as she loved wrestling.
Beth realized that body image would be difficult to overcome, but it wouldn’t stand in the way of living her dream of becoming a pro wrestler.
Her mom was totally against the idea of Beth becoming a wrestler. Beth had no money, school debt, but was dedicated to figuring it out.
Mickie James, Ember Moon and Rhea Ripley Molly Holly and Natayla each offer quick sound bytes putting over Beth’s abilities.
The Story
Footage is shown of Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant at WrestleMania 3 as Beth discussed how anyone can understand the concept of wrestling since it is the battle of good versus evil and transcends language. This also brought her family together.
Beth’s brother appears and discusses their early years.
Beth’s grandmother was a very small, very conservative, petite Polish woman and the only thing that would bring out the wild woman in her was wrestling. Beth can recall watching Ivan Putski on screen and watching her get on the ground, pounding her fists and getting superly animated. This fascinated Beth since it brought so much out of her grandmother.
When Beth told her mother she wanted to become a wrestler, her mom noted that there’s really only men’s wrestling. Beth would respond with, no there were girls there too, reference Miss Elizabeth. When her mom noted they weren’t really wrestlers, Beth promised to be the first female to wrestle then.
Beth’s transition from being a wrestler fan to “this is what I want to do” was very clear to her. It was what she saw at WrestleMania 10 with Bret Hart vs Owen Hart in the opening match. Beth would note, “That match was so beautifully and masterfully done and I was so captivated by these characters and the rivalry.” From that moment on, she wanted to provoke that emotion from others that she received during that match. It was a light switch that went off in her head. Somehow, someway, she wanted to figure out how to do what Bret and Owen just did.
Beth was pestering her mom to take her to a wrestling event, but at the time, they couldn’t afford tickets. There was an ad in the newspaper for a coloring contest where if you cut it out and submit the picture that you could win tickets to Broome County Arena to see the taping of Monday Night Raw. Beth, her mom, brother and grandmother all went to the show.
Footage cuts back to Asheville, NC where Beth shows the crew a framed collage using real developed photos. When Savio Vega and Razor Ramon first came out, Beth was so excited that she used 10 of her 24 photos. Her one photo left was of Owen Hart when she got to see him live as tag-team champion with Yokozuna. That was very special to her.
In 1996, Beth was a sophomore at Notre Dame High School in Elmira, NY. Her mom noted that Beth was very good in school and involved in practically every activity such as the choir, the band, exercising etc. Beth started to develop muscles. To combat her body image, Beth became unhealthily obsessed with losing weight. She had to find a way to accept herself for who she was.
Her mom was very supportive of Beth and said, “You are who you are, so if you have muscles, take advantage of it!”
When Chyna came on the scene, Beth was enamoured. Chyna was more than a bodybuilder, she was an athlete. Beth was inspired like hell by Chyna and her star power.
Beth’s brother noted that they had a family member who owned a gym so Beth would go there on evenings and weekends. This was her happy place since she had total control over it.
In order to get her start, Beth realized that she needed to join the wrestling team. There was not a female wrestling team nor a female wrestler, but she wrote her name down on the male side. Beth would take a physical fitness test and after checking every box, she was let on the team.
Her brother noted that Beth wanted to prove to everyone that she could make it. Her work ethic was admired by her coach and teammates.
After Beth defeated a boy, she compared it to winning the Super Bowl as her coach and teammates were so proud and happy. Beth also inspired another female to join the Boys Lacrosse team.
After graduating in 1998 with honors, Beth attended Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. Academically, Beth struggled in Pre Med, which was uncharted territory for her. Beth would wrestle on the Independents as a weekend warrior as Phoenix. Rising from the ashes symbolism is very closely related to her journey in life. She would drive for the ring time then drive back to school.
Her mom was initially very against it as she was also worried about Beth’s grades suffering.
Beth switched her major to criminal justice and found a lot more success.
Beth would also start to get trained by Ron Hutchinson who previously trained the likes of Edge, Christian and Trish Stratus.
After watching Tough Enough Season 1, Beth figured it was the fast-track to receiving a contract with WWE. She applied for Season 3 and received a letter that explained she made it through the first round of cuts. Meanwhile, she was on a career path that could have potentially led to a Federal job. Beth would drive 10 hours after work to Chicago to get ready for an interview. She was in front of Al Snow and MTV Executives. Suddenly, they wanted her to cut a promo. She would cut a promo on Molly Holly then joked about watching Al Snow tapes and falling asleep during those matches. Beth would then receive a ticket to Hollywood. Unfortunately, there was an issue with Beth’s EKG. Al Snow shared the very unfortunate news of sending Beth home due to potential heart issues. Beth had resigned from her job, so her dreams were crushed.
WrestleMania 18 was in Toronto and she was friends with Jason Sensation at the time, who was also friends with Molly Holly. Molly had told him, listen, they’re looking for girls right now, so we need women wrestlers. Jason then asked Beth to provide Molly with a tape who would then share it with Dr. Tom Prichard who was in talent relations at the time. At Axxess, Beth stood in line to meet with Molly, but the line was incredibly long. Thankfully, The Rock came out to cut a promo on the opposite side, so an ocean of people flooded there.
Molly Holly then speaks about meeting Beth and being very impressed by her humility and excitement. Molly would take the tape Beth provided her with and shared it with Tom. Molly and Tom sat and watched it at the back of Axxess.
Molly noted that despite the minor league production value, there was something special related to the way Beth carried herself.
Fast forward 6 months later and the WWE is back in Toronto. Beth was brought in as an extra and met Fit Finlay. Beth also saw wrestlers putting their matches together. Fit would look at Beth and saw her boots and asked, “are those ballet shoes?” She responded with, “no sir, they are wrestling shoes.” Fit Finlay asked her to go in the ring and prove it.
Molly wrestled half a match with Beth, which went well. They didn’t hire Beth but hired Gail Kim, who Beth was friends with and also trained with. This started to feel very tangible for Beth.
Molly introduced Beth to Nick Dinsmore who said, if you want to do this seriously, you need to move to OVW in Kentucky. This was not Beth being signed, but rather, training in OVW so there was tuition involved. Beth dropped everything and moved to Kentucky.
Beth went to give Danny Davis her first payment and he handed a receipt back for a much larger amount. Beth noted, “you made a mistake here, Danny.” Danny would tell her, “no, a little birdie believes in you and wants to help pay your way.” Ultimately, it was Molly Holly who would pay for Beth’s tuition. Molly remembered what it was like to work a regular job, not make a lot of money and trying to make your dreams come true. Molly felt very blessed to work in WWE and to have the money to give back and help someone else.
Mickie James noted that OVW felt like a family. They were all striving for the same thing. OVW was producing the talent that was taking over the ranks.
Beth considered OVW to be a very special place where she was training with the contracted talent. They also provided her with television time. Her OVW debut on July 7, 2004, is featured.
Tommy Dreamer noted that he saw something very different in Beth. At the time, Tommy was the Head of Talent Development and loved hiring people while helping them follow their dreams.
Beth was in the hunt for a contract and felt she deserved it. That said, she was told no on multiple occasions. The constant feedback was, “we want another Trish. Beth would wear more makeup and accentuate her assets, but it didn’t make her feel comfortable.
Beth was working at Perkins and a golf course to keep the lights on and her home life was falling apart. She was out of money, broke experienced a very low moment.
After working a very early shift at Perkin’s Restaurant, Beth was sitting on her mattress on the floor and there was a call from Dreamer. She had received a WWE contract since Tommy noted Beth was number one on his list. Phoenix reflected on how she broke down hysterically crying.
Beth attended Monday Night Raw on May 8, 2006. She was planted in the audience and was going to be asked to jump over the guardrail and attack Mickie James. This was the moment she transitioned from a fan to a superstar.
Beth’s debut as a singles wrestler was against Victoria. After being slapped by Victoria, Beth had her mouth open and it actually broke her jaw. In fact, it was shattered and displaced. She was required to have full plastic surgery to get everything back in line which included steel plates and screws. This was heartbreaking news to digest.
Once Beth heals up, there wasn’t much for her, so she was forced to go back down to OVW. Essentially, she had to start all over. Beth was looking for a way to repackage herself and catch everyone’s attention again. She was watching Sex and the City and heard the term, “Glamazon” used. Beth realized this would make a perfect moniker. It wasn’t soon after that she received a call to go back onto the road with WWE and it never stopped.
The Teairra was her Bret Hart pink sunglasses and made her standout.
Edge (Beth’s husband) would speak about meeting her for the first time. After watching her work, Edge could tell she was a longtime fan and was legitimate.
Christian also confirmed that Beth possessed attributes that the other women did not have.
At No Mercy 2007, Beth wanted her attire to reflect Chyna’s. Ultimately, Beth wanted to fall somewhere in between Chyna and Trish as a performer. Beth would win the Women’s Championship and realized it occurred when she stopped trying to be the next Trish and the first Beth Phoenix.
Her family was extremely proud of Beth.
Ember Moon noted that Beth Phoenix was an eye-opener and inspired her to be an original. Rhea Ripley loved that Beth wrestled like a man and was inspired by her.
Santino Marella and the pairing between the two was featured.
It was Dean Malenko who approached Beth with the idea in the Men’s Royal Rumble. Beth would be the second woman to enter the Royal Rumble (after Chyna) and eliminated The Great Khali. The male wrestlers were very supportive.
Later in the year, Beth was paired with another rising star, Natalya. Beth and Natalya had known each other for years after Phoenix Myspace messaged her. Beth had no idea a female had gone through the Hart Dungeon. They had so much in common.
Charlotte Flair brought up how her brother told her that the Divas of Doom (Beth and Nattie) were the two you should strive to be like.
In 2011, Beth also formed a special bond outside of the ring with Edge. Beth had originally watched him as a wrestling fan. The two never really crossed paths, but first connected at Edge Appreciation Night. He would then ask Nattie, “What’s she all about?” That’s where it all started. The more they talked, the less it became about wrestling.
In 2012, Beth was having the best matches of her career, but her contract was expiring. While WWE wanted to resign her, Beth’s grandparents and uncle all passed away within close proximity of each other. Beth was feeling the call to go home and experiencing frustration regarding the women’s division. The Women’s Division was not progressing and relegated to Santa’s Little Helper matches.
Explaining to Vince that she had to go home was incredibly difficult, but he was very understanding. Why keep being frustrated if things were never going to change?
There were two things Beth always wanted to be. The first was a wrestler and the second was a mother. In 2013, Beth and Adam welcomed their first daughter, Lyric. Three years later, Ruby was born. Beth felt she was meant to be a mom.
Five years after Beth retired from WWE, she received some unexpected news from her husband. Beth would be inducted into the Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
Edge, Molly and others speak about how incredible her speech was along with the inspiration she provided to the current generation of female wrestlers.
Beth received a call to participate in the first Women’s Royal Rumble on January 28, 2018.
Getting to high-five Bret Hart at WrestleMania 35 was surreal and came full circle since WrestleMania 10 was why she started.
Charlotte praised Beth as a trailblazer and as a mother.
It’s important to Beth to stay physically fit and provide motivation to her daughters.
Footage of the 2020 Royal Rumble event is shown since it featured both Beth and Edge. Bianca Belair was very excited since Beth was one of the first individuals she started watching. The moment where Beth split her head open at the Rumble is shown.
Several individuals put over how Beth was such as badass for continuing and refused to quit despite being covered in blood.
Beth now pays it forward through her commentary in NXT.
Christian pointed out how Women’s Wrestling has exploded and she was at the forefront of it.
Beth started out as an amateur wrestler and all the hard work led her to become a Hall of Famer. Molly Holly believes the word “ICON” is truly fitting.
Beth checked all her boxes as there’s nothing she wouldn’t go back and re-do. Her goal was to have a page or even one sentence in the encyclopedia of wrestling. To have such an impact on the lives of others is an incredible privilege.
Beth’s career serves as a message to her children to not let no stand in the way of their dreams and to be persistent.
It’s undeniable that Beth Phoenix played a major role in the Women’s Revolution and this episode was well-deserved and extremely captivating.
