TOKYO —

Guys (and girls), take note. You better be nice when you talk to Torrie Wilson, otherwise you’re likely to end up on the receiving end of a Nose Job special, Corner Clothesline, Springboard Back Elbow Smash or some other signature move of the American pro wrestling diva. Just joking—in reality, Wilson, 32, is quite sweet, which is evident as we sit down for a chat during her recent visit to Tokyo to attend a Wrestlemania event at Quest Hall.

Wilson currently works on the SmackDown brand (broadcast Friday nights in the U.S.) of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), although she hasn’t wrestled since last November due to a back injury. “Before that, I was traveling about 300 days a year. Now I’m getting physical therapy every day and shots in my back. Some wrestlers handle the wear and tear a lot better than others. I guess my back isn’t cut out for that and I wasn’t even jumping from tables. I sometimes wonder why I put myself through all that. But I’m not complaining. It’s been a real blast,” she says.

Born in Boise, Idaho, Wilson says she was always into physical sports at school. “But I was scared of getting hurt. I really wanted to be an actress, so in a sense, I ended up doing that in wrestling.” She moved to LA to pursue acting. From there, Wilson did a lot of modeling for fitness magazines and contests, winning the Miss Galaxy competition in 1998. The following year, she got her first introduction to the world of professional wrestling.

“The wrestling bug kind of found me. My boyfriend at the time was a huge fan, but I hated wrestling. He dragged me to a wrestling match in LA and we went backstage. I didn’t know who anyone was, but one of the wrestlers – Kevin Nash – recognized me from a fitness magazine and asked if I would be interested in doing a storyline for maybe two or three months. He said I looked like I belonged in wrestling. My acting career was going nowhere, so I thought why not. I started off walking out there with wrestlers. People were screaming out. It was such a blast.”

Before long, Wilson was appearing in storylines for pro wrestling television, as part of an all-female stable, often featuring feuds between the various divas. Besides wrestling, Wilson has appeared on the covers of FHM (For Him Magazine) and the May 2003 edition of Playboy, which sold over 1 million copies. She was on AskMen.com’s list of the Most Desirable Women in the World twice – No. 22 in 2006 and No. 65 in 2007.

Wilson has developed a fan base over the years and is often recognized when she goes out. “It’s cool to be able to make that sort of impact on a stranger, especially in another country. Anytime we go overseas, we show up at the arena and we can see from the bus thousands of people lining up trying to get tickets. I think my grandkids are never going to believe this.”

When Wilson meets people for the first time, her profession makes for an amusing conversation piece, especially those signature moves of which she is proud. “The Nose Job is where I kick someone in the gut. They bend over and then I jump up and land on their head with my butt, smashing their face onto the mat. The Facial is where I give my opponent a corner clothesline. Then I pull my shorts up my butt and get in their face. Usually, the guys ask me to give them that but I only give it to girls.”

With an eye on her post-wrestling career, Wilson has opened a clothing store in Texas, called Jaded, which sells T-shirts. “We get fans in there all the time, from 5-year-old kids to 70-year-old men. It’s been nerve-wracking going from something where you don’t really have to use your brain much to running your own business,” she says.

9 Comments

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  rjd_jr at 07:48 AM JST - 29th April

  She's cool, I like Torrie Wilson. Pretty easy on the eyes too.

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  nimbus at 08:10 AM JST - 29th April

  I think Japanese men would pay good money to get a Nose job and/or Facial from her....probably more profitable than selling T-shirts.

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  frontandcentre at 02:11 PM JST - 29th April

  I really wanted to be an actress, so in a sense, I ended up doing that in wrestling.

  Eh? Say it isn't so! Wrestling matches are, like, real fights, dude

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  JeromeInJapan at 03:23 PM JST - 29th April

  I met her in a night club once. She's very nice.

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  dennis0bauer at 12:19 PM JST - 30th April

  frontandcentre sure, let the big show jump on you a few times and see if you get up again. :p

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  BigDudeGSO at 12:08 AM JST - 1st May

  I think Japanese men would pay good money to get a Nose job and/or Facial from her....probably more profitable than selling T-shirts

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  Wottock_Hunt at 08:51 PM JST - 1st May

  I would be happy if she'd just give me a wink.

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  zanza123 at 01:32 PM JST - 8th May

  Stacey Keibler all the way, too bad she's like out of wrestling now

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  thebottomline at 11:16 AM JST - 13th May

  Trish Stratus cannot be compared to. Seven-time women's champ, Diva of the decade. Need I say more!

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