WWE Hall of Famer Torrie Wilson recently appeared on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” where she opened up about her complicated relationship with her wrestling past, her intimidating first day in the company, a time she stood up to Vince McMahon, and how her Hall of Fame induction brought her a sense of closure.
Wilson, whose social media posts often garner millions of views from nostalgic fans, admitted that for a long time, she wanted nothing to do with the wrestling world. “There was a long time, probably that 10 years, that I didn’t really want anything to do with wrestling,” she revealed. “Like, even if I saw something, my stomach would turn, and I just didn’t want to see it. And now I’ve done a flip. This is the part of me that is like, I’m just embracing it.”
Part of that past included a memorable and nerve-wracking first day with the company during the Invasion angle. “It was obviously extremely intimidating, working with Vince during your first day and kissing Vince.,” she said. She then shared a peculiar detail about the infamous on-screen kiss. “Kissing Vince was interesting because Linda was standing right there, kind of helping navigate it all. So I don’t know if that made me feel better or more weird,” Wilson recalled. “But, you know, I was just really happy to have a big role on TV then.”
While she was known as a “team player,” Wilson revealed there was a time when she refused a specific creative idea from Vince McMahon. The incident occurred before a bikini contest with Sable at the Judgment Day pay-per-view. “Originally, Vince wanted me to do the hand paint on my boobs like Sable had done in the past. And I just didn’t feel comfortable doing that,” she stated. “So I was like, ‘How about rhinestones that barely cover my nipples?’ Don’t ask me why that felt a little more safe than the paint.”
Looking back, she admits that some of the more revealing segments of her career make her “cringe” now. “I’ve only seen myself in a thong bikini a few times out in front of the crowd, and those times really do kind of make me cringe,” Wilson said. “Sometimes you can see kids in the crowd, and it just feels like this is wrong.” She added that she loves watching the current product, saying it “feels a lot lighter” and that the “women are just kicking ass.”
The turning point in her relationship with her own career came with her induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. “I definitely think it’s bigger than any belt they could have ever given me. I honestly never considered the fact that I might be in the Hall of Fame,” she said. “But when they did call me… all of a sudden I realized, like, ‘wow, this is them actually saying thank you for all the shit you did and all the time that you were on the road and what you put your body through.’ Like just that thank you meant so much more to me than I ever realized it would.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The Ariel Helwani Show with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
