Lisa Moretti
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Lisa Mary Moretti (born November 26, 1961 in Torrance, California) is an American professional wrestler. She is perhaps best known for her appearances with the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment between 1999 and 2005 under the ring name Ivory.
Career
In 1986, Moretti attended an audition held by the newly formed Las Vegas, Nevada-based Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling professional wrestling promotion. She was successful in her audition, and went on to train under Mando Guerrero. and debuted in GLOW in 1986 as Tina Ferrari. Moretti teamed with Ashley Cartier as "T and A", with the duo winning the GLOW Tag Team Championship, and defeated Colonel Ninotchka to win the vacant GLOW Championship, represented by a crown. She held the crown for 17 episodes of GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling before losing to Ninotchka.After the founder of GLOW, David McLane, left the promotion in the late 1980s, Moretti left GLOW and joined McLane's newly formed Powerful Women of Wrestling promotion. Moretti wrestled in PWOW under the ring names Nina and Tina Moretti, winning the POWW Championship on two occasions. She remained with the promotion until it went bankrupt, at which point she largely left the wrestling industry.
World Wrestling Federation
In 1999, Moretti returned to wrestling, signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation. Her first appearance in the WWF was as one of The Godfather's anonymous "Hos".On the February 13, 1999 episode of RAW, Moretti was introduced as Ivory, the love interest of Mark Henry, who had repeatedly been spurned by Chyna. Moretti managed the tag team of Mark Henry and D-Lo Brown, assisting them in their feud with Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart. Her interference in matches led to several confrontations between Moretti and Debra, Jarrett's valet. Moretti made her televised WWF in-ring debut on the February 15 episode of RAW, teaming with Brown to face Jarrett and Debra in an intergender tag team match that ended in a no-contest. Moretti faced Debra in a single match on the March 1 episode of RAW, defeating Debra by disqualification after she was attacked by the Pretty Mean Sisters (P.M.S.). She went on to feud with P.M.S. throughout March. At WrestleMania XV on March 28, 1999, Moretti accompanied D-Lo Brown and Test to the ring for their WWF World Tag Team Championship title match with Jarrett and Hart. Jarrett and Hart retained their titles following interference from P.M.S. and Debra.
Moretti began challenging for the WWF Women's Championship in April 1999. After severing her connections with D-Lo Brown and Mark Henry, she won the title on June 8, 1999 in Worcester, Massachusetts, defeating Debra with the assistance of Nicole Bass. Moretti defended her title against plants and jobbers for several weeks, then went on to retain her title in a bout with Tori at SummerSlam 1999 on August 22. Moretti continued to feud with Tori in the weeks following SummerSlam, defeating her in the first ever WWF women's hardcore match on September 6. The next woman to challenge Moretti was Luna Vachon, who Moretti defeated in a hardcore match at Unforgiven 1999 on September 26.
In October 1999, Moretti began feuding with the venerable Fabulous Moolah, who defeated her for the Women's Championship on October 17, 1999 in Cleveland, Ohio at No Mercy 1999. She defeated Moolah in a rematch on the October 25 episode of RAW, winning her second Women's Championship. Her second title reign ended when she lost to Miss Kitty in a four way evening gown match on December 12 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at Armageddon 1999. This match was held in a pool of water rather than in the ring.
In late 1999, Moretti began playing a more conservative character, labelling audience members who enjoyed risque matches "perverts". On January 23, 2000 at the 2000 Royal Rumble, she grudgingly took part in the "Miss Royal Rumble" swimsuit contest, which was won by Mae Young. She challenged Jacqueline for the Women's Championship throughout early 2000, but was unsuccessful on each occasion. On the March 23 episode of SmackDown!, Moretti attempted to win the perpetually contested WWF Hardcore Championship, breaking a jar over the head of the champion, Crash Holly, while giving him a massage and then attempting to pin him.
Along with Michael Cole, Moretti hosted "All-Day-Long", a review of past WrestleMania events, before WrestleMania 2000 on April 2.
After a period of absence, Moretti returned to WWF television on October 23, 2000 as a member of the conservative Right to Censor faction. The change in gimmick saw her don less suggestive ring attire and adopt a severe bun. Moretti quickly began a feud with Women's Champion Lita, and on the October 31 episode of SmackDown! she won the Women's Championship by defeating Lita, Jacqueline and Trish Stratus in a four way match. She retained the title in a match with Lita at the 2000 Survivor Series on October 19 with the assistance of R.T.C. leader Steven Richards, and in a three way match with Trish Stratus and Molly Holly at Armageddon 2000 on December 10.
After Chyna posed for Playboy in late 2000, she incurred the wrath of Right To Censor, and on the December 11 episode of RAW, Moretti and Val Venis delivered a double-team piledriver to Chyna, ostensibly badly injuring her neck. Chyna challenged Moretti for the Women's Championship at the 2001 Royal Rumble on January 21, 2001. Moretti retained her title when she pinned Chyna after Chyna appeared to reaggrevate her neck injury. Chyna challenged Moretti for the title once more at WrestleMania X-Seven on April 1, and this time squashed Moretti in a brief match, thus ending Moretti's third reign as Women's Champion. Right To Censor disbanded shortly thereafter, with each of the member disappearing from WWF television.
Moretti returned to WWF television on the August 6, 2001 episode of RAW, joining The Alliance. She went on to manage The Hurricane, assisting him in his feud with Matt Hardy. In September 2001, she began also managing Lance Storm. At No Mercy 2001 on October 21, Storm and The Hurricane were defeated by the Hardy Boyz. Moretti went on to compete in the women's division, and on November 18 at the 2001 Survivor Series she participated in a six pack challenge for the vacant Women's Championship that was won by Trish Stratus.
In early 2002, Moretti served as a trainer in the second series of Tough Enough. After the World Wrestling Federation was renamed "World Wrestling Entertainment" and the roster was split into two "brands", RAW and SmackDown!, Moretti was drafted to the SmackDown! brand. She briefly feuded with Tough Enough winner Linda Miles before leaving WWE television to travel the world promoting WWE house shows. Along with several other SmackDown! wrestlers, Moretti was traded to RAW in exchange for Big Show in November 2002. Throughout the remainder of 2002, she teamed with Victoria and feuded with Trish Stratus.
Throughout 2003, Moretti wrestled sporadically in the women's division, challenging for the Women's Championship on several occasions. Her only pay-per-view appearance in the course of the year was on December 14 at Armageddon 2003, where she unsuccessfully challenged Molly Holly for the Women's Championship. In the course of 2003, she served as a trainer in the third series of Tough Enough.
In early 2004, Moretti spent nine weeks working as a trainer at the WWE developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling. In May 2004, she and Todd Grisham began hosting WWE Experience, a weekly television show that recapped events from RAW and SmackDown!. In January 2005, Moretti's contract was restructed to reflect her role as an announcer; the new contract entitled her to wrestle on the independent circuit. WWE Experience was cancelled in August 2005, and on July 22, 2005, several weeks before WWE Experience ended, WWE announced that Moretti's contract would not be renewed.
Independent circuit
After leaving WWE, Moretti began working in the landscaping industry. Following Hurricane Katrina, she became involved in charity work aimed at assisting the victims of hurricanes. Moretti also wrestled sporadically on the independent circuit (under her own name, as WWE had trademarked "Ivory"). On November 19, 2005 in Spartanburg, South Carolina at "A Tribute to StarrCade", she teamed with Bambi to defeat Team Blondage (Krissy Vaine and Amber O'Neal) for the CCW Tag Team Championship. On April 21, 2006 in Surrey, British Columbia, Moretti defeated Rebecca Knox for the SuperGirls Championship.Wrestling facts
- Finishing and signature moves
- *Poison Ivory (Jumping kneel-out facebuster) (simillar to Torrie Wilson's Nosejob except Ivory fell on her knees instead of sitting down)
- *DDT
- *Giant swing
- *Samoan driver
Championships and accomplishments
- Carolina Championship Wrestling
- *CCW Women's Tag Team Championship (with Bambi)
- :Defeated Krissy Vaine and Amber O'Neal on November 19, 2005 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA
Personal life
Moretti, an Italian American, is a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she studied public relations. She was a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Express of the United States Football League.References
- [An interview with Lisa Moretti]
- [Lisa Moretti at Accelerator3359.com]
- [Lisa Moretti at Bodyslamming.com]
- [Lisa Moretti at Cagematch.de]
- [Lisa Moretti at Canoe.ca]
- [Lisa Moretti at Gerweck.net]
- [Lisa Moretti at ObsessedWithWrestling.com]
- [Lisa Moretti at OWOW.com]
- [Solie's title histories]
External links
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