Dawn Marie Psaltis

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Dawn Marie Psaltis bigraphy, stories - Professional wrestler and valet

Dawn Marie Psaltis : biography

day=3 January year=1970 –

Dawn Marie Psaltis (born November 3, 1970) is an American former professional wrestler and professional wrestling valet. She is perhaps best known for her appearances with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and the SmackDown! brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under her ring name Dawn Marie, where she was a WWE Diva.

Before entering the sports entertainment industry, Psaltis made her living in real estate. After deciding to pursue a career in modeling or acting, Psaltis began managing wrestlers on the independent circuit after meeting a wrestling promoter. She signed a deal with ECW after what was supposed to be a three-week stint. She managed the Impact Players and Simon and Swinger until ECW’s bankruptcy in 2001.

Psaltis then joined WWE, where her most notable storyline involved her marrying Al Wilson, the kayfabe father of her rival Torrie Wilson. She was released from her WWE contract in 2005 after revealing that she was pregnant, which resulted in her filing a lawsuit against her former employers.

Early life

Psaltis was raised by her father, a zoologist, and together, they spent their time camping and hunting. In her youth, she was a fan of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), admiring wrestlers such as Bob Backlund, Jimmy Snuka, and Roddy Piper. Psaltis graduated from the New York University Stern School of Business at the age of 22. She then went on to work for a real estate consultancy firm in Manhattan, New York, reaching the position of Director of International Real Estate.

After meeting an ex-boyfriend who had aspired to play football professionally and finding out that he had been signed by the Chicago Bears, Psaltis decided that she wanted to pursue a career in entertainment. She resigned from the firm and moved into the entertainment industry with the goal of becoming either a model or an actress.

Championships and accomplishments

  • Women Superstars Uncensored
    • WSU Hall of Fame (2010)

Personal life

While wrestling in ECW, Psaltis took one college class a semester because of her love of learning and reading. She also took acting classes with the intention of becoming an actress after her career in professional wrestling was over.

Psaltis began dating Simon Diamond in October 1998. Before dating, the two had been good friends for almost two years. They had planned to be married by the end of 2000 or into 2001. They did not wed, but stayed engaged for several years afterwards. After seven years together, their relationship had come to an end.

Later, Psaltis met a man named Matt, whom she married in June 2005 in Las Vegas. In December 2005, Psaltis gave birth to her first child, a boy named Matthew. In January 2006, she filed a complaint against WWE with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that her contract had been wrongfully terminated as a result of her pregnancy and that she had suffered mental duress as a result of the release. The case was reportedly settled in late 2007. Psaltis gave birth to her second child, a girl named Katelyn Marie in May 2009.

Notes

Other media

Psaltis starred in The Vampire Carmilla, a 1999 independent film. In 2008, she appeared in the second installment of Paul Heyman’s The Heyman Hustle video blog, which featured her and Heyman on the streets of New York City in winter, with Psaltis wearing only a bikini under a fur coat.

Professional wrestling career

Early career and independent circuit

While signing modeling posters for Jonathan Gold, a talent agent and professional wrestling promoter, Psaltis jokingly told Gold that she would be interested in pursuing a career in wrestling. Gold took her comment at face value and later contacted Psaltis, informing her that she was scheduled to appear at a wrestling show in New Jersey. With some trepidation, she went to the show and managed Tony Atlas in his match against Jimmy Snuka. Psaltis made her professional wrestling debut in January 1995. She met her future fiancé Simon Diamond during her time in the independent wrestling promotions. She also met Buddy Landell and Devon Storm, both of whom helped train her. Psaltis spent four years working on the northeastern independent circuit, appearing with promotions such as Maryland Championship Wrestling and the Mid-Eastern Wrestling Federation.