Christie Ricci

Christie Ricci
Ricci as "Glory" for Wrestlicious in May 2010
Born (1982-11-11) November 11, 1982 (age 42)[1]
Jackson, Mississippi, United States[2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Christie Ricci
Glory
Gloria[3]
Billed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Billed weight160 lb (73 kg)[2]
Trained byLeilani Kai
Debut2000[2]

Christie Ricci (born November 11, 1982) is the ring name of an American professional wrestler, also known as Glory.

After being trained by Leilani Kai, Ricci made her debut in June 2002, and began competing on the independent circuit. She won both the LLF Championship and the XWF Women's Championship[broken anchor], before being sidelined with a knee injury in 2004. After her return, Ricci continued to wrestle on the independent circuit, competing in All Pro Wrestling's first ChickFight tournament, and on October 8, 2005, she won the NWA World Women's Championship, which she held until January 2007. She also appeared at Shimmer's first shows in November 2005. She later appeared for the Wrestlicious promotion as Glory and was the inaugural Wrestlicious Champion.

Professional wrestling career

After completing two years of college, Christie decided to transfer to Georgia Institute of Technology, so that she could attend a wrestling school in Atlanta.[4] Weeks before she was to move to Atlanta, however, she met Leilani Kai, and instead decided to stay in Nashville to train with Kai.[4]

After being trained by Kai, she debuted as a wrestler in June 2002 using the ring name Christie Ricci.[2] That year, she was named Rookie of the Year by the Professional Girl Wrestling Association.[4] For the next two years, Ricci competed for numerous independent promotions, and won both the Mexican's promotion Lucha Libre Femenil (LLF)'s LLF Championship, by defeating Miss Janeth, and the Xcitement Wrestling Federation's Women's Championship[broken anchor].[1]

In February 2004, Ricci reaggravated a previous knee injury in Mexico, and underwent surgery.[1] She was briefly sidelined while recuperating.[1] She returned to Mexico in July and August 2004.[1] In October 2004, Ricci competed in at All Pro Wrestling (APW)'s Halloween Hell Night 1 show, in which she participated in the "ChickFight Tournament".[5] She defeated Tiffany in the first round, but lost to Cheerleader Melissa in Round Two.[5][6] She competed for APW at Halloween Hell Night 2 the following night as well, defeating Hailey Hatred, Candace LeRae and Nikki Roxx in a four-way elimination match.[7]

In early 2005, Ricci competed for New Breed Wrestling (NWS) and Top Rope Wrestling (TRW).[1] On February 18, Ricci competed in a gauntlet match in NBW; the match was won by Daizee Haze, and also contained Josie, ODB, and Traci Brooks.[1] On May 24, Ricci was defeated by Lollipop at a TRW show.[1] From August 14 to 31, 2005, Ricci travelled to the US army bases in South Korea, Japan, Guam, and Hawaii for Armed Forces Entertainment.[1] On October 8, 2005, Ricci won the NWA World Women's Championship by defeating the reigning champion, Lexie Fyfe and Tasha Simone in a three-way match at the NWA 57th Anniversary Show.[8] She appeared on the first two DVD volumes of Shimmer Women Athletes.[2] The first volume was taped on November 6, 2005, and she lost to Lexie Fyfe.[9] The second volume was taped the same day, and Ricci defeated Amber O'Neal.[10]

Throughout 2006 and 2007, Ricci continued to compete for independent promotions, including USA Championship Wrestling, CWA Championship Wrestling and Memphis Wrestling.[1] After holding the NWA World Women's Championship for over a year, Ricci dropped it to MsChif on January 27, 2007.[1][8] In mid-2007, Ricci began competing regularly for Women's Extreme Wrestling (WEW).[1] Her first appearance for WEW was on May 5, when she competed in two matches, losing to Talia Madison in the first and Jazz in the second.[1] She also began competing for Southern All-Star Wrestling, defeating Lollipop in her first match for the promotion.[1] She continued competing for both promotions throughout 2008, wrestling people including Cindy Rogers, Naomi Banks, and Angel Orsini.[1] In July 2008, she returned to the LLF in Mexico.[1]

In early 2009, Ricci debuted for Wrestlicious, a women's wrestling organization owned by Jay Vargas and Jimmy Hart, under the name Glory. On the April 7, 2010, episode of Wrestlicious Takedown, Glory alongside Felony were the last two girls standing in a 20-girl "Hoedown Throwdown" Battle Royal to determine the top two contenders for the Wrestlicious Championship.[11] On the May 24 episode of Wrestlicious Takedown, Glory defeated Felony to win the Wrestlicious Championship, becoming the inaugural champion.[12]

Personal life

Ricci grew up in Clinton, Mississippi, where she knew fellow professional wrestler, Ted DiBiase Jr., meeting him at a Sunday school class.[4] It was through DiBiase Jr. that she became a fan of professional wrestling and his father, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.[4] Ricci cites DiBiase, Dynamite Kid, Bret Hart, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit as her favorite wrestlers.[4] She was also a fan of Eddie Gilbert.[6]

Ricci began bodybuilding when she was 17, and plans on competing in bodybuilding competitions, and doing fitness modelling.[4] Ricci graduated from college with a Bachelor of Business in 2004 and completed her Master's degree in Business in 2007.[4]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Christie Ricci profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Alumni and Inactive Wrestlers — Christie Ricci". Shimmer Women Athletes. Archived from the original on August 14, 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  3. ^ Gerretsen, Jasper (September 29, 2009). "That Was Then, Is This Too? 09.29.09: Wrestlicious, Baby!". 411Mania. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Christie Ricci". G.L.O.R.Y. Wrestling. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "ChickFight — October 29, 2004 – All Pro Wrestling — Halloween Hell Night 1 (ChickFight Tournament) in Hayward, California". Online World of Wrestling. October 29, 2004. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  6. ^ a b Lano, Dr. Mike (October 30, 2004). "ChickFight sets up Melissa-Sugey finale". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ "ChickFight — October 30, 2004 – All Pro Wrestling — Halloween Hell Night 2 (ChickFight Finals) in Hayward, California". Online World of Wrestling. October 30, 2004. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  8. ^ a b c "NWA World Women's Championship". NWA: Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling. Archived from the original on January 18, 2010. Retrieved March 26, 2009.
  9. ^ "SHIMMER Women Athletes — November 6, 2005 – Shimmer Women Athletes — DVD Volume #1 Taping in Berwyn, Illinois at the Eagles Club". Online World of Wrestling. November 6, 2005. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  10. ^ "SHIMMER Women Athletes — November 6, 2005 – Shimmer Women Athletes — DVD Volume #2 Taping in Berwyn, Illinois at the Eagles Club". Online World of Wrestling. November 6, 2005. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  11. ^ Trionfo, Richard (April 7, 2010). "Wrestlicious Television Report: Battle Royal and more". 411Mania. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  12. ^ a b Gerweck, Steve (May 25, 2010). "Spoiler: First Ever Wrestlicious Champion". WrestleView. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  13. ^ "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) Female 50/100 for 2008". The Internet Wrestling Database. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  14. ^ Clark, Ryan (September 22, 2008). "The PWI Female 50 Rankings: Who Is The Top Women's Wrestler?". Wrestling Inc. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.