Pro wrestler opening pizza restaurant in Lincoln Park
Luis Gomez, About Last Night
9:34 am, October 18, 2012

Lisa Maria Varon — known as Tara in TNA Wrestling and Victoria during her WWE days — is getting back into the pizza business.

The 41-year-old professional wrestler previously owned a pizza restaurant in Kentucky in 2007 before selling it and now has plans to open another in the Lincoln Park neighborhood in January or February. The restaurant will be located at 2418 N. Ashland, which was previously Leon’s Ribs.

“We’re sticking with what we know, with where we’ve previously had success,” Varon told me by email Wednesday. “We’re focusing on artisanal brick oven pizza. Everything (will be) made on premise: the dough, a fifth generation sauce, fresh local ingredients. And then house blend burgers: hormone and antibiotic free beef, ground in house.”

Varon won the TNA Women’s Knockouts Championship Sunday at TNA’s biggest pay per view of the year, Bound For Glory, and is scheduled to appear on MTV’s “Made” this week. She also said she is the subject of a documentary currently being filmed by director Matt Goldberg. But even with her busy schedule, she insists you will be able to find her at her restaurant every week once it opens.

“This is not a pet project for me,” Varon said. “This is my job. I will continue to travel a couple days a week for wrestling, but I will be in the restaurant several days a week.”

And how much longer does the five-time TNA Knockouts Champion expect to wrestle?

“I get the ‘how much longer’ question in every interview nowadays,” Varon said. “I get it. I’m 41 in an industry where girls breaking in are half my age. My perspective is, I feel great, I think I look great, I put on outstanding matches for the fans, I bring out the best in my opponents, and most importantly, I am having a blast.”