Diva Dish: South of the Border
By Kara A. Medalis
Written: May 30, 2008
In this week’s Diva Dish, say olé! as Mickie James, Beth Phoenix and Katie Lea travel to Mexico. Then lace up your walking shoes and hit the road with Layla as she raises awareness for a charity close to her heart. Finally, get the full report from Victoria on the opening of Black Widow Customs.
¡Viva Mexico!
The Divas recently traveled South of the Border when Raw visited Mexico. Diva Dish caught up with a few of the Sexiest Women on Television after their trip.
“The matches were fabulous, mostly because I won every single one of them,” said reigning Women’s Champion Mickie James. “The shows were amazing. The fans were great. There were thousands and thousands of fans. One day in Mexico City, I actually went out into the crowd before the show and walked around and waved and shook hands, and had some one-on-one interaction with our fans, which was really neat.”
When she wasn’t wowing the crowds of our fans, the Mickie was partaking in one of her favorite activities while on a abroad on tour — shopping!
“I like to go out and see things and go shopping. I went shopping in both Monterrey and Mexico City — I couldn’t help myself,” she smiled. “I bought a sweet scarf — you can tie it as a shirt or for your hair. The saleswoman taught me how to tie it different ways. It’s pretty cool!”
Beth Phoenix told Diva Dish her trip to Mexico was also great, especially because she enjoys the hot weather. Plus, she said our Mexican fans loved seeing The Glamazon in person.
“When I was walking from the ring to the back, the fans just showed me a lot of respect. I got a lot of really positive reactions from them,” she explained. “It showed me that they respect what The Glamazon can do. They know quality female wrestling when they see it. That was the highlight of my trip.”
Finally, Katie Lea said she was really looking forward to Raw’s trip to Mexico, where she claimed our fans were in awe of her.
“Our fans in Mexico are just like they are anywhere else in the world. They are fascinated by Katie Lea and admire Katie Lea for her strength, beauty and superior wrestling skills,” she said. “There’s also a little bit of jealousy involved. Some people might hate on me because they can’t be as amazing as I am, but nobody can be!”
On her day off, the British bombshell enjoyed an educational tour of ancient ruins near Mexico City.
“There are two pyramids, a temple area and a whole city buried there. That was fascinating to see, and just really interesting to learn a little bit about the culture, too,” Katie Lea explained.
“I also learned about the Aztec calendar. Supposedly, every two years it resets itself. The next time will be in 2012. Some people think it means it’s the end of the world, but it’s not actually the end of the world, it’s just a huge shift and the spiritual world will change. People will get a new perspective. There will be a giant ceremony at those pyramids, so maybe I’ll get to go back.”
Watch exclusive video of WWE’s tour of Mexico. Also, check out photos from the Superstars’ trip.
Walking for a cause
While Layla may be ruthless in the ECW ring, the Diva has a soft spot for her favorite furry friends when she’s outside of the ropes.
“I just did a charity walk called ‘Walk for the Underdogs’. I was walking for a dog who needed to be adopted, who had nowhere to go, which is sad,” she explained. “I have two dogs — Tyson and Kai — who I have spoken about before. If we can raise enough money to keep these dogs sheltered and alive, then I want to help.”
The Diva and Tyson participated in the 1.3-mile walk in Los Angeles earlier this month on a Sunday morning. It seems Layla returned home with another canine companion.
“Of course, there I was, little miss sappy — I saw another dog. I adopted a little Chihuahua mix. She’s three months old. I named her Kona,” she smiled. “I adopted another dog, just to save her life. She’s a new member of the family.”
Layla said she’s eager to help raise funds by donating her time to charities and she promises this isn’t the last time she’ll lace up her walking shoes for a good cause.
“Any time I can help a charity, on a weekend or just for a few hours of my day, I want to do that. We need to make moves to make changes,” she said, noting fellow Diva Lena Yada turned her onto the charity.
“Who knew that day I’d save a dog’s life? To some people maybe it’s ‘just a dog,’ but it’s still a life. So please check out walkfortheunderdog.com,” Layla said. “It was just a great experience. I’d do it again. If I’m in L.A. again next year, I’ll definitely be walking again, and donating. It was beautiful.”
Open for business
The grand opening celebration of Victoria’s Black Widow Customs in Louisville was a huge success, thanks in part to the many WWE fans in attendance.
“I pulled up in my Chrysler 300 and the line was incredible — there were more than 1,000 people, plus 10 Superstars,” the SmackDown Diva said. “The support from the town was amazing. I got a proclamation from Mayor Jerry Abramson’s office.”
Special guests at the event included local cheerleaders and Hooters girls, representatives from Louisville’s B96.5 FM and Red Bull, and WWE Superstars Elijah Burke, Jesse & Festus, JTG, Jimmy Wang Yang, Domino and Divas Jillian, Melina and Lena Yada.
“The huge highlight of the night was when Elijah got his hands on a bell. He rang the bell for Festus, which freaked him out. He went nuts in the crowd. He went to go chokeslam Elijah, so we rang the bell to calm him down,” Victoria told Diva Dish.
Now that her business is revved up and running, our fans will be seeing even more of Victoria and her Black Widow Customs Chrysler 300M. Thanks to her big win in the YouTube/Chrysler 300 Spin it Your Way contest, Victoria and her custom car will travel to the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. The Diva and her ride will also be featured in Business First magazine and Louisville Magazine. She couldn’t be happier to be in the Derby City, the place she’s called home since 2001.
“Everyone asked, ‘Why did you open it in Louisville?’ I said, ‘Why not?’ It’s a great city. Everyone’s so great and loving. It’s a great community. It’s a family town and they love cars. It couldn’t have gone better.”
Credit: WWE.com
