WWE Magazine
January 2003 Issue
Psycho Diva
By Brian Solomon

Jealousy can be a very dangerous emotion. It was the Renaissance Italian statesman Niccolo Machiavelli who said that all hatred springs from envy. If there’s any truth to that, then Victoria must be the most envious person in all of WWE, because the hatred she harbors for Trish Stratus is about as strong and destructive as it gets. And if Trish isn’t careful, it could spell the end of her run as Raw’s dominant Diva. Victoria’s jealousy of Trish is obvious to even the most casual viewer. While Victoria would vehemently disagree, her behavior would belie her claims. She can hem and haw about how Trish sabotaged her career her career as a fitness model, but that’s nothing more than simple bitterness. Victoria was never able to reach the hieghts that Trish did in the fitness world, so she takes out her frustration on her rival. It’s Human Nature 101: If you fail, blame those who succeed. For years, the green-eyed monster of envy possessed Victoria’s soul, but until now she was unable to exact any revenge. While Trish Stratus ascended to WWE glory, first as a manager and then as a competitor, Victoria wallowed in anonymity, powerless to stop her metoric rise. But all that’s changed. Trish can no longer categorize Victoria among the untold number who burn with envy toward her.

Now Victoria shares the same locker room with her, competes on the same roster as her-even eats in the same arena commissaries as her. It’s got to be hard looking across the room, pretending not to see a woman scorching a hole in you with her eyes. Taken at face value, it’s actually quite a testament to Victoria’s perseverance and dedication. Let’s face it, she set a goal for herself and achieved it. Tired of watching Trish on TV every week, Victoria stopped wallowing in frustration, deciding to become a WWE superstar herself and beat Trish at her own game. If she were a normal, sane young lady, this would certainty be a praiseworthy accomplishment. But she’s not. Victoria is the WWE’s first certifiable, grade-A wacko Diva. The only female of the past who even comes close would be Luna Vachon, but compared to Victoria, Luna was downright well-adjusted. That’s because Victoria’s obsessions and hang-ups are buried deep below the surface Unlike the more histrionic and campy, Luna, Victoria is an insane woman pretending to be sane-a deadly formula if there ever was one. Almost no one-except maybe Trish-really knows how long this anger and bile have been building up inside Victoria. Whatever the case, her pent-up aggression has wreaked some heavy-duty damage to the woman’s psyche.

In fact, it may be completely beyond repair. “I usually don’t use such colloquial terminology, but this girl is batty,” opined renowned sports-entertainment psychologist Dr. Sigmund Ziff when contacted for comment. “To tell you the truth, from what I’ve seen of her, I can’t imagine anything short of intensive shock therapy making a dent in her psychosis. I’ve treated some difficult cases in my day-I was the guy who got George “The Animal” Steele to verbalize for the first time in his adult life-and even I throw up my hands. “The layman may not fully appreciate it,” Ziff continued, “but even Victoria’s most subtile words and actions scream out to the trained analytical mind. She is capable of some terrible things. The last thing anyone should want is to be perceived by her as an obstacle. Honestly, I can’t even fathom how WWE could hire someone this unstable. Their staff psychologists should have spotted this problem right from the beginning.” While that opinion is solely Dr. Ziff’s, we can’t help but ask the question: Should someone like this be allowed to ply their rade in a WWE ring? While it’s certainty true that WWE has had it’s fair share of madmen and maniacs on the roster in the past (and present), there never really has been any mad women. Frankly, we’re not sure that the Women’s Division can contain such a presence. This is not meant as a knock, but any rational viewer could admit that many of our lovely Divas are simply unprepared to cope with the out-and-out menace that Victoria represents.

People’s livelihoods and well-being are at stake here. Perhaps if Victoria’s diseased brain existed in the body of a Stacy Keibler or a Terri, we would have less reason to be worried. But it doesn’t. It resides in a lethally skilled, athletically honed body that was built for combat. While she definitely possesses the sultry and seductive looks we’ve come to expect from WWE’s Divas, she’s no dainty little damsel. Victoria is equal parts brawn and beauty, blending the two in a way not seen in WWE since the days of Chyna. Trish Stratus is no slouch, either. In the past year, she as metamorphosed into an elite female competitor. Many so-called experts as well as naysayers have had their mouths shut by the ring prowess Trish demonstrated as Women’s Champion. But we can only ask so much of her. There are many men on the WWE roster who would have their hands full in a match with Victoria. Trish’s defeat at the hands of Victoria at Survivor Series was surely not the end. The Women’s Championship as appeased Victoria, but her goal is far from achieved. Victoria will not stop until Trish is completely ruined. Victoria is, after all, someone who still holds a grudge from fitness competitions that took place years ago. She’s not about to let a few setbacks get in her way.

After all, it’s a lifetime of setbacks that resulted in the person she is today. In her mind, it’s time to make up for all that. Just like those who are so warped by past traumas that they are unable to place the blame where it belongs-on themselves-Victoria refuses to see things for what they really are. Instead of making the healthy decision to safely channel her aggression in a productive matter, she has chosen chaos. Only sweet revenge can offer Victoria solace. And if she has her way, Trish Stratus will be the one sacrificed for her psychological health.