Torrie Wilson Describes "Mortifying" Times In WWE, Feeling She Could Rarely Say No

The bad times. There have been several different eras throughout WWE’s history and things have certainly changed over the years. Some of those changes have been for the better as some of the worst days the company has had are behind them. This includes things would not go over today as the wrestlers might not be so supportive of the ideas. It seems to be the case again with a WWE Hall Of Famer.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Who? How WWE Has Seemingly Removed Vince McMahon’s Name

During a new interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, WWE Hall Of Famer Torrie Wilson spoke about some of her time in WWE. Wilson described the times when she was participating in bikini contests as “mortifying”, including a time at a live event where she had to hold back tears over how “raunchy” the content was getting.

Wilson also described how hard it was to say no, but that she did turn down various things, including a video for Playboy. She also revealed that she did not watch wrestling after leaving WWE in 2008, referring to it as having PTSD from being left “so vulnerable out there”. However, she did begin watching again when she was called back for the Royal Rumble in 2018, saying that she began watching more than when she was in WWE. Here are some excerpts, with transcription courtesy of Wrestlingnews.co:

On WWE Bikini Contests

“They were all mortifying. People don’t realize. I went out there and owned it the best I could and pushed through the fear, but it was mortifying. There were times when, I remember specifically a house show that I was in this bikini showdown with Dawn Marie and Sable and someone else. I was standing in the corner watching one of the girls dance in the middle and literally fighting back tears. Like, I cannot believe I’m doing this right now because it got to like a raunchy point, and I’m like, I don’t want to be a part of this, but that was also my job.”

On Not Being Able To Say No

“No. It was like twice that I could remember that I (said no). First of all, I’m a major people pleaser, so to say no to people is really hard, even if it’s someone you know. I’m recovering from that. There was one time when I had a thing with Sable where Vince wanted me to come out with the paint on my boobs like she did, and I was like, hard no, I can’t do that. I mean, it ended up being nearly nothing anyway. Another time was when I did Playboy, Vince wanted me to do a pay-per-view also, the video. That one was very hardcore pressed and it was really hard for me to say no, but I absolutely didn’t want that.”

On What She Is Proud Of During Wrestling

“I’m really proud of the fact that I stayed true to my values. Even though on screen it got a little raunchy, I was never that girl that politicked my way. I never slept my way to the top trying to get a little extra attention, and to me, that goes a long way. I was never a backstabber. I was, you know, on the up and up, and to me that’s something that I’m most proud of.”

And On Interest In Wrestling Following Her Release

“I didn’t watch wrestling. I didn’t want anything to do with wrestling for many years after I left mostly because I just had a certain amount of PTSD from being so vulnerable out there and feeling like I was put in this kind of, like, this raunchy role that wasn’t me. I felt judgment from people. I felt like people looked down on me for like, just stuff that I did, the bra and panty matches and all that, so like, I just wanted to shut that door. For many years, I didn’t watch. It wasn’t until they called me to do the Royal Rumble that I started to kind of catch up and then I got really into it, like more into it than I ever was when I was wrestling.”

There is a lot to this. Check out the full interview, plus Wilson’s time in WWE:

Opinion: This is the kind of thing that a lot of people, myself included, might never have thought of while Wilson was in WWE. As she said, it was something she did with a smile on her face, but that doesn’t mean she was happy during the whole ordeal. There is a world of difference between being out there in wrestling gear and trying to have a serious match and literally being presented over nothing more than how she looked. Thankfully things seem to have calmed down and gotten better, because it seems like it was rather terrible for a long time.